package usbmuxd failed to install/upgrade: useradd: unable to lock /etc/passwd; try again later.

[Vitalii Vovk]

i don't know what to write here. The system suggested me to send the report.

== Description ==
The installation of usbdmuxd failed with the error:
    useradd: cannot lock /etc/passwd; try again later.

when trying to add the user usbmux to the group plugdev.

Strangely all reports are in a non-english language

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: libimobiledevice0 0.9.7-1ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-22.33-generic 2.6.32.11+drm33.2
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-22-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
Architecture: i386
Date: Sun May 23 15:02:19 2010
ErrorMessage: проблемы зависимостей -- оставляем не настроенным
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" - Release i386 (20091028.5)
SourcePackage: libimobiledevice
Title: package libimobiledevice0 0.9.7-1ubuntu1 failed to install/upgrade: проблемы зависимостей -- оставляем не настроенным

[Jean-Baptiste Lallement (jibel)]

Thanks for your report.

The relevant error is
---
Настраивается пакет usbmuxd (1.0.2-1ubuntu2) ...
Добавляется системный пользователь `usbmux' (UID 114) ...
Добавляется новый пользователь `usbmux' (UID 114) в группу `plugdev' ...
useradd: не удалось заблокировать /etc/passwd; попробуйте ещё раз позже.
adduser: `/usr/sbin/useradd -d /home/usbmux -g plugdev -s /bin/false -u 114 usbmux' вернул код ошибки 1. Завершение работы.
dpkg: не удалось обработать параметр usbmuxd (--configure):
 подпроцесс установлен сценарий post-installation возвратил код ошибки 1

This is very similar to bug 432964. Check that there's a file called /etc/gshadow.lock, and possibly /etc/shadow.lock, /etc/passwd.lock too; if that's the case, remove them (no risk), and retry. The problem might come from a crash while using the guest session: do you remember such a situation?

[Julien Lavergne (gilir)]

Additional information from https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/usbmuxd/+bug/546492/comments/5 : it seems that python (or a python program) lock the file, which cause this crash.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for usbmuxd (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]