Upgrade to zfsutils-linux 0.8.1-1ubuntu5 fails on Ubuntu 19.10

[David R. Bergstein]

1) lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu Eoan Ermine (development branch)
Release: 19.10
2) apt-cache policy zfsutils-linux
zfsutils-linux:
  Installed: 0.8.1-1ubuntu5
  Candidate: 0.8.1-1ubuntu5
  Version table:
 *** 0.8.1-1ubuntu5 500
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu eoan/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
3) Expected to upgrade from previous zfsutils-linux without error
4) What happened instead:
Setting up zfsutils-linux (0.8.1-1ubuntu5) ...
Installing new version of config file /etc/zfs/zfs-functions ...
zfs-import-scan.service is a disabled or a static unit not running, not starting it.
Job for zfs-mount.service failed because the control process exited with error code.
See "systemctl status zfs-mount.service" and "journalctl -xe" for details.
invoke-rc.d: initscript zfs-mount, action "restart" failed.
● zfs-mount.service - Mount ZFS filesystems
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/zfs-mount.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Sun 2019-07-07 23:29:32 EDT; 7ms ago
     Docs: man:zfs(8)
  Process: 4265 ExecStart=/sbin/zfs mount -a (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
 Main PID: 4265 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)

Jul 07 23:29:32 drb-eoanzfs systemd[1]: Starting Mount ZFS filesystems...
Jul 07 23:29:32 drb-eoanzfs zfs[4265]: cannot mount '/root': directory is not empty
Jul 07 23:29:32 drb-eoanzfs zfs[4265]: cannot mount '/var/cache': directory is not empty
Jul 07 23:29:32 drb-eoanzfs systemd[1]: zfs-mount.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
Jul 07 23:29:32 drb-eoanzfs systemd[1]: zfs-mount.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
Jul 07 23:29:32 drb-eoanzfs systemd[1]: Failed to start Mount ZFS filesystems.
dpkg: error processing package zfsutils-linux (--configure):
 installed zfsutils-linux package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of zfs-initramfs:
 zfs-initramfs depends on zfsutils-linux (>= 0.8.1-1ubuntu5); however:
  Package zfsutils-linux is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package zfs-initramfs (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of zfs-zed:
 zfs-zed depends on zfsutils-linux (>= 0.8.1-1ubuntu5); however:
  Package zfsutils-linux is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package zfs-zed (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.29-0ubuntu2) ...
No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.
                  No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.
                                    Processing triggers for systemd (240-6ubuntu9) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.8.5-2) ...
Processing triggers for initramfs-tools (0.133ubuntu9) ...
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-5.0.0-20-generic
Errors were encountered while processing:
 zfsutils-linux
 zfs-initramfs
 zfs-zed
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

[David R. Bergstein (dbergst)]

This bug results in an unbootable system after the failed upgrade occurs. As this is being run in a virtual machine I will be restoring the original environment in case further testing is needed.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Frode Nordahl (fnordahl)]

I'm seeing this too, so far it has not rendered my system unbootable though.

I have been running with ZFS as root filesystem since Bionic and have upgraded through Disco and the issue first appeared in an update arriving after upgrading to Eoan.

Setting up zfsutils-linux (0.8.1-1ubuntu10) ...
zfs-import-scan.service is a disabled or a static unit not running, not starting it.
Job for zfs-mount.service failed because the control process exited with error code.
See "systemctl status zfs-mount.service" and "journalctl -xe" for details.
invoke-rc.d: initscript zfs-mount, action "restart" failed.
● zfs-mount.service - Mount ZFS filesystems
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/zfs-mount.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Fri 2019-09-06 06:07:23 CEST; 3ms ago
     Docs: man:zfs(8)
  Process: 6487 ExecStart=/sbin/zfs mount -a (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
 Main PID: 6487 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)

Sep 06 06:07:23 frode-Precision-7530 systemd[1]: Starting Mount ZFS filesystems...
Sep 06 06:07:23 frode-Precision-7530 zfs[6487]: cannot mount '/root': directory is not empty
Sep 06 06:07:23 frode-Precision-7530 zfs[6487]: cannot mount '/var/lib': directory is not empty
Sep 06 06:07:23 frode-Precision-7530 systemd[1]: zfs-mount.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
Sep 06 06:07:23 frode-Precision-7530 systemd[1]: zfs-mount.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
Sep 06 06:07:23 frode-Precision-7530 systemd[1]: Failed to start Mount ZFS filesystems.
dpkg: error processing package zfsutils-linux (--configure):
 installed zfsutils-linux package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.
                                                                                                          No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.

[Frode Nordahl (fnordahl)]

A workaround to get the dependencies installed on upgrade would be:

$ sudo systemctl mask zfs-mount
$ sudo apt -f install
$ sudo systemctl unmask zfs-mount

After a reboot the ``zfs-mount`` service stays in a failed state, I wonder if something else has taken on its duties and there is a conflict when in a ZFS-on-root scenario?

My ZFS filesystems are definitely mounted, live and kicking

$ sudo systemctl status zfs-mount
● zfs-mount.service - Mount ZFS filesystems
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/zfs-mount.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Fri 2019-09-06 06:17:35 CEST; 3min 28s ago
     Docs: man:zfs(8)
  Process: 2995 ExecStart=/sbin/zfs mount -a (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
 Main PID: 2995 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)

Sep 06 06:17:35 frode-Precision-7530 systemd[1]: Starting Mount ZFS filesystems...
Sep 06 06:17:35 frode-Precision-7530 zfs[2995]: cannot mount '/root': directory is not empty
Sep 06 06:17:35 frode-Precision-7530 zfs[2995]: cannot mount '/var/lib': directory is not empty
Sep 06 06:17:35 frode-Precision-7530 systemd[1]: zfs-mount.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
Sep 06 06:17:35 frode-Precision-7530 systemd[1]: zfs-mount.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
Sep 06 06:17:35 frode-Precision-7530 systemd[1]: Failed to start Mount ZFS filesystems.

[David R. Bergstein (dbergst)]

A workaround I found for this issue is to mark the offending paths as legacy in zfs and put their respective mountpoints in /etc/fstab. Then the upgrade succeeds as intended.

[Colin Ian King (colin-king)]

Eoan is now EOL, closing this bug.