package dpkg 1.15.4ubuntu2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1

[Paul Beardsell]

Binary package hint: dpkg

Upgrading from Ubuntu Jaunty server to final RC for Karmic. Did not see the error. I'm just taking the default options here to get thru this bug report. Seemingly dpkg won't upgrade??? This is a std upgrade on a vanilla Jaunty following the server upgrade instructions.

ProblemType: Package
Architecture: i386
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Package: dpkg 1.15.4ubuntu2
SourcePackage: dpkg
Title: package dpkg 1.15.4ubuntu2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Uname: Linux 2.6.18-028stab059.6 i686

[Paul Beardsell (paul-beardsell)]

On running "apt-get install" the installation of dpkg is detected as incomplete and is continued. Error message is
"touch: setting times of `/var/log/dpkg.log': Bad address"

I have re-done "apt-get update" to have same error repeated upon another "apt-get install"

Did the same with aptitude. "aptitude update" then "aptitude install" and here is the output:

sl2.mine.nu psb $ sudo aptitude install
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:
  smartmontools
The following partially installed packages will be configured:
  dpkg
0 packages upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 298 not upgraded.
Need to get 332kB of archives. After unpacking 823kB will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n/?]
Get:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com karmic/main smartmontools 5.38-3ubuntu2 [332kB]
Fetched 332kB in 0s (935kB/s)
Setting up dpkg (1.15.4ubuntu2) ...
touch: setting times of `/var/log/dpkg.log': Bad address
dpkg: error processing dpkg (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 dpkg
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
A package failed to install. Trying to recover:
Setting up dpkg (1.15.4ubuntu2) ...
touch: setting times of `/var/log/dpkg.log': Bad address
dpkg: error processing dpkg (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 dpkg
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done

[Paul Beardsell (paul-beardsell)]

file `/var/log/dpkg.log' was only writable by root so i chmod-ded 666 but and re-tried - no difference.

[Paul Beardsell (paul-beardsell)]

There is something wrong with "touch"!

sl2 % sudo touch /var/log/dpkg.log
touch: setting times of `/var/log/dpkg.log': Bad address
sl2 % ls -l /var/log/dpkg.log
-rw-rw-rw- 1 root adm 168272 Oct 29 11:51 /var/log/dpkg.log
sl2 % ls -ld /var/log
drwxr-xr-x 10 root root 4096 Oct 29 04:57 /var/log
sl2 % ls -ld /var
drwxr-xr-x 15 root root 4096 Oct 29 10:10 /var

Trying to touch any file caused this error. So I moved /bin/touch out of the way, symbolically linked /bin/true to /bin/touch and tried again. Now "aptitude install" completes the install of dpkg without error.

[Paul Beardsell (paul-beardsell)]

But I cannot continue with upgrade:

sl2 % sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

gives:
E: Conf Broken insserv

As this is still a RC of Karmic I am trying to upgrade to I am going to restore from backup image and try again this PM with proper release.

[Michael Vogt (mvo)]

Thanks for your bugreport.

Could you please run "stat /var/log/dpkg.log" ?

[Michael Vogt (mvo)]

The error message from dpkg looks like it might be file system corruption, please try running fsck on the disk.

[Paul Beardsell (paul-beardsell)]

Michael, too late! But there was nothing wrong with /var/log/dpkg.log as far as I could tell. I could edit it, for example. I think the issue is something to do with the machine being virtual. I have outstanding queries with the providers. And this upgrade was attemtped on the RC - I will try again with the proper release of Karmic. And I think I'll try and mark this "bug" resolved ot cancelled or whatever, if I have the perms for that. Paul

[Paul Beardsell (paul-beardsell)]

Or do I change it to "invalid"?

[Philip Muškovac (yofel)]

Closing the bug then.