isc-dhcp-server blocks upgrades if it can not be started

[Thomas Schweikle]

If isc-dhcp-server can not be started it blocks further upgrades, leaving the system in an inconsistent state.
isc-dhcp-server upgrade shall instead ignore such an error like "could not start" and not stop upgrades on such errors.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04 or Ubuntu 13.04
Package: isc-dhcp-server 4.1.ESV-R4-0ubuntu5
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-22.35-virtual 3.2.14
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-22-virtual i686
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu2
Architecture: i386
Date: Thu Apr 12 11:29:42 2012
DhServerLeases:

InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Server 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release i386 (20101007)
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=screen-bce
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=de_DE.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: isc-dhcp
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-04-01 (11 days ago)
mtime.conffile..etc.dhcp.dhcpd.conf: 2012-01-06T11:56:06
mtime.conffile..etc.init.isc.dhcp.server.conf: 2012-04-12T11:28:55.507365

[Thomas Schweikle (tps)]

There are cases where this server is installed, but not started --- just as a hot backup for a running dhcp-server maybe.

[Thomas Schweikle (tps)]

It should not be neccessary to remove a package failing to start to have later updates applied!

[Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox)]

Confirming, if only on principle.

[Stéphane Graber (stgraber)]

PLease provide an upgrade log.

[Thomas Schweikle (tps)]

No upgrade log available -- it is overwritten meanwhile.

[Jamie Strandboge (jdstrand)]

There are several files that are being blocked by apparmor due to a non-default configuration. What could be happening is the original apparmor profile was modified, but then on upgrade, the package maintainer's version was selected. I suggest adding the required custom rules to /etc/apparmor.d/local/usr.sbin.dhcpd. The upgrade should then proceed normally.

[Stéphane Graber (stgraber)]

Can someone affected attach a tarball of /var/log/upstart/ ?

[Thomas Schweikle (tps)]

@#7:Jamie: I added these to my custom rules, to make sure named/dhcp work as expected.
The main problem was that dhcpd was installed and configured, but starting it was denied. The upgrade process wanted to start dhcpd, but since starting was denied it couldn't do it and exhausted an error hindering apt to finish configuration. In tune the upgrade process failed. Changing dhcpd to start at system start temporarily solved the error – but: the upgrade process should not depend on services are enabled to start at system start or being enabled to start at all!

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for isc-dhcp (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Dmitry G. (hint)]

then I corrected _my_ dhcpd.conf and all ok for me, but... this _Ubuntu_ bug STILL is not fixed

[Dmitry G. (hint)]

...and in my case it was not distro upgrade, it was clean installation of Precise. Just updated yesterday.

Setting up isc-dhcp-server (4.1.ESV-R4-0ubuntu5.6) ...
start: Job failed to start
invoke-rc.d: initscript isc-dhcp-server, action "start" failed.
dpkg: error processing isc-dhcp-server (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of dhcp3-server:
 dhcp3-server depends on isc-dhcp-server; however:
  Package isc-dhcp-server is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing dhcp3-server (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.
                                                                                                          Errors were encountered while processing:
 isc-dhcp-server
 dhcp3-server
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

[Dmitry G. (hint)]

see also:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/isc-dhcp/+bug/1030296