lucid's motd text not updated

[Axel]

Since installing lucid server (this morning) it shows the initial number of packages to be updated. Many reboots, apt-get updates and apt-get dist-upgrades later it's still unchanged. The file /var/run/motd has an updated time stamp, only its content is unchanged. The content states the correct (old) "information as of" time; I would just expect to see updated information either on apt-get update or at least after a reboot. As it is now it might deceive the user that all is well even though the server is out of date.

libpam-modules:
  Installed: 1.1.1-2ubuntu1
  Candidate: 1.1.1-2ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 1.1.1-2ubuntu1 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Let me know if I can provide any debugging help.

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and help to improve Ubuntu.

The script to check for available packages comes from update-notifier, not from pam; reassigning.

[Axel (naxel)]

Here is the actual output after logging in:

Linux lxbuild093 2.6.32-16-server #25-Ubuntu SMP Tue Mar 9 17:40:50 UTC 2010 x86_64

For documentation and useful resources, please visit:
 * http://ubuntu.com/server/doc

  System information as of Tue Mar 23 11:51:32 CET 2010

  System load: 0.52 Memory usage: 0% Processes: 136
  Usage of /: 0.6% of 144.81GB Swap usage: 0% Users logged in: 0

  Graph this data and manage this system at https://landscape.canonical.com/

59 packages can be updated.
0 updates are security updates.

For documentation and useful resources, please visit:
 * http://ubuntu.com/server/doc

  System information as of Wed Mar 24 01:54:00 CET 2010

  System load: 0.0 Memory usage: 18% Processes: 142
  Usage of /: 2.0% of 144.81GB Swap usage: 0% Users logged in: 1

  Graph this data and manage this system at https://landscape.canonical.com/

17 packages can be updated.
0 updates are security updates.

Checking for a new ubuntu release
No new release found
*** System restart required ***

The second half is actually correctly updated. What confused me is the first half which is stale: when there are no packages to be updated the second half does not report "0 packages can be updated" so I was left with "59 packages can be updated".

The first half is the content of /etc/motd.tail; I suppose that's the problem. /etc/motd symlinked to /var/run/motd contains both halves. How does motd.tail get initialized during the install?

[Ali Asad Lotia (ali-asad-lotia)]

I get the following output on Ubuntu 10.04 i386 installed using the alternate installed disk. I have removed the hostname information on the line that has lastlogin info.

Linux lotia-et-mm 2.6.32-19-generic #28-Ubuntu SMP Wed Mar 31 17:46:20 UTC 2010 i686 GNU/Linux
Ubuntu 10.04 (lucid)

Welcome to Ubuntu!
 * Documentation: https://help.ubuntu.com/

Checking for a new ubuntu release
No new release found

Welcome to Ubuntu!
 * Documentation: https://help.ubuntu.com/

141 packages can be updated.
0 updates are security updates.

Checking for a new ubuntu release
No new release found
*** System restart required ***
Last login: <specific lastlogin information removed>

[Axel (naxel)]

Hi Ali,

thanks for confirming the duplicate motd, one of which being out of date. I forgot to tell that was using the alternate installer, too, though it was on x86_64.

Axel.

[Michel (michel-crondor)]

The duplicate motd resides in /etc/motd.tail, apparently the installer saves it there? Remove this file, and the motd is fixed.

[Axel (naxel)]

Hi Michel,

that's correct, /etc/motd.tail contains the stale part, i.e. the first, never updated half. Removing it lets motd behave as expected. Will this get fixed in the installer?

Cheers, Axel.

[Paul Natsuo Kishimoto (khaeru)]

I also experience this using UNR beta-1.

[Paul O'Malley (ompaul-deactivatedaccount)]

it was still there 5 minutes ago

[David Guest (david-guest)]

I can confirm its still there with a fully up-to-date Beta 1 (which i guess is essentially Beta 2). I cleared out /etc/motd and rm'd motd.tail which has corrected the problem - at least for now :-)

[Hiram (hiram-)]

still present in up to date released 10.04

fix is also still working

[scott (sahendrickson)]

This just occurred to me when upgrading to 10.04 to 10.10. Fix still worked.

[Laurent Dinclaux (dreadlox)]

I had this too after this week packages updates. The fix worked.

[Per Cederqvist (ceder)]

I think this is a duplicate of https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/sysvinit/+bug/659738.

[sebrock (sebrock)]

I can confirm this on 10.04.2 server edition. Removing motd.tail seems to work.

[Alan Johnson (nilgiri)]

10.04.2 here, and removing motd.tail worked as well.