package sympa 6.1.7~dfsg-2 failed to install/upgrade: ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1

[stephen cundiff]

said installation failed i'm going to remove sympa and reinstall

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: sympa 6.1.7~dfsg-2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-24.37-generic-pae 3.2.14
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-24-generic-pae i686
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu6
Architecture: i386
Date: Fri Apr 27 20:29:12 2012
ErrorMessage: ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release i386 (20111012)
SourcePackage: sympa
Title: package sympa 6.1.7~dfsg-2 failed to install/upgrade: ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-04-28 (0 days ago)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[SADEG Omar (oix555)]

while installation of any package, the problem with sympa is :
 * Some daemons failed to be stopped (not running?): archived bounced bulk task_manager sympa [fail]
it's impossible to reinstall, remove or even purge it.
i think that it's a configuration problem, i'll try to dpkg-reconfire it

[SADEG Omar (oix555)]

oix@nikori:~$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure sympa
[sudo] password for oix:
/usr/sbin/dpkg-reconfigure: sympa est cassé ou partiellement installé

[Dirk Jahnke (dirk-jahnke)]

I found hints why this failed -- at least for me -- and this was the workaround:

chown -R sympa:sympa /var/spool/sympa
chown -R sympa:sympa /var/lib/sympa

regards
Dirk