package linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic 2.6.27-11.27 failed to install/upgrade: Unterprozess post-installation script gab den Fehlerwert 2 zurück (maybe grub-related?!)

[Pablo Hörtner]

Binary package hint: linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic

this happened during a software upgrade. the initramfs-image is being created without problems. the first error i get is "User postinst hook script [/sbin/update-grub] exited with value 2". when i run it by hand, i get this:

redtux@blaise:~$ LC_ALL=C sudo update-grub
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
Searching for default file ... found: /boot/grub/default
Testing for an existing GRUB menu.lst file ... found: /boot/grub/menu.lst
Searching for splash image ... found: /boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
expr: non-numeric argument

what can be wrong with my /boot/grub/menu.lst?

redtux@blaise:~$ uname -a
Linux blaise 2.6.27-9-generic #1 SMP Thu Nov 20 21:57:00 UTC 2008 i686 GNU/Linux

redtux@blaise:~$ cat /proc/version_signature
Ubuntu 2.6.27-9.19-generic

redtux@blaise:~$ LC_ALL=C sudo aptitude upgrade
W: The "upgrade" command is deprecated; use "safe-upgrade" instead.
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done
The following partially installed packages will be configured:
  linux-generic linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic linux-image-generic linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic
  linux-restricted-modules-generic
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B of archives. After unpacking 0B will be used.
Setting up linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic (2.6.27-11.27) ...
Running depmod.
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-11-generic
Running postinst hook script /sbin/update-grub.
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
Searching for default file ... found: /boot/grub/default
Testing for an existing GRUB menu.lst file ... found: /boot/grub/menu.lst
Searching for splash image ... found: /boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
expr: non-numeric argument
User postinst hook script [/sbin/update-grub] exited with value 2
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic:
 linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic depends on linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic; however:
  Package linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-image-generic:
 linux-image-generic depends on linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic; however:
  Package linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing linux-image-generic (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-restricted-modules-generic:
 linux-restricted-modules-generic depends on linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic; however:
  PackNo apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.
                                                                                                                No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.
                                                                                             No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already
                              No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already
                                                                                            age linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing linux-restricted-modules-generic (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-generic:
 linux-generic depends on linux-image-generic (= 2.6.27.11.14); however:
  Package linux-image-generic is not configured yet.
 linux-generic depends on linux-restricted-modules-generic (= 2.6.27.11.14); however:
  Package linux-restricted-modules-generic is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing linux-generic (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic
 linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic
 linux-image-generic
 linux-restricted-modules-generic
 linux-generic
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
A package failed to install. Trying to recover:
Setting up linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic (2.6.27-11.27) ...
Running depmod.
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-11-generic
Running postinst hook script /sbin/update-grub.
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
Searching for default file ... found: /boot/grub/default
Testing for an existing GRUB menu.lst file ... found: /boot/grub/menu.lst
Searching for splash image ... found: /boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
expr: non-numeric argument
User postinst hook script [/sbin/update-grub] exited with value 2
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic:
 linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic depends on linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic; however:
  Package linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-image-generic:
 linux-image-generic depends on linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic; however:
  Package linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing linux-image-generic (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-restricted-modules-generic:
 linux-restricted-modules-generic depends on linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic; however:
  Package linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing linux-restricted-modules-generic (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-generic:
 linux-generic depends on linux-image-generic (= 2.6.27.11.14); however:
  Package linux-image-generic is not configured yet.
 linux-generic depends on linux-restricted-modules-generic (= 2.6.27.11.14); however:
  Package linux-restricted-modules-generic is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing linux-generic (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic
 linux-restricted-modules-2.6.27-11-generic
 linux-image-generic
 linux-restricted-modules-generic
 linux-generic
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done
Writing extended state information... Done

redtux@blaise:~$ cat /etc/lsb-release
DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=8.10
DISTRIB_CODENAME=intrepid
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 8.10"

redtux@blaise:~$ LC_ALL=C apt-cache policy linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic
linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic:
  Installed: 2.6.27-11.27
  Candidate: 2.6.27-11.27
  Version table:
 *** 2.6.27-11.27 0
        500 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com intrepid-updates/main Packages
        500 http://security.ubuntu.com intrepid-security/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

ProblemType: Package
Architecture: i386
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 8.10
ErrorMessage: Unterprozess post-installation script gab den Fehlerwert 2 zurück
LsUsb:
 Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
 Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Package: linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic 2.6.27-11.27
ProcCmdLine: User Name=/dev/mapper/hostname-User Name ro quiet splash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.27-9.19-generic
SourcePackage: linux
Title: package linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic 2.6.27-11.27 failed to install/upgrade: Unterprozess post-installation script gab den Fehlerwert 2 zurück

[Pablo Hörtner (redtux2000)]

okay, as "expr: non-numeric argument" obviously means that update-grub is expecting a number instead of "default" i removed /boot/grub/default and changed the setting "default" in /boot/grub/menu.lst from savedefault to 0. changing it back to savedefault gives me the same error, so this might be a bug in grub. please confirm!

 /boot/grub/default
0
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
# WARNING: If you want to edit this file directly, do not remove any line
# from this file, including this warning. Using `grub-set-default\' is
# strongly recommended.

[Pablo Hörtner (redtux2000)]

the bug is not in linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic but in grub, as grub-update is only a post-process to the linux-image installation...