package installation fails due to auto-generated prerm install-info call aborting

[tim blurton]

cvs failed to install upgrade failed

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: cvs 1:1.12.13-12ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-11.50-generic-pae 2.6.38.8
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-11-generic-pae i686
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu3
Architecture: i386
Date: Fri Oct 21 22:39:26 2011
ErrorMessage: ErrorMessage: package cvs is already installed and configured
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release i386 (20100429)
SourcePackage: dpkg
Title: package cvs 1:1.12.13-12ubuntu1 failed to install/upgrade: ErrorMessage: package cvs is already installed and configured
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to oneiric on 2011-10-21 (0 days ago)

[Raphaël Hertzog (hertzog)]

Reassigning to cvs since the error concerns this package:

Preparing to replace cvs 1:1.12.13-12ubuntu1 (using .../cvs_2%3a1.12.13+real-6_i386.deb) ...

install-info: No dir file specified; try --help for more information.

dpkg: warning: subprocess old pre-removal script returned error exit status 1

dpkg - trying script from the new package instead ...

dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/cvs_2%3a1.12.13+real-6_i386.deb (--unpack):

 there is no script in the new version of the package - giving up

[Thorsten Glaser (mirabilos)]

Workaround for the user:

sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/info/cvs.prerm

Then try an upgrade again.

[Thorsten Glaser (mirabilos)]

cvs 1:1.12.13-12ubuntu1 prerm consists of only autogenerated code, thus subscribing debhelper:

#!/bin/sh
set -e
# Automatically added by dh_installdocs
if [ "$1" = remove ] || [ "$1" = upgrade ] && \
   which install-docs >/dev/null 2>&1; then
        install-docs -r cvs-doc-client
fi
# End automatically added section
# Automatically added by dh_installdocs
if [ "$1" = remove ] || [ "$1" = upgrade ] && \
   which install-docs >/dev/null 2>&1; then
        install-docs -r cvs-doc
fi
# End automatically added section
# Automatically added by dh_installinfo
if [ "$1" = remove ] || [ "$1" = upgrade ]; then
        install-info --quiet --remove /usr/share/info/cvs.info
fi
# End automatically added section
# Automatically added by dh_installinfo
if [ "$1" = remove ] || [ "$1" = upgrade ]; then
        install-info --quiet --remove /usr/share/info/cvsclient.info
fi
# End automatically added section

Also, since the bug reporter has install-info installed, both dpkg and texinfo for both of them have binary packages providing the “install-info” command (one in /usr/bin, one in /usr/sbin, which is another WTF moment).

I’ve asked the reporter to “sudo rm” the prerm script in question then upgrade again, to get rid of their primary problem, but some investigating _why_ this problem happens in the first place would be nice. FWIW, the cvs 2:1.12.13+real-6 source package uses dh_installinfo just the same, but didn’t get an auto-generated prerm file. My guess is that someone removed compatibility code too zealously.

[Thorsten Glaser (mirabilos)]

debhelper, dpkg, texinfo mntners: ping?

[Raphaël Hertzog (hertzog)]

Not sure what happens either, but there's no point having this as a bug open against dpkg. In theory any install-info called in a maintainer script should be a no-op. Either because it's the dpkg wrapper or the ginstall-info wrapper provided by install-info.

The most likely scenario is that the user installed install-info from upstream sources or somewhere else and that it fails due to this.