package pcscd 1.8.10-1ubuntu1.1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1

[Diego Laverson Freitas]

.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: pcscd 1.8.10-1ubuntu1.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-81.104~14.04.1-generic 4.4.67
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-81-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.24
AptOrdering:
 pcscd: Install
 pcscd: Configure
Architecture: amd64
Date: Fri Jun 23 12:21:31 2017
DuplicateSignature: package:pcscd:1.8.10-1ubuntu1.1:subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
InstallationDate: Installed on 2016-12-28 (177 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 14.04.5 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20160803)
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.17.5ubuntu5.7
 apt 1.0.1ubuntu2.17
SourcePackage: pcsc-lite
Title: package pcscd 1.8.10-1ubuntu1.1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Kurt Woitke (woitke)]

I have this same problem as well - and have had this problem for a few months. Every time the update fails it takes me here.

[Ludovic Rousseau (ludovic-rousseau-gmail)]

Diego, Kurt, Do you also have the problem if you do:
sudo apt install --reinstall pcscd

[Ludovic Rousseau (ludovic-rousseau-gmail)]

According to https://serverfault.com/questions/715064/failed-to-issue-method-call-unit-failed-to-load-no-such-file-or-directory or https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=955379 the error message you have "Failed to issue method call: No such file or directory" comes from systemd.

pcscd version 1.8.10 is from Ubuntu 14.04, an old Ubuntu version.
Are you trying to upgrade to Ubuntu 16.04? 18.04? something else?

[Kurt Woitke (woitke)]

Ludovic: I tried sudo apt install -- reinstall pcsd and got an internal error: No file name for pcscd:amd64

I am using 14.04 and have not upgraded (can't right now)

[Ludovic Rousseau (ludovic-rousseau-gmail)]

The correct command should be:
sudo apt install --reinstall pcscd

Use cut-and-paste to be sure to use the correct command and send back the correct results.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Martin Pecka (peci1)]

Reinstall doesn't help.

The problematic line is in postinst:

[ -x /bin/systemctl ] && [ -d /run/systemd/system ] && systemctl enable pcscd.socket

On my Trusty system, even calling this command from commandline (with sudo at systemctl) fails with the same error.

Using strace I found out that on this system it looks for the socket file in /lib/systemd/upstart/pcscd.socket, but the package only installs /lib/systemd/system/pcscd.socket. Manually copying this file to the correct directory fixes the issue (symlink is not enough since systemd doesn't follow them).

It's probably caused by this systemd change from December 2016: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/trusty/+source/systemd/+bug/1616422/comments/21 . That would explain why I succeeded installing pcscd on trusty a few years ago, but now it's broken.

It could be fixed in debian/rules:
override_dh_auto_configure:
 dh_auto_configure -- $(EXTRA_CONFIGURE_ARGS) --with-systemdsystemunitdir=/lib/systemd/system --enable-usbdropdir=/usr/lib/pcsc/drivers $(shell dpkg-buildflags --export=configure)

There's a config named --with-systemdsystemunitdir which points to the ignored directory on trusty. Pointing it to /lib/systemd/upstart should IMO fix the bug.

[Ludovic Rousseau (ludovic-rousseau-gmail)]

Nice catch Martin!

The best would be to ask systemd what directory to use. So the same code can be used on Ubuntu and Debian.

I was not able to find a way to ask systemd where the unit files should be installed :-(
Any idea?

[Ludovic Rousseau (ludovic-rousseau-gmail)]

I have no problem with pcscd on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS:

$ sudo LANG=C apt install pcscd
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following additional packages will be installed:
  libccid
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  libccid pcscd
0 upgraded, 2 newly installed, 0 to remove and 8 not upgraded.
Need to get 141 kB of archives.
After this operation, 469 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n]
Get:1 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/universe amd64 libccid amd64 1.4.22-1ubuntu0.1 [85.8 kB]
Get:2 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/universe amd64 pcscd amd64 1.8.14-1ubuntu1.16.04.1 [55.7 kB]
Fetched 141 kB in 0s (1006 kB/s)
Selecting previously unselected package libccid.
(Reading database ... 223096 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../libccid_1.4.22-1ubuntu0.1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libccid (1.4.22-1ubuntu0.1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package pcscd.
Preparing to unpack .../pcscd_1.8.14-1ubuntu1.16.04.1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking pcscd (1.8.14-1ubuntu1.16.04.1) ...
Processing triggers for systemd (229-4ubuntu21.10) ...
Processing triggers for ureadahead (0.100.0-19) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.7.5-1) ...
Setting up libccid (1.4.22-1ubuntu0.1) ...
Setting up pcscd (1.8.14-1ubuntu1.16.04.1) ...
Processing triggers for systemd (229-4ubuntu21.10) ...
Processing triggers for ureadahead (0.100.0-19) ...

And also no problem on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.

$ sudo LANG=C apt install pcscd
[sudo] Mot de passe de rousseau :
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  pcscd
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 19 not upgraded.
Need to get 57.9 kB of archives.
After this operation, 176 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Get:1 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/universe amd64 pcscd amd64 1.8.23-1 [57.9 kB]
Fetched 57.9 kB in 0s (651 kB/s)
Selecting previously unselected package pcscd.
(Reading database ... 172785 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../pcscd_1.8.23-1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking pcscd (1.8.23-1) ...
Setting up pcscd (1.8.23-1) ...
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/sockets.target.wants/pcscd.socket -> /lib/systemd/system/pcscd.socket.
Processing triggers for ureadahead (0.100.0-20) ...
Processing triggers for systemd (237-3ubuntu10.9) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.8.3-2ubuntu0.1) ...

I do not plan to fix a bug in Ubuntu 14.04 only. Ubuntu 14.04 should be UN-maintained after April 2019 (in 4 months). https://www.ubuntu.com/about/release-cycle

The best solution may be to upgrade your system.

[Joy Latten (j-latten)]

Fixed in subsequent release. Closing.