package icedtea-netx 1.1.3-1ubuntu1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2

[Mir Tanvir Hossain]

I was updating through apt-get, and it happened.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: icedtea-netx 1.1.3-1ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-12.19-generic 3.0.4
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-12-generic i686
ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu2
Architecture: i386
Date: Fri Sep 30 20:38:37 2011
DuplicateSignature:
 Setting up lightdm-gtk-greeter (1.0.0-0ubuntu3) ...
 update-alternatives: error: cannot stat /etc/lightdm/lightdm-gtk-greeter-ubuntu.conf: Too many levels of symbolic links
 dpkg: error processing lightdm-gtk-greeter (--configure):
  subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - Beta i386 (20100406.1)
SourcePackage: icedtea-web
Title: package icedtea-netx 1.1.3-1ubuntu1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to oneiric on 2011-09-23 (7 days ago)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Gunnar Thorburn (u-gunnar)]

My workaround follows...

# delete the bad symlink
sudo rm /etc/alternatives/lightdm-gtk-greeter-config-derevative

# create fake file and link to it
touch /tmp/lightdm/lightdm-gtk-greeter-ubuntu.conf
sudo ln -s /tmp/lightdm/lightdm-gtk-greeter-ubuntu.conf /etc/alternatives

# now I could purge lightdm (which removes also xubuntu-desktop...)
sudo apt-get purge lightdm-gtk-greeter

# now I installed xdm (as a fallback, instead of lightdm)
sudo apt-get install xdm
(choosing xdm as default display manager)

rebooting now works. I log in using xdm and get into Xfce as usual.

Maybe this helps someone to get back to work ;)

[Mathias Bynke (mabynke)]

I am unable to install icedtea-7-plugin due to this issue because it depends on icedtea-netx.
Trying to install icedtea-netx alone gives (in Norwegian):

Setter opp icedtea-netx:i386 (1.5.1-1ubuntu1) ...
update-alternatives: using /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk-i386/jre/bin/javaws to provide /usr/bin/javaws (javaws) in auto modus
update-alternatives: using /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk-i386/jre/bin/itweb-settings to provide /usr/bin/itweb-settings (itweb-settings) in auto modus
update-alternatives: advarsel: not replacing /usr/share/man/man1/itweb-settings.1.gz with a link
update-alternatives: using /usr/lib/jvm/java-7-openjdk-i386/jre/bin/javaws to provide /usr/bin/javaws (javaws) in auto modus
update-alternatives: using /usr/lib/jvm/java-7-openjdk-i386/jre/bin/itweb-settings to provide /usr/bin/itweb-settings (itweb-settings) in auto modus
update-alternatives: advarsel: not replacing /usr/share/man/man1/itweb-settings.1.gz with a link
update-alternatives: feil: alternative path /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-i386/jre/bin/javaws doesn't exist
dpkg: error processing package icedtea-netx:i386 (--configure):
 underprosessen installerte post-installation-skript returnerte feilstatus 2
Det oppsto feil ved behandling av:
 icedtea-netx:i386
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)