bad symlink "/etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/original"

[Warren]

Ubuntu 17.10 amd_64
resolvconf 1.79ubuntu8

The symlink at "/etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/original" points to "../run/systemd/resolve/stub-resolv.conf". This is a broken link as the relative path does not exist. This causes resolvconf to improperly (re-)generate "/run/resolvconf/resolv.conf". The link should probably instead point to the absolute path "/run/systemd/resolve/stub-resolv.conf".

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

This situation can only arise on a system which already had systemd-resolved configured at install time, then had resolvconf installed on top of it. The real question is, why are you installing resolvconf? It should no longer be needed in 17.10.

[Warren (wseverin)]

I searched through /var/log/apt history files and resolvconf gets sucked in as a dependency when I install the proprietary vpn-unlimited application from Keepsolid.

If I remove resolvconf, is it necessary to re-install or re-configure any other components? I realize that might break vpn-unlimited but that's not a Ubuntu matter.

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

On Sun, Jan 07, 2018 at 08:55:53PM -0000, Warren wrote:
> I searched through /var/log/apt history files and resolvconf gets sucked
> in as a dependency when I install the proprietary vpn-unlimited
> application from Keepsolid.

> If I remove resolvconf, is it necessary to re-install or re-configure
> any other components? I realize that might break vpn-unlimited but
> that's not a Ubuntu matter.

I can't say for sure whether resolvconf will remove cleanly without
requiring other reconfiguration, sorry. It should, but I don't know that
this has been well tested for the 17.10 case.

After removal of the resolvconf package, /etc/resolv.conf should be a
symlink to ../run/systemd/resolve/stub-resolv.conf and name resolution
should work.

[Lee Maguire (leemaguire)]

I see this issue on a fresh install of Ubuntu 22.04, where "/etc/resolv.conf" exists as a symlink before resolvconf is installed, creating a dangling symlink in "/etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/original".

I believe the line in resolvconf.postinst that creates the file

   cp -a /etc/resolv.conf /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/original

could be changed to

   cp -L --preserve=all /etc/resolv.conf /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/original

to ensure that, if a symlink, the actual file is preserved.

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

resolvconf has been removed from Ubuntu in 22.10 and later in favor of the systemd-resolved implementation, so this bug is fixed for later releases.

Installing resolvconf in 22.04 is also discouraged.