update-manager hangs due to landscape-sysinfo symbolic link

[Richard Birnie]

Binary package hint: update-manager

Attempting a test upgrade from kubuntu hardy kde3 to intrepid. This test was performed in a completely clean fully up to date kubuntu virtual machine in virtualbox, default packages installed only.

This error was reproducible in 3 seperate tests. I tried starting the upgrade by running sudo adept_manager --dist-upgrade-devel and by running kdesu adept_manager --dist-upgrade-devel.

The upgrade proceeds as expected to 99% complete then fails on a package called landscape-client. This causes update-manager to hang indefinitely. If I close the update manager by hitting the close button at the top right of the window and reboot the VM then I do actually have a working installation of intrepid. If I open a terminal in intrepid and run sudo dpkg --configure -a then it fails with the following error.

Setting up landscape-client (1.0.18-0ubuntu1) ...
ln: creating symbolic link `/etc/update-motd.d/50-landscape-sysinfo':
File exists
dpkg: error processing landscape-client (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 landscape-client

Complete update-manager logs are attached. I'm not actually sure if this bug belongs to update manager or is actually a bug in one of the scripts in the landscape-client package.

[Michael Vogt (mvo)]

Here is a bit more log around the bug:

Setting up landscape-client (1.0.18-0ubuntu1) ...

debconf: Unable to initialise frontend: Kde

debconf: (--- No method to call for :)

debconf: falling back to frontend: Dialog

debconf: Unable to initialise frontend: Dialog

debconf: (Dialogue frontend will not work on a dumb terminal, an Emacs shell buffer, or without a controlling terminal.)

debconf: falling back to frontend: Readline

 * Running update-motd succeeded.

 * Reloading system message bus config...

   ...done.

landscape-client is not configured, please run landscape-config.

ln: creating symbolic link `/etc/update-motd.d/50-landscape-sysinfo': File exists

dpkg: error processing landscape-client (--configure):

 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1

[Michael Vogt (mvo)]

I close the update-manager task, its just the messenger for this error.

[Dustin Kirkland  (kirkland)]

I think we can probably force the creation of the symlink with ln -sf. Or check for its existence ahead of time.

:-Dustin

[Fernando Miguel (fernandomiguel)]

will this be fixed by the next update, or we need to do it manually?

[Andreas Hasenack (ahasenack)]

Yes, the next package should have the ln -sf.

[Christopher Armstrong (radix)]

Ok, I've attached a debdiff to fix this. Requesting sponsorship.

[Fernando Miguel (fernandomiguel)]

https://edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+builds?build_text=landscape-client&build_state=all show no new build.
I still have landscape-common (1.0.18-0ubuntu3) and it fails the link

# dpkg --configure -a
Setting up landscape-common (1.0.18-0ubuntu3) ...
/var/lib/dpkg/info/landscape-common.postinst: 83: /etc/init.d/update-motd: not found
ln: creating symbolic link `/etc/profile.d/50-landscape-sysinfo.sh': File exists
dpkg: error processing landscape-common (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 landscape-common

[Andreas Hasenack (ahasenack)]

The patch is attached to this ticket. We now have to wait for a core developer to sponsor it and upload it.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package landscape-client - 1.0.18-0ubuntu4

---------------
landscape-client (1.0.18-0ubuntu4) intrepid; urgency=low

  [ Christopher Armstrong ]
  * debian/landscape-common.postinst: Don't blow up when the landscape-sysinfo
    symlinks already exist (LP: #270131)

  [ Mathias Gug ]
  * debian/landscape-common.postinst, debian/landscape-common.prerm: don't
    call update-motd init script as it's no longer available in the
    update-motd package. Call directly /usr/sbin/update-motd instead.
    (LP: #271854)

 -- Mathias Gug <email address hidden> Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:47:08 -0400

[Fernando Miguel (fernandomiguel)]

the 1.0.18-0ubuntu4 seems to fix this problem.

Thanks.

[Christopher Armstrong (radix)]

Marking invalid for landscape and landscape-client (upstream), since it was only an intrepid packaging issue