apport-collect needs to be able to save logs to a file instead of requiring a launchpad connection

[Jeff Lane ]

We very often tell our hardware partners to "file a bug" when they encounter issues. This requires them to run apport-collect to gather and submit logs for the bug.

However, very often, the hardware that has the problem is in a lab that has tight security restrictions and direct access to launchpad is blocked. This makes it nearly impossible for them to gather any requested logs, since apport-collect requires a direct line to Launchpad.

apport-collect needs to adopt the --save feature of apport-bug/ubuntu-bug to save the prescribed logs and system data in a tarball that can then be attached to a bug after the fact.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
Package: apport 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.23
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.4.0-100.113-generic 5.4.166
Uname: Linux 5.4.0-100-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: lkp_Ubuntu_5_4_0_100_113_generic_85 zfs zunicode zavl icp nvidia_modeset zcommon znvpair nvidia
ApportLog:

ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.23
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: skip
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Tue Apr 19 10:25:54 2022
InstallationDate: Installed on 2016-02-11 (2258 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 16.04 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Alpha amd64 (20160210)
PackageArchitecture: all
SourcePackage: apport
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

If direct access to Launchpad is blocked how was a bug report filed in the first place? apport-collect is designed to gather information from a system about an existing bug report. Additionally, apport-collect looks at the bug report in Launchpad to determine which package is affected and to to determine which apport-package hook to run. Without the connection Launchpad only general information about the system would be gathered.

[Jeff Lane  (bladernr)]

>If direct access to Launchpad is blocked how was a bug report filed in the first place?

Clicking the "Report a Bug" link on any project's page in LP. This is done from a machine outside of the airgapped or restricted access lab where the hardware sits.

Also, I should point out (which I mentioned originally) that one can, and I'll also start suggesting they do this, use --save with ubuntu-bug to create a bug report that can be submitted later from a different machine.

I'm just asking to have apport-collect also feature this...

Perhaps the solution since, as you pointed out, apport needs to read the bug to know which package to collect files for, is to require the package as part of the commmand... e.g.

apport-collect --save=/path/to/filename --package=$PACKAGE $BUG_NUMBER

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for apport (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]