udev fails to install in a vserver due to /lib/udev/devices/ppp - operation not permitted

[Asheesh Laroia]

Binary package hint: udev

I'm trying to install gutsy in a vserver environment. udev fails to install, thereby ruining ubuntu-base. Here's what it complains of:

Here is what udev complains

Setting up udev (113-0ubuntu11) ...
mknod: `/lib/udev/devices/ppp': Operation not permitted
dpkg: error processing udev (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of ubuntu-minimal:
 ubuntu-minimal depends on udev; however:
  Package udev is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing ubuntu-minimal (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured

I can verify the problem in a shell:

root@gutsy:~# mknod -m 600 /lib/udev/devices/ppp c 108 0
mknod: `/lib/udev/devices/ppp': Operation not permitted

I'm not quite sure why this fails, to be honest, but I don't much about the vserver environment. Note that vserver is one of the popular Linux virtualization systems, and that it's part of Debian, so I imagine that people will hit this fairly often.

Let me know if you would like more information; I'm happy to provide it or e.g. ssh login into the vserver.

[Scott James Remnant (Canonical) (canonical-scott)]

Could you provide information on the root filesystem, e.g. the output of "mount" and /proc/mounts

[Asheesh Laroia (paulproteus)]

On Wed, 3 Oct 2007, Scott James Remnant wrote:

> Could you provide information on the root filesystem, e.g. the output of
> "mount" and /proc/mounts

root@gutsy:/# cat /proc/mounts
rootfs / rootfs rw 0 0
/dev/root / ext3 rw,noatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/sda6 /home/paulproteus ext3 rw,data=ordered 0 0
none /proc proc rw,nodiratime,nodev 0 0
none /dev/pts devpts rw 0 0

(/home/paulproteus is a bind mount from outside the vserver)

I hoep thsi helps. Let me know if you just want e.g. ssh access.

-- Asheesh.

--
Leibowitz's Rule:
  When hammering a nail, you will never hit your
  finger if you hold the hammer with both hands.

[Scott James Remnant (Canonical) (canonical-scott)]

And the output of "mount" ? (these should be slightly different)

[Stefan Kuegler (ubuntu-bugs-kuegler)]

Hello.

I just upgraded my ubuntu (also running in a vserver-environment) to the new version (7.10), and I got the same error-messages.

If I want to reinstall the udev-package, I got these error-messages:

ubuntu[vserver]:~ # apt-get install --reinstall udev
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 reinstalled, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0B of archives.
After unpacking 0B of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y
Setting up udev (113-0ubuntu16) ...
/etc/iftab does not exist to convert
 Removing any system startup links for /etc/init.d/finish ...
mknod: `/lib/udev/devices/ppp': Operation not permitted
dpkg: error processing udev (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 udev
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
ubuntu[vserver]:~ #

Here are the informations you want:

ubuntu[vserver]:~ # cat /proc/mounts
rootfs / rootfs rw 0 0
/dev/root / ext3 rw,data=ordered 0 0
none /proc proc rw,nodiratime 0 0
none /tmp tmpfs rw,nodev 0 0
none /dev/pts devpts rw 0 0

ubuntu[vserver]:~ # mount
/dev/hdv1 on / type ufs (defaults)
none on /proc type proc (0)
none on /tmp type tmpfs (size=16m,mode=1777)
none on /dev/pts type devpts (gid=5,mode=620)

- Stefan -

[Scott James Remnant (Canonical) (canonical-scott)]

This has to be a vserver ufs bug, the shell that's failing is:

        rm -f /lib/udev/devices/ppp
        mknod -m 600 /lib/udev/devices/ppp c 108 0

It must be refusing to make certain device nodes

[Andreas Moog (ampelbein)]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make
Ubuntu better. You reported this bug a while ago and there hasn't been
any activity in it recently. We were wondering is this still an issue
for you? Can you try with latest Ubuntu release? Thanks in advance.

 status incomplete
 subscribe

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[Asheesh Laroia (paulproteus)]

I just created a hardy vserver, and it works fine.

gutsy probably still fails with this error, but it seems true that hardy fixes it.

[Asheesh Laroia (paulproteus)]

CORRECTION:

hardy installs fine, but udev fails to re-install:

$ sudo apt-get install --reinstall udev

Preparing to replace udev 117-8 (using .../archives/udev_117-8_i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement udev ...
Setting up udev (117-8) ...
mknod: `/lib/udev/devices/ppp': Operation not permitted
dpkg: error processing udev (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 udev
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

So this error persists.

[Reinhard Tartler (siretart)]

Scott,

vservers do not allow mknods for security reasons. There is infrastructrue in place to ensure only the really required devices are in /dev. Moreover, it does not really make sense to have udev manage devices in udev.

I intend to upload the atteched debdiff after the Alpha 5 freeze to intrepid. Moreover, I think this debdiff should be SRU'ed as well.

Background: I maintain a number of 'hardy' vservers, and in order to work around this, I either have to manually edit the postinst, or maintain my own udev package fork. espc. for a LTS version this easy fix should really be applied.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package udev - 124-3

---------------
udev (124-3) intrepid; urgency=low

  * debian/udev.postinst:
    - don't fail to install/upgrade in a vserver environment by ignoring
      errors of mknod. LP: #144685

 -- Reinhard Tartler <email address hidden> Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:04:25 +0200

[Scott James Remnant (Canonical) (canonical-scott)]

I have reverted this change to udev.

This would cause a failure to create those REQUIRED devices on an ordinary system to go unreported, and the user would be unable to boot their system.

We should not work around vserver's strange behaviour by ignoring genuine errors as well.

[Scott James Remnant (Canonical) (canonical-scott)]

siretart reapplied it differently

[Hassan El Jacifi (waver)]

This problem come back if you want to upgrade hardy.

root@test:~# apt-get install -f

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 0B of additional disk space will be used.
Setting up udev (117-8ubuntu0.2) ...
mknod: `/lib/udev/devices/ppp': Operation not permitted
dpkg: error processing udev (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 udev
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 8.04.2
Release: 8.04
Codename: hardy

mount
/dev/hdv1 on / type ufs (defaults)
none on /proc type proc (defaults)
none on /tmp type tmpfs (size=16m,mode=1777)
none on /dev/pts type devpts (gid=5,mode=620)

cat /proc/mounts
rootfs / rootfs rw 0 0
/dev/root / xfs rw,relatime,ikeep,noquota 0 0
none /proc proc rw,nodiratime,relatime,nodev 0 0
none /tmp tmpfs rw,relatime,nodev 0 0
none /dev/pts devpts rw,relatime 0 0

[Marco Rodrigues (gothicx)]

I'm upgrading from feisty to hardy in vserver and it has the same problem.

Setting up udev (117-8ubuntu0.2) ...
/etc/iftab does not exist to convert
 Removing any system startup links for /etc/init.d/finish ...
mknod: `/lib/udev/devices/ppp': Operation not permitted
dpkg: error processing udev (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1

[Scott James Remnant (Canonical) (canonical-scott)]

The fix was released in 124-3, your output shows you are using an older version (117-8ubuntu0.2).

[Marco Rodrigues (gothicx)]

Hi! Yes.. but it should also be fixed in Hardy, because it's an LTS.

[Scott James Remnant (Canonical) (canonical-scott)]

On Mon, 2009-07-20 at 11:29 +0000, Marco Rodrigues wrote:

> Hi! Yes.. but it should also be fixed in Hardy, because it's an LTS.
>
In general we only backport critical bug fixes, security fixes, etc.
into a released version of Ubuntu. (This is the Support we provide for
a Long Term).

Scott
--
Scott James Remnant
<email address hidden>