[Jaunty] apport crashing with splashy installed

[Thomas Ohms]

Binary package hint: apport

With latest security update from today for apport 1.0-0ubuntu5.2, update crashes while processing with the following errors:

 * Stopping automatic crash report generation: apport /etc/init.d/apport: 24: runlevel: not found
exit: 24: Illegal number: Stopping
invoke-rc.d: initscript apport, action "stop" failed.
dpkg: Warnung - altes pre-removal-Skript wurde mit Fehler-Status 2 beendet
dpkg - probiere stattdessen Skript aus dem neuen Paket ...
 * Stopping automatic crash report generation: apport /etc/init.d/apport: 24: runlevel: not found
exit: 24: Illegal number: Stopping
invoke-rc.d: initscript apport, action "stop" failed.

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

Hey guys, it's a security update we're talking about! I'd like to help, but don't know where those new error messages "Illegal number" are coming from and so don't know where to start debugging.

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

Now I had a bit time to observe this bug deeper. Mentioned error is because apport isn't running. Well, no problem so far as I tried to start apport. But nothing - no message, no apport. Had a look into init script file - ok: there's a file under default which is originally set to disable apport (first matter! think of common users!). Right - I enabled to start apport, but got only the following error during start-up process:
 * Starting automatic crash report generation: apport /etc/init.d/apport: 24: runlevel: not found
exit: 24: Illegal number: Starting

What is that illegal number about to do?? What does it tell me? Where is it coming from?

Ok - if nothing helps one step usually always helps out: remove with apt-get and purge everything, than reinstall. But surprise:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
apt-get --purge remove apport
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  apport*
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 5 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 553kB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? Y
dpkg: error processing apport (--purge):
 Package is in a very bad inconsistent state - you should
 reinstall it before attempting a removal.
Errors were encountered while processing:
 apport
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Damn - I was so close. Ok, dpkg wants me to reinstall and so I tried with no better result:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
apt-get --reinstall install apport
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Suggested packages:
  apport-gtk apport-qt python-launchpadlib
The following packages will be upgraded:
  apport
1 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 5 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0B/113kB of archives.
After this operation, 0B of additional disk space will be used.
Lese Changelogs... Fertig
(Reading database ... 268384 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace apport 1.0-0ubuntu5 (using .../apport_1.0-0ubuntu5.2_all.deb) ...
 * Stopping automatic crash report generation: apport /etc/init.d/apport: 24: runlevel: not found
exit: 24: Illegal number: Stopping
invoke-rc.d: initscript apport, action "stop" failed.
dpkg: warning - old pre-removal script returned error exit status 2
dpkg - trying script from the new package instead ...
 * Stopping automatic crash report generation: apport /etc/init.d/apport: 24: runlevel: not found
exit: 24: Illegal number: Stopping
invoke-rc.d: initscript apport, action "stop" failed.
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/apport_1.0-0ubuntu5.2_all.deb (--unpack):
 subprocess new pre-removal ...

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

Couldn't get a minute rest without having a solution and found the following which solved the bug (should be in next update!):

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=6847133&postcount=8

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

Grabbed other bugs belonging to that one as duplicates so bug list will be clean and with right package where issue is coming from.

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

I'll figure out a patch.

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

The bug is inside lsb-base-logging.sh from splashy package.

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

Preparing for sponsorship

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

Ok, patch is finished and debdiff attached. For those not willing to wait: I uploaded the package to my PPA. Just will take a while, but as soon it's built I let you know.

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

Please review for sponsorship.

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

For all others not willing to wait: download from my PPA. Just put following into you apt sources file:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/tohms/bugfixes/ubuntu jaunty main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/tohms/bugfixes/ubuntu jaunty main

Update cache and than splashy. Be aware that version in PPA for compatibility reasons with later jaunty-proposed is: splashy - 0.3.13-3ubuntu1~ppa1

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

Sorry had a typo: package of course is: splashy - 0.3.13-3ubuntu2~ppa1

[James Westby (james-w)]

Hi,

bug 328089 is making it difficult to work on this package, as it's not
installable.

I don't know enough about the package to know if that is fixable, or
how.

Thanks,

James

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

That's weird as I haven't had any problems with installing. But I had splashy already installed. Will try it on a clean install and take care of that bug, too.

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

Did any reporters from this bug had problems as mentioned in bug https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/328089??

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

If anyone installed from my PPA please send a message as there need to be fixed some small changes!!
Any others never had splashy installed can install latest version from my PPA splashy - 0.3.13-3ubuntu2~ppa4 or wait until official version is released.
As bug #328089 is more critical I will follow up there and set this one as duplicate, so please don't write comments in here anymore and use the other one.

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

Forgot other duplicates. BugControl maintainers: is there a way to get it closed cleanly?

[James Westby (james-w)]

On Sun, 2009-05-10 at 18:21 +0000, Thomas Ohms wrote:
> Forgot other duplicates. BugControl maintainers: is there a way to get
> it closed cleanly?

You can leave this open, it's still a bug in its own right.

Thanks,

James

[Thomas Ohms (tohms)]

Please review for sponsorship.

[Mike Pontillo (mpontillo)]

Can someone sponsor this for Karmic?

I was helping out in #ubuntu+1 and someone saw this problem. I patched splashy the same way that Thomas did before I realized that he had already done the work.

[Benjamin Drung (bdrung)]

Please provide a debdiff for karmic and then resubscribe ubuntu-universe-sponsors.

[Clint Byrum (clint-fewbar)]

This bug was in jaunty, which has reached EOL, and so will not be fixed. In karmic, the 'runlevel' command is inside the 'upstart' package which is part of base files and so will always be present.

Given that, I am closing this bug as Fix Released.