dpkg: ../../src/packages.c:265: process_queue: Assertion `!queue.length' failed.

[Martin Pitt]

Binary package hint: dpkg

I tried to clean up my intrepid chroot and purged the plethora of build dependencies I just installed for abiword. Howver, I did not purge abiword itself, thus I got a long list of errors, and finally:

dpkg: too many errors, stopping
dpkg: ../../src/packages.c:265: process_queue: Assertion `!queue.length' failed.
Aborted (core dumped)

The first line is ok, but the two others should be handled more gracefully. dpkg shouldn't core dump.

I can reproduce this in my intrepid chroot with

  dpkg -P `dpkg -l lib*|awk '{print $2}'`

Please keep in mind that this probably *will* purge a lot of -dev packages, so try it in a throwaway chroot.

[Matt Zimmerman (mdz)]

I saw a very similar failure:

dpkg: too many errors, stopping
dpkg: ../../src/packages.c:252: process_queue: Assertion `!queuelen' failed.

under similar circumstances (long list of errors).

[Brian O'Keefe (okeefe)]

Similar running "dpkg --configure -a".A long list of errors followed by
dpkg: too many errors, stopping
dpkg: ../../src/packages.c:252: process_queue: Assertion `!queuelen' failed.

I can't see anything relavent to chroot though:

sudo dpkg --configure -a
Setting up timidity (2.13.2-19ubuntu1) ...
 * Starting TiMidity++ ALSA midi emulation... ALSA lib confmisc.c:768:(parse_card) cannot find card 'Headset'
ALSA lib conf.c:3513:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_card_driver returned error: No such device
ALSA lib confmisc.c:392:(snd_func_concat) error evaluating strings
ALSA lib conf.c:3513:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_concat returned error: No such device
ALSA lib confmisc.c:1251:(snd_func_refer) error evaluating name
ALSA lib conf.c:3513:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_refer returned error: No such device
ALSA lib conf.c:3985:(snd_config_expand) Evaluate error: No such device
ALSA lib pcm.c:2145:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM default
                                                                         [fail]
invoke-rc.d: initscript timidity, action "start" failed.
dpkg: error processing timidity (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Setting up python-central (0.6.7ubuntu0.1) ...
pycentral: pycentral pkginstall: not overwriting local files
pycentral pkginstall: not overwriting local files
dpkg: error processing python-central (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of displayconfig-gtk:
 displayconfig-gtk depends on python-central (>= 0.6.1); however:
  Package python-central is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing displayconfig-gtk (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of python-numeric:
 python-numeric depends on python-central (>= 0.5.62); however:

<snip>

dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of compiz-kde:
 compiz-kde depends on kdelibs4c2a (>= 4:3.5.8-1); however:
  Package kdelibs4c2a is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing compiz-kde (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: too many errors, stopping
dpkg: ../../src/packages.c:252: process_queue: Assertion `!queuelen' failed.
Aborted

[Brian O'Keefe (okeefe)]

My problem solved and probably not relevant to this bug but here's the solution as I am quoting from my post to Ubuntu forums"

I solved this with the help of my local users group, NMGLUG. I'm posting the solution as it was written to me. I knew that dpkg was choking on python-central but didn't know how to get past it. I ran and re-ran the commands below, a little differently. I ran
"dpkg -P python-central"
and when that completed I ran:
"apt-get install python-central"
the package installed and then the upgrade continued on its own in terminal. It borked at another python package so I did the same thing for that one and it installed the package but no further running of the upgrade.
I then ran the commands below for apt-get, ran update manager and synaptic, screwed up some permissions and fixed those (don't have a clue how that happened! I wasn't setting permissions)
It all works, everything!
From my group:

"If it's still the timidity and python-central errors, try purging
those packages:

dpkg -P timidity
dpkg -P python-central

You might have to purge a few dependencies, too. Then:

dpkg --configure -a

That's the basic idea anyway for a way to correct this problem that
has worked for me in the past.

Once the configure completes successfully, I'd try:

apt-get -f install

until it does nothing, then finish the upgrade:

apt-get dist-upgrade

repeatedly until it is done. After all that, reinstall timidity and
python-central if you need them."

[Lawrence (wenzy-15)]

Hi, the above steps worked! Many thanks!

I booted to an old kernel in recovery mode then establised a network connection.

I did the ff in the root console.
"dpkg -P python-central"

"apt-get install python-central"

then

dpkg --configure -a

apt-get -f install

apt-get dist-upgrade

--- it contiued the upgrade..

Again many thanks!

-- Lawrence

[Lawrence (wenzy-15)]

updates..

it proceeded with the installation of the packages but there are still some dependency errors.

I was able to see the log on screen but when I log in, it just freezes.

[Jean-Baptiste Lallement (jibel)]

Fixed since jaunty

dpkg (1.14.21) unstable; urgency=low
[...]
  * Do not assert when dpkg stops processing packages due to too many
    errors occurred while configuring or removing packages.
    Thanks to Ian Jackson <email address hidden>. Closes: #483655