Failed upgrade from 14.04 to 16.04 : package sysv-rc 2.88dsf-59.3ubuntu2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1

[Mossroy]

This happened on an computer that was installed many years ago, and upgraded on each LTS version.
When upgrading from 14.04 to 16.04.1, it started telling me that something wrong happened with sysv-rc, then that there were some "initscripts dependency problems" making it "leaving unconfigured".
Then many packages were reported as incorrectly setup : procps, udev, initramfs, keyboard-configuration, console-setup, plymouth, cups, upower, gnome-session, gnome-shell, udisk, gvfs, software-center, mountall, upstart, etc.

After reading the log files, I found out that this was caused by insserv, reporting "insserv rejected the script header", coming from package virtuoso-nepomuk having an incorrect header in /etc/init.d : "missing end of LSB comment", "missing LSB tags and overrides".
This package http://packages.ubuntu.com/precise/database/virtuoso-nepomuk was existing on 12.04, but was removed afterwards.
The latest version 6.1.4+dfsg1-0ubuntu1 indeed contains an incorrect header in /etc/init.d/virtuoso-nepomuk.

I managed to solve the issue by adding the "END INIT INFO" in this file, like below :

#! /bin/sh
#
# virtuoso OpenLink Virtuoso Open-Source Edition
#
# Written by OpenLink Virtuoso Maintainer
# <email address hidden>
#
# Version: @(#)virtuoso 6.1.4 25-Mar-2011 <email address hidden>
#

### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides: virtuoso
# Required-Start: $syslog
# Required-Stop: $syslog
# Default-Start: 2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop: 0 1 6
# Short-Description: Start Virtuoso database server on startup
# Description: Start and stop the primary instance of Virtuoso running
# in /var/lib/virtuoso/db/. The first time this runs, it loads the
# Conductor administrative package.
### END INIT INFO

Then a "sudo apt-get upgrade" allowed me to finish the installation successfully.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: sysv-rc 2.88dsf-59.3ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-31.50-generic 4.4.13
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-31-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_uvm nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.1
Architecture: i386
Date: Fri Aug 5 11:21:42 2016
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
InstallationDate: Installed on 2010-05-22 (2267 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release i386 (20100429)
PackageArchitecture: all
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.18.4ubuntu1.1
 apt 1.2.12~ubuntu16.04.1
SourcePackage: sysvinit
Title: package sysv-rc 2.88dsf-59.3ubuntu2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to xenial on 2016-08-05 (0 days ago)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Mossroy (mossroy)]

A simple way to fix this would be to deploy a newer version of virtuoso-nepomuk for Trusty (or for Xenial, depending on the order of upgrades), with a fixed content in /etc/init.d/virtuoso-nepomuk (the only necessary change is to add the "### END INIT INFO" line).

Another approach would be to be more flexible when reading the /etc/init.d/* files, and assume the "### END INIT INFO" line at the end of the comment lines started by "### BEGIN INIT INFO", if this end line is not there. That would allow to handle this issue on other packages that might be in the same case. I would find that much cleaner, but it might be a bit more difficult.

A completely different approach would be to check the /etc/init.d/* files before starting the upgrade, and prevent the user from starting the upgrade if a non-compliant file is found. Ideally, it would also tell him which package causes the issue, and suggest to remove it.

In any case, leaving an end-user with a half-upgraded system like that is VERY bad.

[Alberto Salvia Novella (es20490446e)]

Second option will break (https://refspecs.linuxbase.org/LSB_3.0.0/LSB-PDA/LSB-PDA/initscrcomconv.html).

I would implement the other two.

[Philippe Coval (rzr)]

Renaming the file helped to finish the installation

/etc/init.d/virtuoso-nepomuk.bak

[m1fcj (hakan-koseoglu)]

Absolute hero. After so many months this was filed, I cannot believe I'm still hitting it whilst upgrading my LTS.

[Norbert (nrbrtx)]

Got this bug durin upgrade from 12.04 -> 14.04 -> 16.04 on stage 14.04 -> 16.04.

[Tracy Cann (tracycann)]

Can anyone following this bug help me fix my computer. See bug 655738. I would rather pursue the fix the error and finish the upgrade route. But I need step by step directions. Thanks.

[Tracy Cann (tracycann)]

Bug 655738 isn't right. Here is the link to the bug or question I submitted.
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/655738

[Paul White (paulw2u)]

We are sorry that we do not always have the capacity to review all reported bugs in a timely manner.

Ubuntu 16.04 (xenial) reached end-of-life on April 29, 2021.
Ubuntu 14.04 (trusty) reached end-of-life on April 25,2019.
Ubuntu 12.04 (precise) reached end-of-life on April 28, 2017.

The releases of Ubuntu that have been referred to in this bug report are no longer receiving maintenance updates. If this is still an issue using a maintained version of Ubuntu then please let us know otherwise this report can be left to expire in approximately 60 days time.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for One Hundred Papercuts because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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