Infinite loop upgrading to 5.1.41-3ubuntu12.6

[jgreenso]

If MySQL is not startable, the package cannot continue. History...

Performed a dist-upgrade on a Lucid box installed a few weeks ago.

The dist-upgrade became stuck:
Setting up libmysqlclient16 (5.1.41-3ubuntu12.6) ...

Setting up mysql-client-core-5.1 (5.1.41-3ubuntu12.6) ...
Setting up mysql-client-5.1 (5.1.41-3ubuntu12.6) ...
Setting up mysql-server-core-5.1 (5.1.41-3ubuntu12.6) ...
Setting up mysql-server-5.1 (5.1.41-3ubuntu12.6) ...
Installing new version of config file /etc/init/mysql.conf ...

Looking at vmstat in another shell it was doing nothing, 100% idle.

Looking at ps:

jamesg@sutton:~$ ps ax | grep mysql
 3665 pts/1 S+ 0:00 /usr/bin/perl -w /usr/share/debconf/frontend /var/lib/dpkg/info/mysql-server-5.1.postinst configure 5.1.41-3ubuntu12.3
 3675 pts/1 S+ 0:00 /bin/bash -e /var/lib/dpkg/info/mysql-server-5.1.postinst configure 5.1.41-3ubuntu12.3
 3779 pts/1 S+ 0:00 start mysql
 5962 pts/2 S+ 0:00 grep --color=auto mysql
31891 pts/1 Ss+ 0:00 /usr/bin/dpkg --status-fd 24 --configure linux-image-2.6.32-24-generic libmysqlclient16 mysql-client-core-5.1 mysql-client-5.1 mysql-server-core-5.1 mysql-server-5.1 mysql-server apt-utils ureadahead libusb-0.1-4 apt-transport-https libkrb5support0 libk5crypto3 libkrb5-3 libgssapi-krb5-2 libldap-2.4-2 python-apt update-manager-core w3m libfreetype6 grub-common grub-pc hunspell-en-ca linux-image-generic linux-generic linux-headers-2.6.32-24 linux-headers-2.6.32-24-generic linux-headers-generic myspell-en-gb myspell-en-za openvpn

Figured I'd kill pid 3675 which did indeed complete the dist-upgrade.

Seems I had left MySQL in an un-startable state (Innodb unhappy with the log file sizes being changed, they needed to be removed).

This should not however cause a dist-upgrade to hang!

[Mathias Gug (mathiaz)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better.

According to the log files:

  Installing new version of config file /etc/init/mysql.conf ...

Was there a prompt for merging configuration files?

How long did you wait? Could you add the content of /var/log/daemon.log at the time of the upgrade to figure out why mysql was failing to start?

[jgreenso (james-green-mjog)]

Was there a prompt: No.

How long did I wait? At least five minutes to the best of my memory.

daemon.log from the earliest log entry for today:

Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]:
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]: PLEASE REMEMBER TO SET A PASSWORD FOR THE MySQL root US
ER !
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]: To do so, start the server, then issue the following co
mmands:
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]:
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]: /usr/bin/mysqladmin -u root password 'new-password'
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]: /usr/bin/mysqladmin -u root -h password 'new-password'
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]:
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]: Alternatively you can run:
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]: /usr/bin/mysql_secure_installation
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]:
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]: which will also give you the option of removing the tes
t
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]: databases and anonymous user created by default. This
is
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]: strongly recommended for production servers.
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]:
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]: See the manual for more instructions.
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]:
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]: Please report any problems with the /usr/scripts/mysqlbug script!
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]:
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]: The latest information about MySQL is available at http://www.mysql.com/
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]: Support MySQL by buying support/licenses from http://shop.mysql.com/
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton mysqld[3694]:
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton init: mysql main process (3786) terminated with status 1
Aug 10 14:14:11 sutton init: mysql main process ended, respawning
Aug 10 14:14:41 sutton init: mysql post-start process (3787) terminated with status 1
Aug 10 14:14:42 sutton init: mysql main process (3860) terminated with status 1
Aug 10 14:14:42 sutton init: mysql main process ended, respawning
Aug 10 14:15:12 sutton init: mysql post-start process (3861) terminated with status 1
Aug 10 14:15:12 sutton init: mysql main process (3934) terminated with status 1
Aug 10 14:15:12 sutton init: mysql main process ended, respawning
Aug 10 14:15:42 sutton init: mysql post-start process (3935) terminated with status 1
Aug 10 14:15:42 sutton init: mysql main process (4008) terminated with status 1
Aug 10 14:15:42 sutton init: mysql main process ended, respawning
Aug 10 14:16:12 sutton init: mysql post-start process (4009) terminated with status 1
Aug 10 14:16:13 sutton init: mysql main process (4084) terminated with status 1
Aug 10 14:16:13 sutton init: mysql main process ended, respawning
Aug 10 14:16:43 sutton init: mysql post-start process (4085) terminated with status 1
Aug 10 14:16:43 sutton init: mysql main process (4189) terminated with status 1
Aug 10 14:16:43 sutton init: mysql main process ended, respawning
Aug 10 14:17:13 sutton init: mysql post-start process (4190) terminated with status 1
Aug 10 14:17:13 sutton init: mysql main process (4266) terminated with status 1
Aug 10 14:17:13 sutton init: mysql main process ended, respawning
Aug 10 14:17:43 sutton init: mysql po...

[Justin D. Nile (disarm)]

I had a similar issue. Used Update Manager to upgrade a BioLinux6 installation (Ubuntu 10.04 based). Also hung on "Installing new version of config file /etc/init/mysql.conf ..."

/var/log/daemon.log revealed mysql respawning every 30 seconds as above. This had been going on for over an hour before I noticed. I killed the 'start mysql' process, and the upgrade continued. Installed a few more updates, Update Manager now claims that system is up to date.

Can't seem to start mysql as a service, though:
$ sudo start mysql
mysql start/running
$ ps ax | grep sql
 1347 ? S 5:10 /usr/lib/postgresql/8.4/bin/postgres -D /var/lib/postgresql/8.4/main -c config_file=/etc/postgresql/8.4/main/postgresql.conf
21157 pts/2 S+ 0:00 grep --color=auto sql

[jgreenso (james-green-mjog)]

Justin: Check your mysql logs as to why.

To reiterate, the bug is that the upgrade scripts depend on the successful starting of MySQL. They absolutely should not (there are plenty of reasons why an installation may not start).