package mysql-server-core-5.6 5.6.25-0ubuntu0.15.04.1 failed to install/upgrade: package is in a very bad inconsistent state; you should reinstall it before attempting configuration

[David Cox]

I think this install failure happened during a software update; that is I wasn't installing MySQL server. I did try removing and re-installing the package though but got 'failure' messages but the GUI showed the package as 'installed'

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.04
Package: mysql-server-core-5.6 5.6.25-0ubuntu0.15.04.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.19.0-28.30-generic 3.19.8-ckt5
Uname: Linux 3.19.0-28-generic i686
.etc.apparmor.d.usr.sbin.mysqld: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/etc/apparmor.d/usr.sbin.mysqld'
ApportVersion: 2.17.2-0ubuntu1.4
Architecture: i386
Date: Wed Sep 16 17:19:24 2015
DuplicateSignature: package:mysql-server-core-5.6:5.6.25-0ubuntu0.15.04.1:package is in a very bad inconsistent state; you should reinstall it before attempting configuration
ErrorMessage: package is in a very bad inconsistent state; you should reinstall it before attempting configuration
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-08-25 (21 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Xubuntu 15.04 "Vivid Vervet" - Release i386 (20150422.1)
Logs.var.log.daemon.log:

MySQLConf.etc.mysql.conf.d.mysql.cnf: [mysql]
MySQLConf.etc.mysql.conf.d.mysqldump.cnf:
 [mysqldump]
 quick
 quote-names
 max_allowed_packet = 16M
MySQLConf.etc.mysql.mysql.cnf: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/etc/mysql/mysql.cnf'
MySQLConf.etc.mysql.mysql.conf.d.mysqld.safe.syslog.cnf.dpkg.new:
 [mysqld_safe]
 syslog
MySQLVarLibDirListing: []
ProcCmdline: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.19.0-28-generic root=UUID=dadafed7-2061-484f-a8b2-6382d84be22c ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.17.25ubuntu1
 apt 1.0.9.7ubuntu4.1
SourcePackage: mysql-5.6
Title: package mysql-server-core-5.6 5.6.25-0ubuntu0.15.04.1 failed to install/upgrade: package is in a very bad inconsistent state; you should reinstall it before attempting configuration
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
modified.conffile..etc.apparmor.d.usr.sbin.mysqld: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.init.d.mysql: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.init.mysql.conf: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.logcheck.ignore.d.paranoid.mysql.server.5.6: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.logcheck.ignore.d.server.mysql.server.5.6: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.logcheck.ignore.d.workstation.mysql.server.5.6: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.logrotate.d.mysql.server: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.mysql.debian.start: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.mysql.mysql.cnf: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.mysql.mysql.conf.d.mysqld.cnf: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.mysql.mysql.conf.d.mysqld.safe.syslog.cnf: [deleted]

[Robie Basak (racb)]

Thank you for your report.

This looks like a local configuration problem, rather than a bug in Ubuntu, since you appear to have extensively deleted MySQL configuration files and so it cannot be expected to work.

You can find pointers to get help for this sort of problem here: http://www.ubuntu.com/support/community

Since we use this bug tracker to track bugs in Ubuntu, rather than configuration problems, I'm marking this bug as Invalid. This helps us to focus on fixing bugs in Ubuntu.

If you believe that this is really a bug, then you may find it helpful to read "How to report bugs effectively" http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html. We'd be grateful if you would then provide a more complete description of the problem, explain why you believe this is a bug in Ubuntu rather than a problem specific to your system, and then change the bug status back to New.

[David Cox (harmonica-guy)]

Hi Robie,

Thanks for your reply. I did see the messages about configuration files
but can honestly say, 'it wasn't me guv'. I didn't actually know that
mySQL had been installed until I got the update error about
inconsistencies in the package. I agree though that on the surface this
looks more like user error than a bug and will try to understand, within
reason of time and sanity, how this situation arose. Failing that I'll
backup and re-install Xubuntu and see what the vanilla version has
installed.

Thanks again for your reply,

Best regards,

David

On 17/09/2015 10:09, Robie Basak wrote:
> Thank you for your report.
>
> This looks like a local configuration problem, rather than a bug in
> Ubuntu, since you appear to have extensively deleted MySQL configuration
> files and so it cannot be expected to work.
>
> You can find pointers to get help for this sort of problem here:
> http://www.ubuntu.com/support/community
>
> Since we use this bug tracker to track bugs in Ubuntu, rather than
> configuration problems, I'm marking this bug as Invalid. This helps us
> to focus on fixing bugs in Ubuntu.
>
> If you believe that this is really a bug, then you may find it helpful
> to read "How to report bugs effectively"
> http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html. We'd be grateful
> if you would then provide a more complete description of the problem,
> explain why you believe this is a bug in Ubuntu rather than a problem
> specific to your system, and then change the bug status back to New.
>
> ** Changed in: mysql-5.6 (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Invalid
>

[Robie Basak (racb)]

Hi David,

> I did see the messages about configuration files but can honestly say, 'it wasn't me guv'.

Fair enough. Unfortunately I can't do anything to try and fix this without steps to reproduce. If you can figure out how to reproduce this, and you think the story demonstrates a bug in Ubuntu, then please elaborate in this bug when you do figure it out and change the bug status back to New, and I can take another look.