package ntp 1:4.2.8p4+dfsg-3ubuntu5.5 failed to install/upgrade: el subproceso instalado el script post-installation devolvió el código de salida de error 1

[Victor Marin]

Trying to install the updates along with audacity through Synaptic, it had problems and didn't install.

I didn't copy the error message but it was something related to: util-linux

And I think the error message was something related to that "it can't be true!" and it included a message like this:
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

Thereafter I couldn't install nor uninstall anything.

In http://www.ubuntu-es.org/node/157198#.WWCyvydLfrc they advised to go to /var/lib/dpkg/info as root, then to remove all files including util-linux on its names.

Then, I could uninstall util-linux and everything seems Ok now.

But, I just did a # apt-get -f install, and it returns that:

Leyendo lista de paquetes... Hecho
Creando árbol de dependencias
Leyendo la información de estado... Hecho
Los paquetes indicados a continuación se instalaron de forma automática y ya no son necesarios.
  linux-headers-4.4.0-78 linux-headers-4.4.0-78-generic
  linux-image-4.4.0-78-generic linux-image-extra-4.4.0-78-generic
  linux-signed-image-4.4.0-78-generic
Utilice «sudo apt autoremove» para eliminarlos.
0 actualizados, 0 nuevos se instalarán, 0 para eliminar y 43 no actualizados.
1 no instalados del todo o eliminados.
Se utilizarán 0 B de espacio de disco adicional después de esta operación.
Configurando ntp (1:4.2.8p4+dfsg-3ubuntu5.5) ...
insserv: warning: script 'K01smfpd' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: warning: script 'smfpd' missing LSB tags and overrides
insserv: Starting smfpd depends on grub-common and therefore on system facility `$all' which can not be true!
insserv: Starting smfpd depends on grub-common and therefore on system facility `$all' which can not be true!
insserv: Starting smfpd depends on grub-common and therefore on system facility `$all' which can not be true!
insserv: Starting smfpd depends on grub-common and therefore on system facility `$all' which can not be true!
insserv: There is a loop between service smfpd and grub-common if started
insserv: loop involving service grub-common at depth 7
insserv: loop involving service smfpd at depth 1
insserv: Starting smfpd depends on grub-common and therefore on system facility `$all' which can not be true!
insserv: exiting now without changing boot order!
update-rc.d: error: insserv rejected the script header
dpkg: error al procesar el paquete ntp (--configure):
 el subproceso instalado el script post-installation devolvió el código de salida de error 1
Se encontraron errores al procesar:
 ntp
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

Perhaps, Synaptic tried to install at its own some updates that it were retained by Ubuntu, But I don't know.

I am fulfilling this bug because Ubuntu so requested me to do on the next time I have started the OS.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: ntp 1:4.2.8p4+dfsg-3ubuntu5.5
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-79.100-generic 4.4.67
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-79-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.6
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sat Jul 8 11:05:11 2017
ErrorMessage: el subproceso instalado el script post-installation devolvió el código de salida de error 1
InstallationDate: Installed on 2017-05-23 (45 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-MATE 16.04 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Release amd64 (20160420.1)
NtpStatus: ntpq: read: Connection refused
ProcCmdline: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-79-generic.efi.signed root=UUID=090c6807-97c0-4b04-b1b5-1080d8ae1ddf ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.18.4ubuntu1.2
 apt 1.2.20
SourcePackage: ntp
Title: package ntp 1:4.2.8p4+dfsg-3ubuntu5.5 failed to install/upgrade: el subproceso instalado el script post-installation devolvió el código de salida de error 1
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Christian Ehrhardt  (paelzer)]

Hi,
the root cause lies in this of your log:
  insserv: Starting smfpd depends on grub-common and therefore on system

smfpd is not part of the archive, you might check /etc/init.d/smfpd where it is from and what is in its headers.
This breaks the update/upgrade of other packages by causing service dependency issues.

[Christian Ehrhardt  (paelzer)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better.

On upgrading a service this service has to be restarted to pick up the fixes.
Rather rarely a real issue occurs that the newer version does e.g. fail with the formerly working configuration.
But most of the time what happens is, that a service was installed, but stays unconfigured or experimented with but left in a broken state.

Now on any update of the related packages that service has to be restarted, but since its config is incomplete/faulty it fails to restart.
Therefore the update of that package has to consider itself incomplete.

Depending on your particular case there are two solutions:
- either remove the offending package if you don't want to continue using it.
- Or if you do want to keep it please fix the configuration so that re-starting the service will work.

Since it seems likely to me that this is a local configuration problem, rather than a bug in Ubuntu, I'm marking this bug as Incomplete.

If indeed this is a local configuration problem, you can find pointers to get help for this sort of problem here: http://www.ubuntu.com/support/community

Or if you believe that this is really a bug, then you may find it helpful to read "How to report bugs effectively" http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html. We'd be grateful if you would then provide a more complete description of the problem, explain why you believe this is a bug in Ubuntu rather than a problem specific to your system, and then change the bug status back to New.

[Christian Ehrhardt  (paelzer)]

And I beg your pardon to come by so late, I was looking at ntp bugs in general today and found this. If I'd have known I could have explained earlier :-/

[Victor Marin (vic64)]

Thanks for your responses.

I not longer had this problem in Kubuntu 18.04.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Bug 1703100] Re: package ntp 1:4.2.8p4+dfsg-3ubuntu5.5 failed
to install/upgrade: el subproceso instalado el script post-installation
devolvió el código de salida de error 1
From:  Christian Ehrhardt  <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Date: 29/05/18 09:48
> And I beg your pardon to come by so late, I was looking at ntp bugs in
> general today and found this. If I'd have known I could have explained
> earlier :-/
>
> ** Changed in: ntp (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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