package tomcat8 8.5.21-1ubuntu1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1

[Abhijit Thorat]

While trying to update in 17.10 ubuntu version I am getting this error.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 17.10
Package: tomcat8 8.5.21-1ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.13.0-25.29-generic 4.13.13
Uname: Linux 4.13.0-25-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.7-0ubuntu3.7
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sun Jan 28 19:29:56 2018
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
InstallationDate: Installed on 2017-10-14 (105 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 17.04 "Zesty Zapus" - Release amd64 (20170412)
PackageArchitecture: all
Python3Details: /usr/bin/python3.6, Python 3.6.3, python3-minimal, 3.6.3-0ubuntu2
PythonDetails: /usr/bin/python2.7, Python 2.7.14, python-minimal, 2.7.14-2ubuntu1
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.18.24ubuntu1
 apt 1.5.1
SourcePackage: tomcat8
Title: package tomcat8 8.5.21-1ubuntu1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to artful on 2018-01-09 (19 days ago)
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.catalina.properties: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.context.xml: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.jaspic-providers.xml: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.logging.properties: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.policy.d.01system.policy: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.policy.d.02debian.policy: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.policy.d.03catalina.policy: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.policy.d.04webapps.policy: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.policy.d.50local.policy: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.server.xml: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.tomcat-users.xml: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.web.xml: [deleted]

[Christian Ehrhardt  (paelzer)]

From your log:
chown: cannot access '/etc/tomcat8/policy.d': No such file or directory

And it seems config files were manually removed that are needed:
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.catalina.properties: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.context.xml: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.jaspic-providers.xml: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.logging.properties: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.policy.d.01system.policy: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.policy.d.02debian.policy: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.policy.d.03catalina.policy: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.policy.d.04webapps.policy: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.policy.d.50local.policy: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.server.xml: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.tomcat-users.xml: [deleted]
modified.conffile..etc.tomcat8.web.xml: [deleted]

With that the service cna't start properly anymore, but not due to a bug but due to broken local configuration as it seems to me.

[Christian Ehrhardt  (paelzer)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better.

On upgrading a service this service has to be restarted to pick up the fixes.
Rather rarely a real issue occurs that the newer version does e.g. fail with the formerly working configuration.
But most of the time what happens is, that a service was installed, but stays unconfigured or experimented with but left in a broken state.

Now on any update of the related packages that service has to be restarted, but since its config is incomplete/faulty it fails to restart.
Therefore the update of that package has to consider itself incomplete.

Depending on your particular case there are two solutions:
- either remove the offending package if you don't want to continue using it.
- Or if you do want to keep it please fix the configuration so that re-starting the service will work.

Since it seems likely to me that this is a local configuration problem, rather than a bug in Ubuntu, I'm marking this bug as Incomplete.

If indeed this is a local configuration problem, you can find pointers to get help for this sort of problem here: http://www.ubuntu.com/support/community

Or if you believe that this is really a bug, then you may find it helpful to read "How to report bugs effectively" http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html. We'd be grateful if you would then provide a more complete description of the problem, explain why you believe this is a bug in Ubuntu rather than a problem specific to your system, and then change the bug status back to New.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for tomcat8 (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]