package php-common 1:49 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 5

[Israel Rodrigo Faria]

Hit this wall during Zetsy -> Artful upgrade on an ubuntu server.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 17.10
Package: php-common 1:49
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.10.0-38.42-generic 4.10.17
Uname: Linux 4.10.0-38-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.7-0ubuntu3.6
Architecture: amd64
Date: Mon Dec 11 23:07:38 2017
ErrorMessage: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 5
PackageArchitecture: all
Python3Details: /usr/bin/python3.6, Python 3.6.3, python3-minimal, 3.6.3-0ubuntu2
PythonDetails: /usr/bin/python2.7, Python 2.7.14, python-minimal, 2.7.14-2ubuntu1
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.18.24ubuntu1
 apt 1.5.1
SourcePackage: php-defaults
Title: package php-common 1:49 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 5
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to artful on 2017-12-12 (0 days ago)
modified.conffile..etc.cron.d.php: [deleted]

[Israel Rodrigo Faria (israel.faria)]

Oh, examining DuplicateSignature attachment I now realize the source of the issue. In my server I'm using redis as session storage for PHP and thus have disabled completely systemd service to cleanup php sessions on file.

Maybe the failure to load php session clean systemd timer should not cause anything fatal during upgrade process, no?

[Athos Ribeiro (athos-ribeiro)]

Hi Israel,

you were correct on your assessment regarding the fact that cleaning the timer should not result in a critical failure.

This is the snippet we had in the prerm maintscript in artful and zetsy that failed for you:

if [ -d /run/systemd/system ]; then
 deb-systemd-invoke stop phpsessionclean.timer >/dev/null
fi

This is what we have since bionic:

if [ -d /run/systemd/system ]; then # THIS LINE MAY VARY
 deb-systemd-invoke stop 'phpsessionclean.timer' >/dev/null || true
fi

As you can see, stopping the service should no longer fail (as per the '|| true' statement)

I also tried to reproduce your issue by trying to remove files around and/or disabling the timer.

Therefore, we can consider this one fixed.

[Israel Rodrigo Faria (israel.faria)]

Hi, 5 years later I confess I had no memory of this bug report at all. Anyhow thank you for pointing out that it was fixed since bionic.