reload: Job is not running: procps

[dreamcat4]

This isn't supposed to happen...

id@emachines-e520:~$ sudo sh -x /etc/init.d/procps reload
+ PATH=/sbin:/bin
+ SYSCTL=/sbin/sysctl
+ test -x /sbin/sysctl
+ . /lib/lsb/init-functions
+ run-parts --lsbsysinit --list /lib/lsb/init-functions.d
+ [ -r /lib/lsb/init-functions.d/01-upstart-lsb ]
+ . /lib/lsb/init-functions.d/01-upstart-lsb
+ unset UPSTART_SESSION
+ _RC_SCRIPT=/etc/init.d/procps
+ [ -r /etc/init//etc/init.d/procps.conf ]
+ _UPSTART_JOB=procps
+ [ -r /etc/init/procps.conf ]
+ which initctl
+ + grep -qinitctl upstart
 version
+ initctl status procps
+ exec reload procps
reload: Job is not running: procps
id@emachines-e520:~$

AFAIK the command it is trying to run is 'sysctl --system'. Which would work just fine, except for the fact it is never called because this init script seems to be too lame and gets in the way of itself before trying to run it in the first place. As a single-shot command the service does not stay 'up'. So reload didn't work.

The reason why this is a problem is because the command failure then halts dpkg / apt tools from installing and removing certain software. Like this one:

id@emachines-e520:~$ sudo apt-get autoremove corekeeper
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED
  corekeeper
0 to upgrade, 0 to newly install, 1 to remove and 56 not to upgrade.
1 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 86.0 kB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] Y
(Reading database ... 354110 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing corekeeper (1.5) ...
reload: Job is not running: procps
invoke-rc.d: initscript procps, action "reload" failed.
dpkg: error processing package corekeeper (--remove):
 subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 corekeeper
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
id@emachines-e520:~$

Which then apt refuses to remove, be purged, go away etc.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.10
Package: procps 1:3.3.9-1ubuntu5.2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.16.0-31.43-generic 3.16.7-ckt5
Uname: Linux 3.16.0-31-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.14.7-0ubuntu8.2
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Sun Mar 29 17:32:04 2015
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-12-04 (115 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 14.10 "Utopic Unicorn" - Release amd64 (20141022.1)
SourcePackage: procps
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
mtime.conffile..etc.sysctl.conf: 2015-03-09T09:23:42.041114