apport-retrace wrongly installs older dbgsyms

[C de-Avillez]

Binary package hint: apport

While I was running apport-retrace I notice that even after finding (and stating) that a specific ddeb was from a previous release than needed, apport-retrace would still try to install it. This results in a broken package situation, forcing manual cleanup.

Looking at the code, it seems we are missing a 'continue' in a loop, after the wrong version is found. The attached patch seems to correct this.

[C de-Avillez (hggdh2)]

example run without the patch:

hggdh@xango2:/var/crash $ sudo apport-retrace -o test.err _usr_lib_xscreensaver_busyspheres.1000.crash
WARNING: package libselinux1-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libgcc1-dbgsym not available
WARNING: libgd2-noxpm version None required, but 2.0.36~rc1~dfsg-3ubuntu1 is available
WARNING: package whiptail-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libdb4.7-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libgdbm3-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package gcc-4.3-base-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package sed-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libdjvulibre-text-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libnewt0.52-dbgsym not available
WARNING: libgnutls26-dbgsym version 2.4.2-4 required, but 2.4.1-1build1 is available
WARNING: package libuuid1-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libbz2-1.0-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libcomerr2-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libdb4.6-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libxml2-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package debianutils-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package perl-base-dbgsym not available
WARNING: libgd2-noxpm-dbgsym version None required, but 2.0.36~rc1~dfsg-3ubuntu1 is available
WARNING: package perl-dbgsym not available
dpkg : des problèmes de dépendances empêchent la configuration de libgnutls26-dbgsym :
 libgnutls26-dbgsym dépend de libgnutls26 (= 2.4.1-1build1) ; cependant :
  La version de libgnutls26 sur le système est 2.4.2-4.
dpkg : erreur de traitement de libgnutls26-dbgsym (--configure) :
 problèmes de dépendances - laissé non configuré
Des erreurs ont été rencontrées pendant l'exécution :
 libgnutls26-dbgsym
Error: Could not install all archives. If you use this tool on a production system, it is recommended to use the -u option. See --help for details.
hggdh@xango2:/var/crash $

[C de-Avillez (hggdh2)]

example run with the patch:

hggdh@xango2:/var/crash $ sudo apport-retrace -o test.err _usr_lib_xscreensaver_busyspheres.1000.crash
WARNING: package libselinux1-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libgcc1-dbgsym not available
WARNING: libgd2-noxpm version None required, but 2.0.36~rc1~dfsg-3ubuntu1 is available
WARNING: package whiptail-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libdb4.7-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libgdbm3-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package gcc-4.3-base-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package sed-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libdjvulibre-text-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libnewt0.52-dbgsym not available
WARNING: libgnutls26-dbgsym version 2.4.2-4 required, but 2.4.1-1build1 is available
WARNING: package libuuid1-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libbz2-1.0-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libcomerr2-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libdb4.6-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package libxml2-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package debianutils-dbgsym not available
WARNING: package perl-base-dbgsym not available
WARNING: libgd2-noxpm-dbgsym version None required, but 2.0.36~rc1~dfsg-3ubuntu1 is available
WARNING: package perl-dbgsym not available
WARNING: libgcc1-dbgsym is not available
WARNING: libuuid1-dbgsym is not available
hggdh@xango2:/var/crash $

The bad libgnutls26-dbgsym is not installed.

[goto (gotolaunchpad)]

I had this problem, too. Apport-retrace installed -dbgsym packages, but they did not belong to other packages, so my package management went broken. I had to do a system upgrade to repair (and by hand). Are there actually dbgsym packages for -proposed packages or older packages? (I kinda miss a apport-retrace documentation) Thanks!

[C de-Avillez (hggdh2)]

We should have pretty much all dbgsyms for all current packages. The dbgsym build process runs behind when there are a lot on new packages being built -- like now.

If by 'older packages' you mean packages that have been updated, then no: as soon as the new dbgsym version is built, it replaces the older. I am not sure about packages in -proposed.

[C de-Avillez (hggdh2)]

hum. The current patch is not enough: after finding the dependency packages, apport-retrace goes on looking at the ProcMaps. If it finds a library from a package with an obsolete dbgsym it goes on to load it.

Will work on that.

[C de-Avillez (hggdh2)]

This new patch seems to solve it.

[C de-Avillez (hggdh2)]

Issue is still present on 0.125. I have a new patch for 0.125 is available is anyone is interested.

[C de-Avillez (hggdh2)]

still present in 0.126.

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

Thanks!

We should still install it when using -u (the preferred mode for apport-retrace anyway), but I agree that it wreaks havoc when not using -u. I'll adapt your patch accordingly.

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

r1249

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package apport - 0.130

---------------
apport (0.130) jaunty; urgency=low

  [ Martin Pitt ]
  * bin/kernel_crashdump: Don't crash if vmcore.log does not exist.
  * crashdb_impl/launchpad.py: Tag bugs with the architecture they are
    being reported on.
  * bin/crash-digger: Revert catching "database is locked" errors
    during consolidation, since it just hides more fundamental errors.
  * apport/crashdb_impl/memory.py: Improve docstrings of test suite.
  * bin/apport-retrace: Do not try to install -dbgsym packages with
    nonmatching versions, unless --unpack-only is used. Thanks to
    hggdh for the initial patch! (LP: #309208)

  [ Andy Whitcroft ]
  * bin/apportcheckresume: modify the oops title and thereby the launchpad
    bug title to say suspend or hibernate.
  * bin/apportcheckresume: modify the tags to bin/apportcheckresume:
    modify the oops title and thereby the launchpad be resume+suspend or
    resume+hibernate as appropriate.
  * bin/apportcheckresume: include any non-free modules in the bug title.

 -- Martin Pitt <email address hidden> Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:09:35 +0100

[Oliver Gerlich (ogerlich)]

I think this patch means that apport-retrace will not install a dbgsym package if there's a newer ddeb available (for example from -proposed) but the user has the older (non-proposed) deb package installed. For example, when I ran apport-retrace on a Nautilus crash now, it did not install any nautilus-dbgsym package, and left essential parts of the backtrace as question marks.

I have nautilus 1:2.26.2-0ubuntu1 installed (I don't use the -proposed on this system); the de.archive.ubuntu.com already offers a 2.26.2-0ubuntu2 package; and similarly, ddebs.ubuntu.com has ddebs for -0ubuntu1 and for -0ubuntu2 . When running apport-retrace on the crash report like this:
$> sudo apport-retrace -o nautilus-crash-1 /var/crash/_usr_bin_nautilus.1000.crash

it didn't install any nautilus-dbgsym package at all and gave a line like this:
WARNING: nautilus-dbgsym version 1:2.26.2-0ubuntu1 required, but 1:2.26.2-0ubuntu2 is available

and left the backtrace with gaps in the places where Nautilus functions were called.
Manually installing nautilus-dbgsym 1:2.26.2-0ubuntu1 then gave a good backtrace.

This is with apport 1.0-0ubuntu5.2 , on Jaunty i386.

Also, the retracer in Launchpad seems to have a similar problem. I reported the crash at https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nautilus/+bug/370954 , and "Apport retracing service" gave a similarly incomplete backtrace:

#0 0x081210b3 in nautilus_file_unref ()
#1 0xb78c73a7 in IA__g_list_foreach (list=0xa49e888,
    func=0x8121090 <nautilus_file_unref>, user_data=0x0)
    at /build/buildd/glib2.0-2.20.1/glib/glist.c:789
 next = (GList *) 0x6e
#2 0x0811807f in nautilus_file_list_unref ()
#3 0x081180b2 in ?? ()
#4 0x080d9017 in ?? ()
#5 0x080db7ba in ?? ()
#6 0x080f81a7 in ?? ()
#7 0x080fc9d6 in ?? ()
#8 0xb78c7c81 in g_idle_dispatch (source=0xa066018, callback=0x89f5448,
    user_data=0xb279dd58) at /build/buildd/glib2.0-2.20.1/glib/gmain.c:3922
No locals.
#9 0xb78c9b88 in IA__g_main_context_dispatch (context=0x89a77f8)
    at /build/buildd/glib2.0-2.20.1/glib/gmain.c:1814

Could you check whether this is the case, esp. for the LP retracing service?

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

Oliver Gerlich [2009-05-03 11:34 -0000]:
> I think this patch means that apport-retrace will not install a dbgsym
> package if there's a newer ddeb available (for example from -proposed)
> but the user has the older (non-proposed) deb package installed.

In this case, if you don't use -proposed for packages, you shouldn't
use -proposed for ddebs either. Then you'll get a more consistent
behaviour.