package gdm 3.10.0.1-0ubuntu3 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1

[mgoetsch]

rebooted after upgrade and error came up

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: gdm 3.10.0.1-0ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-24.46-generic 3.13.9
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-24-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sun Apr 20 21:44:25 2014
DuplicateSignature: package:gdm:3.10.0.1-0ubuntu3:subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
SourcePackage: gdm
Title: package gdm 3.10.0.1-0ubuntu3 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
mtime.conffile..etc.gdm.custom.conf: 2014-02-12T03:33:43.904158

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Mark Fisher (fishermne)]

All I know for sure is this automated error came up during the upgrade process to 14.04 from 12.04.4.

[JK (m0d)]

I can confirm this bug. It actually broke my dist-upgrade from 12.04 to 14.04. I fixed it manually by deleting the broken script and removing gdm.

I tried to reinstall gdm today but the package is still broken, i. e. the post-install script is broken. Executing it manually with

   bash -x /var/lib/dpkg/info/gdm.postinst

results in:

+ set -e
+ . /usr/share/debconf/confmodule
++ '[' '!' '' ']'
++ PERL_DL_NONLAZY=1
++ export PERL_DL_NONLAZY
++ '[' '' ']'
++ exec /usr/share/debconf/frontend /var/lib/dpkg/info/gdm.postinst
Use of uninitialized value $action in string eq at /usr/share/debconf/frontend line 27.

[JK (m0d)]

I've just encountered the same bug when trying to install lxdm:

bash -x /var/lib/dpkg/info/lxdm.postinst

+ set -e
+ . /usr/share/debconf/confmodule
++ '[' '!' '' ']'
++ PERL_DL_NONLAZY=1
++ export PERL_DL_NONLAZY
++ '[' '' ']'
++ exec /usr/share/debconf/frontend /var/lib/dpkg/info/lxdm.postinst
Use of uninitialized value $action in string eq at /usr/share/debconf/frontend line 27.