ntop does not install correctly with no 'eth0' device

[Alex Mayfield]

Binary package hint: ntop

Background:
This computer only has a loopback and ra0 device (it had an eth0, but I turned it off via the bios after it got zapped by lightning).

outpost@outpost-vostro:~$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 9.04
Release: 9.04

outpost@outpost-vostro:~$ apt-cache policy ntop
ntop:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 3:3.3-11ubuntu1
  Version table:
     3:3.3-11ubuntu1 0
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/universe Packages

What I expected to happen:
ntop to install and the daemon to start automatically

What actually happened:
outpost@outpost-vostro:~$ sudo aptitude install ntop
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  librrd4{a} ntop
0 packages upgraded, 2 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B/2902kB of archives. After unpacking 11.6MB will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n/?] y
Writing extended state information... Done
Preconfiguring packages ...
eth0: error fetching interface information: Device not found
Selecting previously deselected package librrd4.
(Reading database ... 129249 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking librrd4 (from .../librrd4_1.3.1-4ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package ntop.
Unpacking ntop (from .../ntop_3%3a3.3-11ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...
Processing triggers for man-db ...
Setting up librrd4 (1.3.1-4ubuntu1) ...

Setting up ntop (3:3.3-11ubuntu1) ...
eth0: error fetching interface information: Device not found
Starting network top daemon: eth0: error fetching interface information: Device not found
ERR: interface eth0 is DOWN...
Tue Jul 21 09:19:48 2009 NOTE: Interface merge enabled by default
Tue Jul 21 09:19:48 2009 Initializing gdbm databases
ntop not started. Read /usr/share/doc/ntop/README.Debian.
invoke-rc.d: initscript ntop, action "start" failed.

Processing triggers for libc6 ...
ldconfig deferred processing now taking place
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done
Writing extended state information... Done

outpost@outpost-vostro:~$

The package installs, but the daemon is not set up correctly and does not run out of the gate. Shouldn't it automatically pick out a working network device before trying to start it?

[Michael Bushey (2-launchpad-sendthemtomir-com)]

Setting up ntop (3:4.0.3+dfsg1-2) ...
Starting network top daemon: ERR: interface eth0 is DOWN...
 will not start network top daemon!

My ethernet device is br0, the physical device is eth2.

[Ludovico Cavedon (cavedon)]

A fresh installation of the latest ntop will not try to use eth0 by default, but will listen on no interface.

However if the answer "eth0" is cached by debconf from a previous installation and eth0 is not up or available, the installation of ntop will fail in the postinst.

I have fixed this for the next upload to Debian unstable by preventing the init script to exit with an error if the user has specified an interface which is not available. In this way the installation will not fail, even though ntop will not start. It will be however possible to reconfigure ntop with dpkg-reconfigure.

Thanks for taking the time to report the problem.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package ntop - 3:4.99.0-rc+ndpi5237+dfsg1-1

---------------
ntop (3:4.99.0-rc+ndpi5237+dfsg1-1) unstable; urgency=low

  * Imported Upstream version 4.99+rc and nDPI r5237.
  * Update Dutch debconf template transation by Jeroen Schot
    <email address hidden> (Closes: #650750).
  * Update Galician debconf translation by Anxo Outeiral (Closes: #626699).
  * Add Polish debconf translation by Michał Kułach (Closes: #660884).
  * Remove non-free Highcharts JS API from upstream tarball, document it in
    debian/NEWS, and suggest ntop-graphs package.
  * Remove commands to stop ntop in prerm script, as they are already added by
    debhelper.
  * Use "none" as default interface if no previous configuration exist.
  * Remove check for existing interaces during config.
  * Fix init script failure in some cases (Closes: #649639).
  * Add build dependency on groff for documentation generation
    (Closes: #633956).
  * Update watch file for upstream "-rc" suffix.
  * Refresh patches.
  * Add do-not-require-svn.patch to remove unneeded dependecy on svn.
  * Update reduce-autogen-purged-files.patch so nDPI is not be removed on
    cleanup.
  * Removed no longer needed dependency on mochikit.
  * Update Standards-Version to 3.9.3.
  * Add separate package for debug symbols.
  * Update copyright for new upstream version.
  * Add l7_major_proto-fix.patch and tcp-option-parsing.patch to fix crashes.
  * Build-Depends on libpng-dev to allow linpng transitions (Closes: #662447).
  * Prevent the init script to exit with an error if one of the configured
    interaces is not available (Closes: #662212, LP: #402215).
  * Add /sbin path to invocation of start-stop-daemon (Closes: #350693).
  * Add status command to init script (Closes: #513779, LP: #323717).
  * Refresh & fix patches.
  * Add LSB description to init script.
  * Re-enable DNS resolution.

 -- Ludovico Cavedon <email address hidden> Mon, 19 Mar 2012 23:56:18 -0700

[Jarmo (jjarven)]

Does not install on Ubuntu 12.04 precise, same error - the eth0 missing.

[m4v (m4v)]

same in Ubuntu 12.10