Hello Mr Murray,

Thank you very much for your email. I'm not sure I understand much of it but
I ran *sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/info/PACKAGE_VERSION.p* in accordance with your
"workaround" suggestion A to remove the package, but I got the message that
no such file or directory exists. So then I went to your workaround
alternative B to be used when package can't be removed.  I got the following
printout:-*


tony@tony-laptop:~$ sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/info/PACKAGE_VERSION.p*
[sudo] password for tony:
rm: cannot remove `/var/lib/dpkg/info/PACKAGE_VERSION.p*': No such file or
directory
tony@tony-laptop:~$ sudo apt-get clean
[sudo] password for tony:
tony@tony-laptop:~$ sudo aptitude download PACKAGE
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Initialising package states... Done
Writing extended state information... Done
E: Can't find a package named "PACKAGE"
tony@tony-laptop:~$ sudo dpkg --unpack./PACKAGE_VERSION.deb
dpkg: unknown option --unpack./PACKAGE_VERSION.deb

Type dpkg --help for help about installing and deinstalling packages [*];
Use `dselect' or `aptitude' for user-friendly package management;
Type dpkg -Dhelp for a list of dpkg debug flag values;
Type dpkg --force-help for a list of forcing options;
Type dpkg-deb --help for help about manipulating *.deb files;
Type dpkg --license|--licence for copyright licence and lack of warranty
(GNU GPL) [*].

Options marked [*] produce a lot of output - pipe it through `less' or
`more' !
tony@tony-laptop:~$ sudo dpkg --configure PACKAGE
dpkg: error processing package (--configure):
 no package named `package' is installed, cannot configure
Errors were encountered while processing:
 package
tony@tony-laptop:~$


I think I've probably done something wrong, haven't I?

Regards,
Tony Boulind

On 5 March 2010 23:43, Brian Murray <email address hidden> wrote:

> ** Tags added: patch-upstreaminput
> ** Tags removed: patch
>
> --
> [MASTER] Exec format error : package failed to install/remove :
> installation/removal script returned error exit status 2
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/512096
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of a duplicate bug.
>
> Status in “dpkg” package in Ubuntu: In Progress
> Status in “dpkg” package in Debian: New
>
> Bug description:
> Under some conditions package installation/upgrade/removal fails with the
> following error:
>
> -- Error during installation --
> Setting up screenlets (0.1.2-7) ...
> dpkg (subprocess): unable to execute installed post-installation script:
> Exec format error
> dpkg: error processing screenlets (--configure):
>  subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2
>
> -- Error during removal --
> Removing gnome-do ...
> dpkg (subprocess): unable to execute installed pre-removal script: Exec
> format error
> dpkg: error processing gnome-do (--purge):
>  subprocess installed pre-removal script returned error exit status 2
>
> This error occurs when one of the installation or removal scripts
> (/var/lib/dpkg/info/PACKAGE.p*) is empty or corrupted.
>
> == HOW TO REPRODUCE ==
> Install a package and emulates a system crash before 30 seconds:
> # apt-get install hello; sleep 20; echo b > /proc/sysrq-trigger
> [simulates a system crash]
> After reboot both installation and removal scripts are 0 bytes. You will
> notice that hello.list was correctly written to disk because of the fsync
> call in dpkg/src/filesdb.c
> $ ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.*
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 323 2010-02-09 00:42 /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.list
> -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root   0 2009-08-15 19:17
> /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.postinst
> -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root   0 2009-08-15 19:17 /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.prerm
>
> If you replay the test but adding a sync before the system crash:
> # apt-get install hello; sync;  echo b > /proc/sysrq-trigger
> After reboot the files are fine:
> $ ls -l  /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.*
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 323 2010-02-09 00:46 /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.list
> -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 103 2009-08-15 19:17
> /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.postinst
> -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  74 2009-08-15 19:17 /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.prerm
>
> If I adjust /proc/sys/vm/dirty_expire_centisecs to be below the sleep time,
> ( for exemple 1000 in the test above ) then data are correctly written to
> disk.
>
> == WORKAROUNDS ==
> Execute the following commands in a terminal
> (GNOME: Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal
>  KDE: KMenu -> Applications -> System -> Terminal [Konsole] )
>
> Workaround A: Remove the package and reinstall
>
> $ sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/info/PACKAGE_VERSION.p*
> $ sudo apt-get remove --purge PACKAGE
> $ sudo apt-get clean
> $ sudo apt-get update
>
> Then reinstall the package
>
> Workaround B: Finish the install when the package can't be removed
>
> $ sudo apt-get clean
> $ sudo aptitude download PACKAGE
> $ sudo dpkg --unpack ./PACKAGE_VERSION.deb
> $ sudo dpkg --configure PACKAGE
>
> Replace PACKAGE with the package name which fails to install/remove.
>
> == Localization ==
> The same error in non-english language:
>  . Erreur de format pour exec()
>  . Error de formato ejecutable
>  . Errore di formato di exec
>  . Exec format error
>  . Formatfel på körbar fil
>  . Érvénytelen végrehajtható fájlformátum
>  . Exec formátum hiba
>  . Verkeerd uitvoerbaar bestand
>  . Exec 格式错误
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/dpkg/+bug/512096/+subscribe
>