rsyslog update fails, stalling apt-get dist-upgrade

[Seth Arnold]

I tried to update my saucy i386 VM and found rsyslog upgrade stopped the process three times:

...
Setting up libfriends0 (0.1.2daily13.06.07-0ubuntu1) ...
Setting up python-ubuntu-sso-client (13.05-0ubuntu1) ...
Setting up python-ubuntuone-storageprotocol (13.05-0ubuntu1) ...
Setting up ubuntu-sso-client (13.05-0ubuntu1) ...
Setting up ubuntu-sso-client-qt (13.05-0ubuntu1) ...
Setting up rsyslog (5.8.11-2ubuntu4) ...
debconf: unable to initialize frontend: Dialog
debconf: (TERM is not set, so the dialog frontend is not usable.)
debconf: falling back to frontend: Readline
debconf: unable to initialize frontend: Readline
debconf: (This frontend requires a controlling tty.)
debconf: falling back to frontend: Teletype
Skipping profile in /etc/apparmor.d/disable: usr.sbin.rsyslogd

[stops here]

dmesg output shows the AppArmor profiles replaced fine:

...
[ 4.433310] init: plymouth-splash main process (1040) terminated with status 1
[ 105.761223] systemd-udevd[7041]: starting version 204
[ 304.114794] audit_printk_skb: 54 callbacks suppressed
[ 304.114801] type=1400 audit(1370835269.057:29): apparmor="STATUS" operation="profile_replace" name="/usr/lib/cups/backend/cups-pdf" pid=7909 comm="apparmor_parser"
[ 304.115796] type=1400 audit(1370835269.057:30): apparmor="STATUS" operation="profile_replace" name="/usr/sbin/cupsd" pid=7909 comm="apparmor_parser"

pstree shows that the postinst script is trying to stop rsyslogd:
     ├─sshd─┬─sshd───bash───apt-get───dpkg───rsyslog.postins───invoke-rc.d───stop

The 'stop' appears stuck waiting for a syscall to resume:

sarnold@sec-saucy-i386:~$ ps auxw | grep -e invoke -e stop
root 7711 0.0 0.0 2268 592 ? S 20:31 0:00 /bin/sh /usr/sbin/invoke-rc.d rsyslog restart
root 7739 0.0 0.1 4980 1072 ? S 20:31 0:00 stop rsyslog
sarnold 8617 0.0 0.1 4444 804 pts/0 S+ 20:59 0:00 grep --color=auto -e invoke -e stop
sarnold@sec-saucy-i386:~$ sudo strace -p 7711
Process 7711 attached - interrupt to quit
wait4(-1, ^C <unfinished ...>
Process 7711 detached
sarnold@sec-saucy-i386:~$ sudo strace -p 7739
Process 7739 attached - interrupt to quit
restart_syscall(<... resuming interrupted call ...>^C <unfinished ...>
Process 7739 detached

Killing 7739 does not cause the upgrade to resume. Killing 7711 does cause the upgrade to resume.

Thanks

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 13.10
Package: rsyslog 5.8.11-2ubuntu4
ProcVersionSignature: User Name 3.9.0-3.8-generic 3.9.4
Uname: Linux 3.9.0-3-generic i686
ApportVersion: 2.10.2-0ubuntu1
Architecture: i386
Date: Sun Jun 9 20:54:24 2013
InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-02-26 (104 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" - Alpha i386 (20130225)
MarkForUpload: True
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=rxvt-unicode
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: rsyslog
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.