logrotate error for empty mysql logs

[Eric Towers]

Binary package hint: logrotate

Logrotate generates the error:
"error: error running shared postrotate script for '/var/log/mysql.log /var/log/mysql/mysql.log /var/log/mysql/mysql-slow.log '"
when run with mysql-server-core (5.1) installed. This condition also generates error e-Mail.

logrotate behaviour:
$ cd /etc/logrotate.d
$ sudo logrotate -f mysql-server
error: error running shared postrotate script for '/var/log/mysql.log /var/log/mysql/mysql.log /var/log/mysql/mysql-slow.log '

Expected behaviour: Zero-length log files do not cause error alerts.

Affected versions:
Kubuntu 9.10 (Upgraded sequentially from 6.04 over the past several years.)
logrotate 3.7,8.4ubuntu1
mysql-server-core 5.1.37-1ubuntu

Possible cause (1):
/var/log/mysql.log has zero length.
$ ls -laF /var/log/mysql.*
-rw-r----- 1 mysql adm 0 2009-11-20 02:30 /var/log/mysql.err
-rw-r----- 1 mysql adm 0 2009-11-30 22:37 /var/log/mysql.log
-rw-r----- 1 mysql adm 0 2009-11-30 07:43 /var/log/mysql.log.1
-rw-r----- 1 mysql adm 20 2009-11-23 08:00 /var/log/mysql.log.8.gz

Possible cause (2):
debian.cnf is malformed. // Passwords excised from output below. The two instances are identical.
$ sudo more /etc/mysql/debian.cnf
# Automatically generated for Debian scripts. DO NOT TOUCH!
[client]
host = localhost
user = debian-sys-maint
password = [excised]
socket = /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock
[mysql_upgrade]
host = localhost
user = debian-sys-maint
password = [excised]
socket = /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock

Possible cause (3):
auditing is interfering with mysqld.
$ sudo service mysql restart
 * Stopping MySQL database server mysqld [ OK ]
 * Starting MySQL database server mysqld [fail]
fuzzy@client0004:/etc/logrotate.d$ tail /var/log/messages
Nov 30 22:52:39 client0004 kernel: [593992.220673] type=1502 audit(1259643159.445:72): operation="open" pid=11016 parent=11015 profile="/usr/sbin/mysqld" requested_mask="r::" denied_mask="r::" fsuid=0 ouid=0 name="/sys/devices/system/cpu/"
[8 duplicate messages elided]
Nov 30 22:52:42 client0004 kernel: [593995.294992] type=1502 audit(1259643162.515:81): operation="open" pid=11047 parent=11046 profile="/usr/sbin/mysqld" requested_mask="r::" denied_mask="r::" fsuid=0 ouid=0 name="/sys/devices/system/cpu/"

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: amd64
Date: Mon Nov 30 22:38:09 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: logrotate 3.7.8-4ubuntu1
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US:en_GB:en
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-15.50-generic
SourcePackage: logrotate
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-15-generic x86_64
XsessionErrors:
 (polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1:3289): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_once_init_leave: assertion `initialization_value != 0' failed
 (npviewer.bin:3438): Gtk-WARNING **: /usr/lib/gtk-2.0/2.10.0/engines/libqtcurve.so: wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS64