[upstream regression] Switching to Safe Mode with firefox 67.0.1 locks the profile

[VinsS]

On bionic, Firefox was upgraded to 67.0.1 this morning (7 June).

When I launch firefox I've a message like this

"Using an older version of Firefox can corrupt bookmarks and browsing history already saved to an existing profile. To protect your information, create a new profile for this installation of Firefox."

And I've just one option: Create a new profile.

Of course, this new profile ignore all my bookmarks, identification, password, etc.

I've tried:

-1 Erase the new profile folder and the installs.ini file, rewrite the profiles.ini with the name of my old profile. Same problem.

-2 run firefox -p into a terminal to choose my old profile. Same problem, rejected.

It's strange the message box is saying "Using an older version of Firefox", why old ?

[Asif Youssuff (yoasif)]

Created attachment 9069563
Screenshot from 2019-06-03 21-33-23.png

Steps to reproduce

1. Delete ~/.mozilla/firefox
2. Download build 20190603160429 (not sure it matters if it is after 67, but this is what I used). Add policies.json file to disable updates.
3. Start Firefox
4. Notice profile is "default-release"
5. Create new profile using about:profiles UI, call it "whatever"
6. Quit Firefox
7. Start Firefox
8. Notice profile in use is "whatever", not "default-release" This is Bug 1556603
9. Quit Firefox
10. start Firefox with --safe-mode, start in safe mode
11. Quit Firefox
12. Launch Firefox

What happens:

Error message saying "You've launched an older version of Firefox"

Expected result:

No error message, Firefox launches into a profile.

[Dtownsend (dtownsend)]

[Tracking Requested - why for this release]:

Users will be blocked from using their profile if they ever use safe-mode.

[Dtownsend (dtownsend)]

Ok, there are a few bugs that combine to cause this behaviour. I have fixes for all of them and while I'm sure of being able to get them into betas I'm less sure of getting them into the next release. So I'm going to attach the simplest fix here that should be perfectly safe to uplift.

[Dtownsend (dtownsend)]

Created attachment 9069765
Bug 1556612: Hardcode considering this an upgrade if the last build to run was run in safe mode. r=froydnj

When safe mode runs it writes out "Safe Mode" as the compatibility version (bug
1556831). Due to bug 1556832 and bug 1556829 this makes us think that the next
run is a downgrade.

This is the simplest possible fix that should be totally safe to upload to
release.

[Lhenry (lhenry)]

Pascal, I figure this should be in the next dot release; marking it as a blocker.

[Pascalc (pascalc)]

Dave, does this bug only manifests with a policies.json file to block updates? In that case that sounds like it would affect a tiny % of our users and could be included in a future dot release but would not trigger a 67.0.2 ASAP. If you think this is a widespread problem, should we stop updating users to 67.0.1? Thanks

[Dtownsend (dtownsend)]

(In reply to Pascal Chevrel:pascalc from comment #5)
> Dave, does this bug only manifests with a policies.json file to block updates? In that case that sounds like it would affect a tiny % of our users and could be included in a future dot release but would not trigger a 67.0.2 ASAP. If you think this is a widespread problem, should we stop updating users to 67.0.1? Thanks

This bug affects anyone who uses safe mode.

[Pascalc (pascalc)]

(In reply to Dave Townsend [:mossop] (he/him) from comment #6)
> (In reply to Pascal Chevrel:pascalc from comment #5)
> > Dave, does this bug only manifests with a policies.json file to block updates? In that case that sounds like it would affect a tiny % of our users and could be included in a future dot release but would not trigger a 67.0.2 ASAP. If you think this is a widespread problem, should we stop updating users to 67.0.1? Thanks
>
> This bug affects anyone who uses safe mode.

well, I just launched 67.0.1 in safe mode and it works for me…

[EDIT] I can reproduce the bug on linux on the second start in safe mode

[Pascalc (pascalc)]

(In reply to Dave Townsend [:mossop] (he/him) from comment #3)
> Created attachment 9069765
> Bug 1556612: Hardcode considering this an upgrade if the last build to run was run in safe mode. r=froydnj
>
> When safe mode runs it writes out "Safe Mode" as the compatibility version (bug
> 1556831). Due to bug 1556832 and bug 1556829 this makes us think that the next
> run is a downgrade.
>
> This is the simplest possible fix that should be totally safe to upload to
> release.

Could you request an uplift to release? Thanks

[Pulsebot (pulsebot)]

Pushed by <email address hidden>:
https://hg.mozilla.org/integration/autoland/rev/d779cd26a8f0
Hardcode considering this an upgrade if the last build to run was run in safe mode. r=froydnj

[Dtownsend (dtownsend)]

Comment on attachment 9069765
Bug 1556612: Hardcode considering this an upgrade if the last build to run was run in safe mode. r=froydnj

### Beta/Release Uplift Approval Request
* **User impact if declined**: After running Firefox in safe mode the next launch of Firefox will tell their user that they have downgraded firefox and without some manual steps the user will be unable to use their profile ever again.
* **Is this code covered by automated tests?**: Yes
* **Has the fix been verified in Nightly?**: No
* **Needs manual test from QE?**: Yes
* **If yes, steps to reproduce**: Automated tests cover the code changed but since there are not good full startup tests it would be worth QE verifying this quickly. The steps are:

1. From about:support restart into safe mode.
2. Quit and launch Firefox.

Firefox should open without displaying the downgrade dialog.
* **List of other uplifts needed**: None
* **Risk to taking this patch**: Low
* **Why is the change risky/not risky? (and alternatives if risky)**: This is a minimal change targetted at the specific situation here, there is no risk of it impacting anything else.
* **String changes made/needed**: None

[David-sacal (david-sacal)]

Hi,
       i've been able to reproduce the bug on Mac Os 10.13 (even on the latest nightly) on my side but not on Windows10 nor on nightly or release (67.01) using a computer with lots of profiles and also a clean one that never had firefox before.

Regards
David

[Aiakab-g (aiakab-g)]

https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/d779cd26a8f0

[Lhenry (lhenry)]

Comment on attachment 9069765
Bug 1556612: Hardcode considering this an upgrade if the last build to run was run in safe mode. r=froydnj

Let's get this onto m-r so we can start a build for 67.0.2 soon (though we are still going to work on verifying)

[Aiakab-g (aiakab-g)]

https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-release/rev/b83af63ec81d

[Julien Cristau (jcristau-mozilla)]

Comment on attachment 9069765
Bug 1556612: Hardcode considering this an upgrade if the last build to run was run in safe mode. r=froydnj

approved for 68.0b8

[Bogdan-maris (bogdan-maris)]

Reproduced the initial issue using 67.0.1 on macOS 10.13 and Ubuntu 18.04 64bit. Verified that the issue is fixed on 67.0.2 across platforms (macOS 10.13, Ubuntu 18.04 and Windows 10 64bit).
I also did some exploratory testing around it to search for potential regressions that might have surfaced but could not find any.

[Cbrindusan (cbrindusan)]

https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-beta/rev/f78bcf6d473e

[Bogdan-maris (bogdan-maris)]

I also verified that the issue is not visible on 68.0b8 and latest 69.0a1 across platforms.

[VinsS (vincent-vandevyvre)]

I've also tried:

* Reinstall firefox with apt-get, no change, same problem

* Copy all folders and files from my profile into the new blank profile, no change, same problem

* Follow step-by-step the instructions found in this page:
https://www.askvg.com/fix-all-bookmarks-add-ons-and-settings-lost-in-mozilla-firefox/

No change, Firefox is still thinkings I'm using an older version.

[VinsS (vincent-vandevyvre)]

I've installed the previous version with apt, at launching Firefox I've choose the option Refresh Firefox and, now, All my bookmarks and identification-passwords are restored.

[Paul White (paulw2u)]

I'm also now seeing this problem when restating Firefox in Ubuntu 18.04 although I didn't after restarting Firefox immediately after it was upgraded to version 67.0.1 (yesterday?).

[Paul White (paulw2u)]

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2420127 for possible discussion re this issue

[Standard8 (standard8)]

*** Bug 1557921 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

@VinsS: it looks like you manually worked around the issue, I assume you're not seeing the problem any longer?

@Paul: if you can still observe the issue on 18.04, can you please share the output of the following commands:

    apt policy firefox

    grep firefox /var/log/apt/history.log

    grep -H LastVersion ~/.mozilla/firefox/*/compatibility.ini

[Paul White (paulw2u)]

Olivier, yes this still an issue on my Ubuntu 18.04 laptop. My Xubuntu 18.04 laptop worked as expected after the upgrade.

As requested:

apt policy firefox
firefox:
  Installed: 67.0.1+build1-0ubuntu0.18.04.1
  Candidate: 67.0.1+build1-0ubuntu0.18.04.1
  Version table:
 *** 67.0.1+build1-0ubuntu0.18.04.1 500
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-updates/main amd64 Packages
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     59.0.2+build1-0ubuntu1 500
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/main amd64 Packages

paul@N1642:~$ grep firefox /var/log/apt/history.log
Upgrade: gir1.2-geocodeglib-1.0:amd64 (3.25.4.1-4, 3.25.4.1-4ubuntu0.18.04.1), gir1.2-mutter-2:amd64 (3.28.3+git20190124-0ubuntu18.04.2, 3.28.4-0ubuntu18.04.1), libapt-inst2.0:amd64 (1.6.10, 1.6.11), libegl1:amd64 (1.0.0-2ubuntu2.2, 1.0.0-2ubuntu2.3), update-notifier-common:amd64 (3.192.1.5, 3.192.1.7), apt:amd64 (1.6.10, 1.6.11), libgl1:amd64 (1.0.0-2ubuntu2.2, 1.0.0-2ubuntu2.3), libmutter-2-0:amd64 (3.28.3+git20190124-0ubuntu18.04.2, 3.28.4-0ubuntu18.04.1), libgles2:amd64 (1.0.0-2ubuntu2.2, 1.0.0-2ubuntu2.3), libapt-pkg5.0:amd64 (1.6.10, 1.6.11), mutter-common:amd64 (3.28.3+git20190124-0ubuntu18.04.2, 3.28.4-0ubuntu18.04.1), libgeocode-glib0:amd64 (3.25.4.1-4, 3.25.4.1-4ubuntu0.18.04.1), firefox-locale-en:amd64 (67.0+build2-0ubuntu0.18.04.1, 67.0.1+build1-0ubuntu0.18.04.1), gnome-shell-common:amd64 (3.28.3+git20190124-0ubuntu18.04.2, 3.28.4-0ubuntu18.04.1), libglx0:amd64 (1.0.0-2ubuntu2.2, 1.0.0-2ubuntu2.3), apt-utils:amd64 (1.6.10, 1.6.11), epiphany-browser:amd64 (3.28.1-1ubuntu1, 3.28.5-0ubuntu1), firefox:amd64 (67.0+build2-0ubuntu0.18.04.1, 67.0.1+build1-0ubuntu0.18.04.1), gnome-shell:amd64 (3.28.3+git20190124-0ubuntu18.04.2, 3.28.4-0ubuntu18.04.1), apt-transport-https:amd64 (1.6.10, 1.6.11), epiphany-browser-data:amd64 (3.28.1-1ubuntu1, 3.28.5-0ubuntu1), update-notifier:amd64 (3.192.1.5, 3.192.1.7), mutter:amd64 (3.28.3+git20190124-0ubuntu18.04.2, 3.28.4-0ubuntu18.04.1), libglvnd0:amd64 (1.0.0-2ubuntu2.2, 1.0.0-2ubuntu2.3)

paul@N1642:~$ grep -H LastVersion ~/.mozilla/firefox/*/compatibility.ini
/home/paul/.mozilla/firefox/xwgyic9w.default/compatibility.ini:LastVersion=Safe Mode

[VinsS (vincent-vandevyvre)]

Olivier, no I maintain the previous version, waiting the confirmation of the bug is fixed.

I do the upgrade now.

[VinsS (vincent-vandevyvre)]

Seems OK, I've upgrade and, at first launch, a dialog box let me choose the profile I want to use.
(I've just one profile)

This is the content of the new compatibility.ini:
--------------------------------------------------
[Compatibility]
LastVersion=67.0.1_20190530055249/20190530055249
LastOSABI=Linux_x86_64-gcc3
LastPlatformDir=/usr/lib/firefox
LastAppDir=/usr/lib/firefox/browser
-------------------------------------------------

apt policy firefox
firefox:
  Installé : 67.0.1+build1-0ubuntu0.18.04.1
  Candidat : 67.0.1+build1-0ubuntu0.18.04.1
 Table de version :
 *** 67.0.1+build1-0ubuntu0.18.04.1 500
        500 http://be.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-updates/main amd64 Packages
        500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     59.0.2+build1-0ubuntu1 500
        500 http://be.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/main amd64 Packages

[Paul White (paulw2u)]

Olivier, it seems that the LastVersion line of compatibility.ini is the problem.

I changed 'SafeMode' to '67.0.1_20190530055249/20190530055249' as per VinsS's comment and Firefox started normally.

I then restarted Firefox in safe mode and the problem returned. Reverting LastVersion to '67.0.1_20190530055249/20190530055249' enabled Firefox to start again normally.

I can't remember doing so but over last weekend I must have started Firefox in safe mode which is why I didn't see the problem when I restarted Firefox immediately after upgrading on Friday(?).

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

Thanks for the confirmation Paul, I can reliably reproduce the issue, and this is upstream bug https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1556612, which is fixed in the upcoming 67.0.2.

@VinsS: could it be that what originally triggered the bug for you was entering Safe Mode?

[VinsS (vincent-vandevyvre)]

Olivier, yes, possible at 90 %.

I switch regularly between safe-mode and mode with addons activated.

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

Thanks for the confirmation. I'm updating the bug title accordingly. The 67.0.2 update that's currently being built should fix the issue.

[David-does (david-does)]

*** Bug 1557603 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

I verified in a bionic VM that 67.0.2+build2 fixes the problem, even in the case where safe mode was entered with 67.0.1. Expect the update to be published in the archive very soon.

[madperson (madperson)]

*** Bug 1558760 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[Bug-husbandry-bot (bug-husbandry-bot)]

Please specify a root cause for this bug. See :tmaity for more information.