Unable to dump debconf database

[Dave Walker]

It seems that in Oneiric onwards we can no longer dump the debconf selections.

dave@voodoo:~$ sudo debconf-get-selections --installer > file.preseed
debconf: DbDriver "di_questions": could not open /var/log/installer/cdebconf/questions.dat

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

I installed using the Ubuntu Server final image for 11.10 and was unable to recreate this bug report. Looking in /var/log/installer the directory cdebconf was created and "sudo debconf-get-selections --installer" returned information.

Could you provide some more details about how you were able to recreate this bug report?

[James Hunt (jamesodhunt)]

I've just run this on oneiric desktop and have exactly the same issue:

$ sudo debconf-get-selections --installer > file.preseed
debconf: DbDriver "di_questions": could not open /var/log/installer/cdebconf/questions.dat
$ find /var/log/installer/
/var/log/installer/
/var/log/installer/media-info
/var/log/installer/version
/var/log/installer/syslog
/var/log/installer/partman
/var/log/installer/casper.log
/var/log/installer/debug
/var/log/installer/initial-status.gz
$

Confirmed also on a freshly installed precise desktop.

[James Hunt (jamesodhunt)]

Ignore comment #2 as /var/log/installer/cdebconf/ will only appear on a system installed using debian-installer.

[jdfalk (johnathan-falk)]

I am using Ubuntu Server 11.10 (GNU/Linux 3.0.0-12-server x86_64) and it is working for me.
$sudo debconf-get-selections --installer > file.preseed
$

However when I try it on a desktop version:
$ sudo debconf-get-selections --installer > file.preseed
debconf: DbDriver "di_questions": could not open /var/log/installer/cdebconf/questions.dat

[jdfalk (johnathan-falk)]

Sorry -- Desktop is Ubuntu 11.10 (GNU/Linux 3.0.0-14-generic x86_64)

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

On Mon, Jan 09, 2012 at 05:03:33PM -0000, jdfalk wrote:
> However when I try it on a desktop version:
> $ sudo debconf-get-selections --installer > file.preseed
> debconf: DbDriver "di_questions": could not open /var/log/installer/cdebconf/questions.dat

This is expected - the desktop installer doesn't use cdebconf during
installation and doesn't write that file. It might not be desperately
meaningful even if it did.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

As far as I can tell, this was pilot error due to using that command on a system that wasn't installed using debian-installer. Dave's never replied to confirm or deny that, but that's definitely the most likely scenario anyway. Feel free to open if you can show logs of this happening on a system installed using debian-installer.