package mailman 1:2.1.13-1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1

[Kyle Schweighauser]

Binary package hint: mailman

This came up during an OS update this morning.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: mailman 1:2.1.13-1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-28.55-generic 2.6.32.27+drm33.12
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-28-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
Architecture: amd64
Date: Wed Feb 23 08:43:11 2011
ErrorMessage: subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04.1 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release amd64 (20100816.1)
SourcePackage: mailman
Title: package mailman 1:2.1.13-1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1

[James Page (james-page)]

Not much in the error log for this one:

(Reading database ... 312026 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace mailman 1:2.1.13-1 (using .../mailman_1%3a2.1.13-1ubuntu0.2_amd64.deb) ...
 * Stopping Mailman master qrunner mailmanctl
   ...done.
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/mailman_1%3a2.1.13-1ubuntu0.2_amd64.deb (--unpack):
 subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1

[James Page (james-page)]

Kyle

I've taken a look at the pre-installation script and it will fail with an exit status of 1 if any queue files in /var/lib/mailman/qfiles.

I could re-produce this error message by creating a file in /var/lib/mailman/qfiles - I was then presented with the option to continue regardless or abort the installation.

Did you get any prompted during the upgrade about this directory containing files? I got the following error message (and advice which might help):

 The directory /var/lib/mailman/qfiles contains files. It needs to be
 empty for the upgrade to work properly. You can try to handle them by:
  - Stop new messages from coming in (at the MTA level).
  - Start a mailman queue runner: /etc/init.d/mailman start
  - Let it run until all messages are handled.
    If they don't all get handled in a timely manner, look at the logs
    to try to understand why and solve the cause.
  - Stop it: /etc/init.d/mailman stop
  - Retry the upgrade.
  - Let messages come in again.
 You can also decide to simply remove the files, which will make
 Mailman forget about (and lose) the corresponding emails.
 .
 If these files correspond to shunted messages, you have to either
 delete them or unshunt them (with /var/lib/mailman/bin/unshunt).
 Shunted messages are messages on which Mailman has already abandoned
 any further processing because of an error condition, but that are
 kept for admin review. You can use /var/lib/mailman/bin/show_qfiles to
 examine the contents of the queues.
 .
 You have the option to continue installation regardless of this problem, at
 the risk of losing the messages in question or breaking your Mailman setup.

Thanks

[James Page (james-page)]

We'd like to figure out what's causing this bug for you, but we haven't heard back from you in a while.

Did the solution provided help work around your issue?

Thanks!

[Kyle Schweighauser (kms)]

Clearing the queue resolved the bug. Thanks.

-----Original Message-----
From: James Page <email address hidden>
Reply-to: Bug 723891 <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Subject: [Bug 723891] Re: package mailman 1:2.1.13-1 failed to
install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-installation script returned error
exit status 1
Date: Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:45:26 -0000

We'd like to figure out what's causing this bug for you, but we haven't
heard back from you in a while.

Did the solution provided help work around your issue?

Thanks!

Kyle Schweighauser, Director of Information Technology
Extanto, LLC. | 132 East Broadway, 9th Floor | Eugene , OR 97401
Office 541.515.6232
http://www.extanto.com/

technology + creativity = extanto

[Chuck Short (zulcss)]

Closing the bug then.

chuck