package cups 1.3.9-2ubuntu7 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1

[wollombi]

Binary package hint: cups

example error output on attempted reinstall of cups package:

sean@GWAIHIR:~$ sudo apt-get install cups
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
  cairo-dock-plug-ins
Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.
Suggested packages:
  cups-driver-gutenprint hplip xpdf-korean xpdf-japanese
  xpdf-chinese-traditional xpdf-chinese-simplified cups-pdf
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  cups
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B/2139kB of archives.
After this operation, 11.3MB of additional disk space will be used.
Preconfiguring packages ...
Selecting previously deselected package cups.
(Reading database ... 114357 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking cups (from .../cups_1.3.9-2ubuntu7_i386.deb) ...
Processing triggers for doc-base ...
Processing 1 added doc-base file(s)...
Registering documents with scrollkeeper...
Processing triggers for man-db ...
Setting up cups (1.3.9-2ubuntu7) ...
Reloading AppArmor profiles : done.
insserv: warning: script 'K04xserver-xorg-input-wacom' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'K02loopback' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'K02udev-finish' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'K03gdm' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'K04udev' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'K03vbesave' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'K03powernowd.early' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'K03NetworkManager' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'K03acpi-support' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'udev-finish' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'powernowd.early' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'NetworkManager' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'acpi-support' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'udev' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'gdm' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'vbesave' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'xserver-xorg-input-wacom' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'loopback' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: script cups: service cups already provided!
insserv: exiting now!
dpkg: error processing cups (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 cups
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

ProblemType: Package
Architecture: i386
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 8.10
ErrorMessage: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: cups 1.3.9-2ubuntu7
SourcePackage: cups
Title: package cups 1.3.9-2ubuntu7 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Uname: Linux 2.6.27-11-generic i686

[wollombi (wollombi)]

Forgot to mention that the errors continue on any other dpkg action afterwards, so any install/removal of packages (not necessarily cups related) results in errors reported.

[Daniel Hollocher (chogydan)]

well, the reason the dpkg error persists is because cups is broken. Whenever you have a broken package, dpkg generally refuses to continue other commands. Simplest fix is to just force a removal of the broken package with dpkg --remove --force-remove-reinstreq

[wollombi (wollombi)]

I know this of course, I added that info in case it would be important to whomever can poke around in the code. Big IF, I know, but I would rather be thorough than not give enough information.

I purged the package (it is no longer in /var/cache/apt/archives/), and removed cups. Still get the same result when downloading the package again - broke. Currently I've reverted back to version 1.3.9-2ubuntu6.1 of the package and things are working, but I'm still not up to date this way.

[wollombi (wollombi)]

Forgot to mention that your solution will also not work (cleanly) because the cups package is a dependency for numerous other packages. Trying to do it anyway, the cups error still returns and the package is not uninstalled.

So, it seems this is to remain broken until the Ubuntu folks decide to fix it, or I defect to a more stable distro.

[Daniel Hollocher (chogydan)]

well, you can add --force-depends to that whole dpkg command to ignore the dependencies, and only remove the cups package.

But, maybe the error isn't in cups, but in insserv. It is the program that seems to be the error. Anyway, this is out of my league. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[wollombi (wollombi)]

I'll give that a try.

I poked around a bit with insserv, looking at the overrides and LSB stuff (or tried to, anyway), but it's a bit out of my knowledge level too, and a google search hasn't turned up much that I found useful to educating myself on it. =(

Anyhow, thanks for your help. I appreciate it greatly. If I figure it out of find an answer from someone, I'll let you know.

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

Its unclear to me if this is a cups bug or an insserv one so I'm opening an insserv task just in case.

[wollombi (wollombi)]

New cups package does not resolve this.

[wollombi (wollombi)]

Reinstall of Intrepid fixed the issue. I assume there was a corrupt file somewhere.

Pardon the noob question, but I'm not seeing anywhere on the page where I can indicate that it is resolved.

[Jean-Baptiste Lallement (jibel)]

Thanks for following up. I'm closing this report due to your last comment. Don't hesitate to submit any new bug.