Invalid config from upgrading since old version of mysql: stray config value 'query_cache_limit=1M'

[Marc C Johnson]

happened when doing auto updates to ubuntu linux

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
Package: mysql-server-8.0 8.0.28-0ubuntu0.20.04.3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.4.0-97.110-generic 5.4.162
Uname: Linux 5.4.0-97-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.21
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: skip
Date: Sat Feb 12 12:28:54 2022
ErrorMessage: installed mysql-server-8.0 package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-02-07 (2928 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" - Release amd64 (20131016.1)
Logs.var.log.daemon.log:

MySQLConf.etc.mysql.conf.d.mysql.cnf: [mysql]
MySQLConf.etc.mysql.conf.d.mysqld_safe_syslog.cnf:
 [mysqld_safe]
 syslog
MySQLConf.etc.mysql.conf.d.mysqldump.cnf:
 [mysqldump]
 quick
 quote-names
 max_allowed_packet = 16M
MySQLConf.etc.mysql.my.cnf: Error: [Errno 40] Too many levels of symbolic links: '/etc/mysql/my.cnf'
MySQLConf.etc.mysql.mysql.conf.d.mysqld_safe_syslog.cnf:
 [mysqld_safe]
 syslog
ProcCmdline: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.4.0-97-generic root=UUID=409d1dd8-926e-45d4-8ed0-be45945ee6ce ro splash quiet vt.handoff=7
Python3Details: /usr/bin/python3.8, Python 3.8.10, python3-minimal, 3.8.2-0ubuntu2
PythonDetails: /usr/bin/python2.7, Python 2.7.18, python-is-python2, 2.7.17-4
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.19.7ubuntu3
 apt 2.0.6
SourcePackage: mysql-8.0
Title: package mysql-server-8.0 8.0.28-0ubuntu0.20.04.3 failed to install/upgrade: installed mysql-server-8.0 package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to focal on 2021-12-22 (53 days ago)

Logs.var.log.mysql.error.log.txt shows:
2022-02-13T06:00:13.811975Z 0 [Warning] [MY-011068] [Server] The syntax 'expire-logs-days' is deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Please use binlog_expire_logs_seconds instead.
2022-02-13T13:34:55.234887Z 0 [ERROR] [MY-000067] [Server] unknown variable 'query_cache_limit=1M'.
2022-02-13T13:34:55.235393Z 0 [ERROR] [MY-010119] [Server] Aborting

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Hi Marc,

Thanks for forwarding this bug. From the logs it sounds like there is a stray config value 'query_cache_limit=1M' being set, but that's not referenced in the config files that this automated bug filer included in this report.

Could you run this command and post the output here?

  $ sudo grep -sr query_cache_limit /etc/mysql/

I notice you've upgraded to focal from earlier releases, dating back to 13.10, so I'd guess this parameter was set in an earlier version of mysql and carried forward until it was deprecated. Does that sound right to you, or do you think you manually added that config setting?