when applying a kernel update, the update process hangs at a question

[Chris Moore]

I recently installed a new kernel version. I left the install running while I got on with some work. The embedded terminal window of the update-manager was hidden while the kernel package installed, and when it got to the question about whether to install a boot block using /etc/lilo.conf the embedded terminal was opened up, showing the question. I was working in a different window at the time, so I didn't see the question for quite a long time. I could quite easily have missed it and rebooted, leaving the kernel half-installed.

I think the question needs to be brought to the front so the user can see it and answer it, rather than forgetting about the upgrade and leaving it half done.

[Chris Moore (dooglus)]

I originally mentioned this in bug #29774, but it is a quite different issue.

[Sebastian Heinlein (glatzor)]

This bug is related to synaptic and not update-manager, since synaptic is used as backend for the install and remove operations.

Since no Ubuntu package should require user input on the terminal during installation this is also related to the kernel/lilo package.

There is also a way to ask user for input: debconf. If it is not used it is a problem of the package.

1. Synaptic should emerge an urgency signal to the window manager if terminal input is required. So the user would see a blinking window in the window list of his or her panel.

2. Synaptic should interrupt the log out process of the desktop environemnt. I think that e.g. gedit does this, if there are unsaved changes.

Regards,

Sebastian

[Michael Vogt (mvo)]

Did it expand the terminal window after a certain amount of time (~1min) ?

[Chris Moore (dooglus)]

I *think* it expanded the terminal window immediately, but that's no
use if the terminal window is buried behind 3 other windows since I
won't see it being expanded. It needs to be brought to the top, or to
start flashing in the window list, or to get my attention in some
other way.

[Sebastian Heinlein (glatzor)]

A lot of work was done to prevent focus stealing in metacity, the gnome window manager. So this not really an option.

[Chris Moore (dooglus)]

But sending an urgency signal to the window manager as suggested by
Sebastian Heinlein above would be a good solution wouldn't it?

[Carthik Sharma (carthik)]

I can reproduce this on my system, when installing the -686 version of the latest kernel.

[Michael Vogt (mvo)]

The current version in my bzr tree implements this behaviour. If no terminal activity is detected it will come up with a urgency hint. When the user inputed something the urgency hint is reseted. This feature will be part of the next upload.

Cheers,
 Michael