package grub-efi-amd64-signed 1.187.2~20.04.2+2.06-2ubuntu14 failed to install/upgrade: installed grub-efi-amd64-signed package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1 (/dev/disk/by-id does not exist)

[Tuomas Heino]

Upgraded packages on a VM which had been dormant for a while.
Apparently /dev/disk/by-id doesn't exist and grub2-signed postinst isn't expecting such scenario.

$ ls -la /dev/disk/
total 0
drwxr-xr-x 6 root root 120 Feb 5 13:19 .
drwxr-xr-x 19 root root 4300 Feb 5 13:30 ..
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 60 Feb 5 13:19 by-partlabel
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 80 Feb 5 13:19 by-partuuid
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 160 Feb 5 13:19 by-path
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 80 Feb 5 13:19 by-uuid

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
Package: grub-efi-amd64-signed 1.187.2~20.04.2+2.06-2ubuntu14
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.15.0-56.62~20.04.1-generic 5.15.64
Uname: Linux 5.15.0-56-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.25
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: skip
Date: Sun Feb 5 13:34:24 2023
DuplicateSignature:
 package:grub-efi-amd64-signed:1.187.2~20.04.2+2.06-2ubuntu14
 Setting up grub-efi-amd64-signed (1.187.2~20.04.2+2.06-2ubuntu14) ...
 Unknown device "/dev/disk/by-id/*": No such file or directory
 dpkg: error processing package grub-efi-amd64-signed (--configure):
  installed grub-efi-amd64-signed package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
ErrorMessage: installed grub-efi-amd64-signed package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
InstallationDate: Installed on 2020-04-10 (1030 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 20.04 LTS "Focal Fossa" - Beta amd64 (20200402)
Python3Details: /usr/bin/python3.8, Python 3.8.10, python3-minimal, 3.8.2-0ubuntu2
PythonDetails: N/A
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.19.7ubuntu3.2
 apt 2.0.9
SourcePackage: grub2-signed
Title: package grub-efi-amd64-signed 1.187.2~20.04.2+2.06-2ubuntu14 failed to install/upgrade: installed grub-efi-amd64-signed package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Tuomas Heino (iheino+ub)]

$ sudo dpkg -D20002 --configure --pending
Setting up grub-efi-amd64-signed (1.187.2~20.04.2+2.06-2ubuntu14) ...
D020000: trigproc_activate_packageprocessing pkg=grub-efi-amd64-signed:amd64
D000002: fork/exec /var/lib/dpkg/info/grub-efi-amd64-signed.postinst ( configure 1.167.2+2.04-1ubuntu44.2 )
+ . /usr/share/debconf/confmodule
+ [ ! ]
+ PERL_DL_NONLAZY=1
+ export PERL_DL_NONLAZY
+ [ ]
+ exec /usr/share/debconf/frontend /var/lib/dpkg/info/grub-efi-amd64-signed.postinst configure 1.167.2+2.04-1ubuntu44.2
+ . /usr/share/debconf/confmodule
+ [ ! 1 ]
+ [ -z ]
+ exec
+ [ ]
+ exec
+ DEBCONF_REDIR=1
+ export DEBCONF_REDIR
+ target=x86_64-efi
+ test -e /boot/grub/x86_64-efi/core.efi
+ [ -x /usr/share/grub/grub-check-signatures ]
+ /usr/share/grub/grub-check-signatures
+ [ -x /usr/lib/grub/grub-multi-install ]
+ /usr/lib/grub/grub-multi-install --target=x86_64-efi
Unknown device "/dev/disk/by-id/*": No such file or directory
dpkg: error processing package grub-efi-amd64-signed (--configure):
 installed grub-efi-amd64-signed package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
D020000: post_script_tasks - ensure_diversions
D020000: post_script_tasks - trig_incorporate
Errors were encountered while processing:
 grub-efi-amd64-signed

So I guess grub-common => grub2 would be more accurate SourcePackage to assign this bug to?

[Tuomas Heino (iheino+ub)]

Worked around by adding <serial> on kvm-host side block device definition, since that apparently no longer gets passed through and the default udev rules won't create by-id paths when serial numbers are missing.

Still I'd say the postinst script not handling disappearing boot device serial numbers is a bug.