grub-multi-install fails to find template in some circumstances

[Balint Harmath]

[Impact]
Upgrades to focal may fail because debconf cannot find the template.

[Test case]

1. Delete /var/cache/debconf
2. reinstall shim-signed / grub-efi-amd64-signed

[Regression potential]
Other problems asking those questions, and hence failure to install grub.

[Original bug report]

I have just upgraded from Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTS (Bionic Beaver) to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa.

There is the official graphical way to upgrade. I have used that.
https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/tutorial-upgrading-ubuntu-desktop#1-before-you-start

At the end I had two packages that didn't install - the shim-signed was one of them.
The package number is 1.40.3+15+1533136590.3beb971-0ubuntu1.

I have an AMD64 processor - namely AMD Quad-Core A4-6210.

Error message:
Setting up grub-efi-amd64-signed (1.142+2.04-1ubuntu26) ...
dpkg: error processing package grub-efi-amd64-signed (--configure):
 installed grub-efi-amd64-signed package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 10
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of shim-signed:
 shim-signed depends on grub-efi-amd64-signed | grub-efi-arm64-signed; however:
  Package grub-efi-amd64-signed is not configured yet.
  Package grub-efi-arm64-signed is not installed.

...

E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

> installed grub-efi-amd64-signed package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 10

This error status indicates there is a problem with debconf communication from within this package.

grub-efi-amd64-signed does not invoke debconf itself, but does so via /usr/lib/grub/grub-multi-install.

Can you run 'sudo /usr/lib/grub/grub-multi-install --target=x86_64-efi' manually and see if this command completes successfully?

If it does not, please run 'sudo env DEBCONF_DEBUG=developer /usr/lib/grub/grub-multi-install --target=x86_64-efi' and paste the output.

[Balint Harmath (bharmath)]

Thank you for advice!

The matter of the fact is that the command runs, but the upgrade 'sudo apt-get upgrade' returns in error again.

Setting up grub-efi-amd64-signed (1.142+2.04-1ubuntu26) ...
dpkg: error processing package grub-efi-amd64-signed (--configure):
 installed grub-efi-amd64-signed package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 10
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of shim-signed:
 shim-signed depends on grub-efi-amd64-signed | grub-efi-arm64-signed; however:
  Package grub-efi-amd64-signed is not configured yet.
  Package grub-efi-arm64-signed is not installed.

dpkg: error processing package shim-signed (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.

[Balint Harmath (bharmath)]

For the asked environmental variable value the output is:
sudo env DEBCONF_DEBUG=developer /usr/lib/grub/grub-multi-install --target=x86_64-efi
>debconf (developer): frontend started
>debconf (developer): Trying to find a templates file..
>debconf (developer): Trying /usr/lib/grub/grub-multi-install.templates
>debconf (developer): Trying /usr/share/debconf/templates/grub-multi-install.templates
>debconf (developer): Couldn't find a templates file.
>debconf (developer): frontend running, package name is
>debconf (developer): starting /usr/lib/grub/grub-multi-install --target=x86_64-efi
>debconf (developer): <-- FGET grub-efi/install_devices seen
>debconf (developer): --> 10 grub-efi/install_devices doesn't exist

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

ok, thanks, I was afraid it might be something like this.

Can you also post the output of 'dpkg -l |grep grub' on your system?

[Balint Harmath (bharmath)]

The asked output is:

$ dpkg -l | grep grub
ii grub-common 2.04-1ubuntu26 amd64 GRand Unified Bootloader (common files)
ii grub-efi-amd64 2.04-1ubuntu26 amd64 GRand Unified Bootloader, version 2 (EFI-AMD64 version)
ii grub-efi-amd64-bin 2.04-1ubuntu26 amd64 GRand Unified Bootloader, version 2 (EFI-AMD64 modules)
iF grub-efi-amd64-signed 1.142+2.04-1ubuntu26 amd64 GRand Unified Bootloader, version 2 (EFI-AMD64 version, signed)
ii grub2-common 2.04-1ubuntu26 amd64 GRand Unified Bootloader (common files for version 2)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package grub2 - 2.04-1ubuntu28

---------------
grub2 (2.04-1ubuntu28) groovy; urgency=medium

  * Ensure that grub-multi-install can always find templates (LP: #1879948)
  * Fix changelog entries for security update

 -- Julian Andres Klode <email address hidden> Mon, 10 Aug 2020 15:07:29 +0200

[Łukasz Zemczak (sil2100)]

Hello Balint, or anyone else affected,

Accepted grub2 into focal-proposed. The package will build now and be available at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub2/2.04-1ubuntu26.3 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation on how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, what testing has been performed on the package and change the tag from verification-needed-focal to verification-done-focal. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed-focal. In either case, without details of your testing we will not be able to proceed.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance for helping!

N.B. The updated package will be released to -updates after the bug(s) fixed by this package have been verified and the package has been in -proposed for a minimum of 7 days.

[Ubuntu SRU Bot (ubuntu-sru-bot)]

All autopkgtests for the newly accepted grub2 (2.04-1ubuntu26.3) for focal have finished running.
The following regressions have been reported in tests triggered by the package:

ubuntu-image/1.9+20.04ubuntu1 (arm64)
grubzfs-testsuite/0.4.10 (amd64)

Please visit the excuses page listed below and investigate the failures, proceeding afterwards as per the StableReleaseUpdates policy regarding autopkgtest regressions [1].

https://people.canonical.com/~ubuntu-archive/proposed-migration/focal/update_excuses.html#grub2

[1] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates#Autopkgtest_Regressions

Thank you!

[Julian Andres Klode (juliank)]

focal: Upgraded grub to ubuntu26.3, removed debconf database, and reinstalled shim - worked fine. Removing the db_x_loadtemplatefile line from the script breaks it again, so this fix is good :)

[Łukasz Zemczak (sil2100)]

The verification of the Stable Release Update for grub2 has completed successfully and the package is now being released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regressions.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package grub2 - 2.04-1ubuntu26.3

---------------
grub2 (2.04-1ubuntu26.3) focal; urgency=medium

  * 2.04-1ubuntu27 and 2.04-1ubuntu28 folded together for focal
  * debian/patches/ubuntu-flavour-order.patch:
    - Add a (hidden) GRUB_FLAVOUR_ORDER setting that can mark certain kernel
      flavours as preferred, and specify an order between those preferred
      flavours (LP: #1882663)
  * debian/patches/ubuntu-zfs-enhance-support.patch:
    - Use version_find_latest for ordering kernels, so it also supports
      the GRUB_FLAVOUR_ORDER setting.
  * debian/patches/ubuntu-dont-verify-loopback-images.patch:
    - disk/loopback: Don't verify loopback images (LP: #1878541),
      Thanks to Chris Coulson for the patch
  * debian/patches/ubuntu-recovery-dis_ucode_ldr.patch
    - Pass dis_ucode_ldr to kernel for recovery mode (LP: #1831789)
  * debian/patches/ubuntu-add-initrd-less-boot-fallback.patch:
    - Merge changes from xnox to fix multiple initrds support (LP: #1878705)
  * debian/patches/ubuntu-clear-invalid-initrd-spacing.patch:
    - Remove, no longer needed thanks to xnox's patch
  * Ensure that grub-multi-install can always find templates (LP: #1879948)

 -- Julian Andres Klode <email address hidden> Mon, 17 Aug 2020 16:04:31 +0200