[Feature] collect config file changes at the beginning of a dist upgrade

Bug #1309802 reported by rubo77
18
This bug affects 4 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
ubuntu-release-upgrader (Ubuntu)
Confirmed
Wishlist
Unassigned

Bug Description

The Process of upgrading the system often leads to points, where you have to decide, if you want to take the default package configuration file or keep the old one (or review this as a diff). These dialogs appear all at the point that these packages are installed, which can be several minutes (or hours on slow mashines) apart.

It would be really helpful, if there would be a check at the beginning of the upgrade process, that checks if config files have to be reviewed and decisions have to be made. (maybe as a shord dry-run, that will notice the to-be changed config files).

If this was implemented, the user could be asked all decisions at the very beginning of the upgrade process and the actual upgrade can be done without interruption.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: ubuntu-release-upgrader-core 1:0.220.2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-24.46-generic 3.13.9
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-24-generic i686
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3
Architecture: i386
CrashDB: ubuntu
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Fri Apr 18 23:41:54 2014
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-02-11 (66 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Kubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" - Release i386 (20131016.1)
PackageArchitecture: all
SourcePackage: ubuntu-release-upgrader
Symptom: ubuntu-release-upgrader
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to trusty on 2014-04-18 (0 days ago)

Revision history for this message
rubo77 (rubo77) wrote :
Revision history for this message
rubo77 (rubo77) wrote :

You would have to compare the config files of ne new release with the old release by a database with all default configuration files for each release: http://askubuntu.com/questions/450438/

Revision history for this message
Brian Murray (brian-murray) wrote :

I think there was a blueprint with a work item about this some time ago, but I did not quickly find it.

Changed in ubuntu-release-upgrader (Ubuntu):
importance: Undecided → Wishlist
summary: - [Feature][Wishlist] collect config file changes at the beginning of a
- dist upgrade
+ [Feature] collect config file changes at the beginning of a dist upgrade
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

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

Changed in ubuntu-release-upgrader (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
Peter Cordes (peter-cordes) wrote :

I was going to add https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-release-upgrader/+bug/1319688 as a duplicate of this, thinking that the submitter of that bug was mixed up, and hadn't read the prompt carefully to see it was about config files. However, do-release-upgrade does actually prompt about some package add/removals, too, if I recall correctly, but I forget when.

 An attempt to let the whole install finish unattended would need to deal with that.

Revision history for this message
Peter Cordes (peter-cordes) wrote :

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-release-upgrader/+bug/1242066 is also very similar. Most packages don't have a lot of debconf questions these days, and just use debconf for changed-config-file prompts, but other debconf questions must surely exist in some packages. (I'm not marking either bug as a duplicate of the other, since they're not quite identical)

Revision history for this message
Peter Cordes (peter-cordes) wrote :

also:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-release-upgrader/+bug/1297318
is looking for a --force-yes for all questions. Presumably including those asked by children of do-release-upgrade, i.e. dpkg and debconf.

Revision history for this message
Peter Cordes (peter-cordes) wrote :

see https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-release-upgrader/+bug/1007543
for discussion of why upgrades should be fully GUI, and preferably completely non-interactive, so non-technical users don't get stuck.

Revision history for this message
rubo77 (rubo77) wrote :

I hope there will be a solution for the next release, cause the way it is now, NEARLY ALL unexperienced users get stuck. (a very suiting and funny description here by Matteo Settenvini: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-release-upgrader/+bug/1007543)

If there are unsolveable config-file changes the upgrade progress shouldn't even start, for not to leave the system in a broken state.

Please everyone click on "This bug affects X people. Does this bug affect you?" here at the top to increase the heat of this bug.

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