package samba 2:3.4.0-3ubuntu5.6 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1

[DaveInPhx]

Binary package hint: samba

This came up as a crash report and brought me here when I clicked on it.
Description: Ubuntu 9.10
Release: 9.10

I received the same error on a 2nd Ubuntu 9.10 install, for the following packages:
libsmbclient
libwbclient0
samba-common
smbclient
winbind

The error initially reported in that instance was failed to download the packages from the server. That was resolved by trying again a few hours later.

ProblemType: Package
AptOrdering:
 samba: Install
 samba: Configure
Architecture: i386
Date: Sun Mar 28 03:06:08 2010
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: samba 2:3.4.0-3ubuntu5.6
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-20.58-generic
SourcePackage: samba
Title: package samba 2:3.4.0-3ubuntu5.6 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-20-generic i686

[Mathias Gug (mathiaz)]

The error is:

Setting up samba (2:3.4.0-3ubuntu5.6) ...

update-alternatives: using /usr/bin/smbstatus.samba3 to provide /usr/bin/smbstatus (smbstatus) in auto mode.

 * Starting Samba daemons 
[fail]

invoke-rc.d: initscript samba, action "start" failed.

dpkg: error processing samba (--configure):

 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1

Could you provide the information outlined in https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingSamba#Install/upgrade%20failure?

[DaveInPhx (coder-burgii)]

Unfortunately, this report came about while working on a friend's machine for him. The reason he needed samba was to be able to print from W2K in a virtual box on the Ubuntu machine to a USB printer connected to the same Ubuntu machine.

As I mentioned above, I retried the operation a few hours later and it worked, so this may have been due to something being updated in the update servers, making the packages temporarily unavailable (although the update should have recognised that surely?).

The machine has now been returned to my friend, and has samba installed and working, so the output of the requested command
dpkg-query -W -f='${Package} ${Version} ${Source} ${Status}\n' | grep samba
would reflect the current (upgraded) state, not the state it was in when the error occurred. ><

Sorry I can't be more help on this one !

[Chuck Short (zulcss)]

Closing then.

Regards
chuck