update-notifier does not show new updates in xubuntu 16.04

[Ulli Horlacher]

This is on Xubuntu 16.04 beta 1:

update-notifier does not show anything on the desktop, though there are
pending updates:

tux@tux:~: update-notifier --debug-updates
(update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: update_check()
(update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: /usr/lib/update-notifier/apt-check returned 50 (security: 0)
(update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: is_package_system_locked: /usr/lib/update-notifier/package-system-lockedreturned 0
(update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: interval_days: 7
(update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: last_launch: 0 (Thu Jan 1 01:00:00 1970)
(update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: mtime from /var/log/dpkg.log: 1458573874 (Mon Mar 21 16:24:34 2016)
(update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: ctime from /var/log/dpkg.log: 1458573874 (Mon Mar 21 16:24:34 2016)
(update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: last_launch from /var/log/dpkg.log: 1458573874 (Mon Mar 21 16:24:34 2016)
(update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: mtime from /var/log/apt/term.log: 1458573874 (Mon Mar 21 16:24:34 2016)
(update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: ctime from /var/log/apt/term.log: 1458573874 (Mon Mar 21 16:24:34 2016)
(update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: last_launch from /var/log/apt/term.log: 1458573874 (Mon Mar 21 16:24:34 2016)
(update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: time now 1458639476 (Tue Mar 22 10:37:56 2016), delta: 65602

root@tux:# aptitude update
Get: 1 http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial InRelease [116 kB]
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security InRelease
Hit http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates InRelease
Hit http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-backports InRelease
Get: 2 http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages [1,442 kB]
Get: 3 http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main i386 Packages [1,437 kB]
Get: 4 http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main Translation-en [732 kB]
Get: 5 http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/universe amd64 Packages [7,246 kB]
Get: 6 http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/universe i386 Packages [7,227 kB]
Get: 7 http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/universe Translation-en [4,186 kB]
Fetched 22.4 MB in 3s (6,361 kB/s)

Current status: 83 (+3) new.

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

Thanks for the report. The debug output shows that this is working as designed:

 (update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: /usr/lib/update-notifier/apt-check returned 50 (security: 0)
[...]
 (update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: interval_days: 7
[...]
 (update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: last_launch from /var/log/dpkg.log: 1458573874 (Mon Mar 21 16:24:34 2016)

You have zero pending security updates. When there are no security updates, the behavior of update-notifier is to only prompt for updates once every 7 days. However, the timestamps on your logs show that you have updated packages on the system only a day ago. So even though new packages are available, you would not be prompted to install them for another 6 days, in order to keep the update-notifier nagging to a minimum.

[Ulli Horlacher (framstag)]

On Tue 2016-03-22 (19:37), Steve Langasek wrote:
> Thanks for the report. The debug output shows that this is working as
> designed:
>
> (update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: /usr/lib/update-notifier/apt-check returned 50 (security: 0)
> [...]
> (update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: interval_days: 7
> [...]
> (update-notifier:4752): update-DEBUG: last_launch from /var/log/dpkg.log: 1458573874 (Mon Mar 21 16:24:34 2016)
>
> You have zero pending security updates. When there are no security
> updates, the behavior of update-notifier is to only prompt for updates
> once every 7 days.

Ahh.. ok, I see!

But where is this behaviour documented?

update-notifier does not have a man-page and
/usr/share/doc/update-notifier/README does not explain it ("notify only
for security updates").

--
Ullrich Horlacher Server und Virtualisierung
Rechenzentrum IZUS/TIK E-Mail: <email address hidden>
Universitaet Stuttgart Tel: ++49-711-68565868
Allmandring 30a Fax: ++49-711-682357
70550 Stuttgart (Germany) WWW: http://www.tik.uni-stuttgart.de/
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