package firebird2.0-classic/super failed to install/upgrade: find: /var/run/firebird: No such file or directory

[Glenn Sullivan]

Tried to install firebird2.0-classic and it failed with an error code of 1. I am using Ubuntu 8.04.1.

ProblemType: Package
Architecture: i386
Date: Mon Oct 13 12:16:56 2008
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 8.04
ErrorMessage: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
Package: firebird2.0-classic 2.0.3.12981.ds1-12
PackageArchitecture: i386
SourcePackage: firebird2.0
Title: package firebird2.0-classic 2.0.3.12981.ds1-12 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Uname: Linux 2.6.24-19-generic i686

:: Description of the bug ::
This bug occurs when /var/run is of type tmpfs.
The path /var/run/firebird/2.0 is created in the firebird2.0-common.postinst (or firebird2.0-server-common.postinst in Intrepid) script by the adduser command.
When the system is rebooted /var/run/firebird/2.0 is lost due to /var/run being a tmpfs filesystem.

:: Steps to reproduce ::
$ sudo apt-get install firebird2.0-common (or firebird2.0-server-common in Intrepid)
$ reboot
$ sudo apt-get install firebird2.0-classic

:: Error ::
Setting up firebird2.0-super (2.0.3.12981.ds1-12) ...
find: /var/run/firebird: No such file or directory
dpkg: error processing firebird2.0-super (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1

:: Solution/Workaround ::
$ sudo apt-get install --reinstall firebird2.0-common
$ sudo apt-get install firebird2.0-classic

Will recreate the user and the directory

[Damyan Ivanov (dmn-debian)]

-=| Jean-Baptiste Lallement, Mon, Oct 13, 2008 at 08:43:10PM -0000 |=-
> ** Summary changed:
>
> - package firebird2.0-classic 2.0.3.12981.ds1-12 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
> + package firebird2.0-classic/super failed to install/upgrade: find: /var/run/firebird: No such file or directory

You can work around the problem by disabling usage of tmpfs for
/var/run.

--
dam JabberID: <email address hidden>

[Jean-Baptiste Lallement (jibel)]

Thanks for your report. This is confirmed in Intrepid

black:/var/lib/dpkg/info# apt-cache policy firebird2.0-classic
firebird2.0-classic:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 2.0.4.13130-1.ds1-2

[Jean-Baptiste Lallement (jibel)]

This is a corner case because /var/run/firebird/2.0 is recreated at database startup in /etc/init.d/firebird2.0-classic