Debian Bug report logs - #58859
dpkg: Improve overly complicated "subprocess <maint-script> script returned error exit status N"

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Message #5 received at submit@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Robert Woodcock <rcw@debian.org>

To: submit@bugs.debian.org

Subject: meta-errors

Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 19:41:53 -0800

Package: dpkg,apt
Version: n/a
Severity: wishlist

I know this is one of those really annoying bugs to recieve, so I wouldn't
be submitting it, except I see it causing user headaches OVER and OVER and
OVER, and [insert witty comment about Jason Gunthorpe here].

Both dpkg and apt print out meta-errors, i.e. reports of other errors.
Users paste these into channels regularly, and although they do a good job
of letting the user know that it's not working, they don't tell them how to
fix it. (make is the worst offender - make: *** [install] Error 1 gets
pasted more places...)

Neither dpkg nor apt actually tell you what to do to fix a problem like this
(besides wait until some developer fixes the package). They have to consult
a Debian Expert(tm) who has to pry info from them like which script was
failing, then said Debian Expert(tm) has to refer them to
/var/lib/dpkg/info/packagename.scriptname (scriptname doesn't directly
correlate with dpkg's error messages either!), and only *then* can work
start on determining what the problem really was (this can be three emails
into a bug report, if the user chose that route), and by this time a newbie
can really start hating Debian.

Addressing this issue will improve the quality of a significant percentage
of bug reports.

<SuperPhly> anyone ahve any clue...
<SuperPhly> dpkg: error processing xdm (--configure):
<SuperPhly> subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
> superphly: did it print out an error *above* that?
-- 
Robert Woodcock - rcw@debian.org
"Anybody else wanna negotiate?" -- The Fifth Element

Message #12 received at 58859@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Robert Woodcock <rcw@debian.org>

To: 58859@bugs.debian.org, doogie@debian.org

Subject: display-maintainer-script-filename-on-error patch

Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 14:40:09 -0700

This patch against dpkg CVS addresses #58859 - it gives users more
descriptive error messages when installing packages with broken maintainer
scripts (system-observer-evil is a purposefully-broken version of a local
package of mine called system-observer):

[scenario: postinst lacks #!/bin/sh at the top]

frantica:~/src$ sudo dpkg -i system-observer-evil_0.7-1_i386.deb
(Reading database ... 56946 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace system-observer-evil 0.7-1 (using system-observer-evil_0.7-1_i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement system-observer-evil ...
Setting up system-observer-evil (0.7-1) ...
dpkg (subprocess): unable to execute /var/lib/dpkg/info/system-observer-evil.postinst: Exec format error
dpkg: error processing system-observer-evil (--install):
 subprocess /var/lib/dpkg/info/system-observer-evil.postinst returned error exit status 2
Errors were encountered while processing:
 system-observer-evil

[scenario: postinst has 'exit 1' at the end]

frantica:~/src$ sudo dpkg -i system-observer-evil_0.7-1_i386.deb
(Reading database ... 56946 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace system-observer-evil 0.7-1 (using system-observer-evil_0.7-1_i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement system-observer-evil ...
Setting up system-observer-evil (0.7-1) ...
dpkg: error processing system-observer-evil (--install):
 subprocess /var/lib/dpkg/info/system-observer-evil.postinst returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 system-observer-evil

Here's the patch:

--- main/help.c.orig	Fri Jul 20 13:05:00 2001
+++ main/help.c	Fri Jul 20 14:33:15 2001
@@ -283,13 +283,11 @@
   char *const *arglist;
   struct stat stab;
   va_list ap;
-  char buf[100];
 
   scriptpath= pkgadminfile(pkg,scriptname);
   va_start(ap,description);
   arglist= vbuildarglist(scriptname,ap);
   va_end(ap);
-  sprintf(buf,"%s script",description);
 
   if (stat(scriptpath,&stab)) {
     if (errno == ENOENT) {
@@ -298,7 +296,7 @@
     }
     ohshite(_("unable to stat installed %s script `%.250s'"),description,scriptpath);
   }
-  do_script(pkg->name, scriptname, scriptpath, &stab, arglist, _("unable to execute %s"), buf, 0);
+  do_script(pkg->name, scriptname, scriptpath, &stab, arglist, _("unable to execute %s"), scriptpath, 0);
   ensure_diversions();
   return 1;
 }
@@ -309,12 +307,10 @@
   char *const *arglist;
   struct stat stab;
   va_list ap;
-  char buf[100];
   
   va_start(ap,cidirrest);
   arglist= vbuildarglist(scriptname,ap);
   va_end(ap);
-  sprintf(buf,"%s script",description);
 
   strcpy(cidirrest,scriptname);
   if (stat(cidir,&stab)) {
@@ -324,7 +320,7 @@
     }
     ohshite(_("unable to stat new %s script `%.250s'"),description,cidir);
   }
-  do_script(pkgname, scriptname, cidir, &stab, arglist, _("unable to execute new %s"), buf, 0);
+  do_script(pkgname, scriptname, cidir, &stab, arglist, _("unable to execute new script %s"), cidir, 0);
   ensure_diversions();
   return 1;
 }
@@ -343,7 +339,7 @@
                         ifok,versiondescribe(&pkg->available.version,
                                              vdew_nonambig),
                         (char*)0);
-  sprintf(buf,_("old %s script"),description);
+  sprintf(buf,_("old script %s"),oldscriptpath);
   if (stat(oldscriptpath,&stab)) {
     if (errno == ENOENT) {
       debug(dbg_scripts,"maintainer_script_alternative nonexistent %s `%s'",
@@ -365,7 +361,7 @@
                                                    vdew_nonambig),
                         (char*)0);
   strcpy(cidirrest,scriptname);
-  sprintf(buf,_("new %s script"),description);
+  sprintf(buf,_("new script %s"),cidir);
 
   if (stat(cidir,&stab)) {
     if (errno == ENOENT)

Message #17 received at 58859@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Wichert Akkerman <wichert@wiggy.net>

To: Robert Woodcock <rcw@debian.org>, 58859@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#58859: display-maintainer-script-filename-on-error patch

Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2001 01:31:03 +0200

Previously Robert Woodcock wrote:
> This patch against dpkg CVS addresses #58859 - it gives users more
> descriptive error messages when installing packages with broken maintainer
> scripts (system-observer-evil is a purposefully-broken version of a local
> package of mine called system-observer):

I wouldn't call this more descriptive at all, it prints a path that
users who know how to fix these problems should already know, and
those who don't have no bussiness knowing since it is a dpkg internal
thing.

In other words, I won't merge this.

Wichert.

-- 
  _________________________________________________________________
 /       Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool     \
| wichert@wiggy.net                   http://www.liacs.nl/~wichert/ |
| 1024D/2FA3BC2D 576E 100B 518D 2F16 36B0  2805 3CB8 9250 2FA3 BC2D |

Message #22 received at 58859@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Guillem Jover <guillem@debian.org>

To: Robert Woodcock <rcw@debian.org>, 58859@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#58859: please improve reported meta-errors

Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 13:44:08 +0200

Control: clone -1 -2
Control: reassign -1 dpkg
Control: retitle -1 dpkg: please improve reported meta-errors
Control: tag -1 - wontfix
Control: reassign -2 apt
Control: retitle -2 apt: please improve reported meta-errors

Splitting the bug report, because bugs assigned to multiple packages
are suboptimal to deal with, and only removing the wontfix for dpkg
because I don't know how the apt team might want to deal with this.

On Wed, 2000-02-23 at 19:41:53 -0800, Robert Woodcock wrote:
> Both dpkg and apt print out meta-errors, i.e. reports of other errors.
> Users paste these into channels regularly, and although they do a good job
> of letting the user know that it's not working, they don't tell them how to
> fix it. (make is the worst offender - make: *** [install] Error 1 gets
> pasted more places...)
> 
> Neither dpkg nor apt actually tell you what to do to fix a problem like this
> (besides wait until some developer fixes the package). They have to consult
> a Debian Expert(tm) who has to pry info from them like which script was
> failing, then said Debian Expert(tm) has to refer them to
> /var/lib/dpkg/info/packagename.scriptname (scriptname doesn't directly
> correlate with dpkg's error messages either!), and only *then* can work
> start on determining what the problem really was (this can be three emails
> into a bug report, if the user chose that route), and by this time a newbie
> can really start hating Debian.
> 
> Addressing this issue will improve the quality of a significant percentage
> of bug reports.
> 
> <SuperPhly> anyone ahve any clue...
> <SuperPhly> dpkg: error processing xdm (--configure):
> <SuperPhly> subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
> > superphly: did it print out an error *above* that?

I agree the messages should be improved, and I'll do so for 1.17.2.
But adding the absolute path for the failing maint script does not
help much, instead I'll add a longer description of what are the
possible correct steps to perform after such errors.

Thanks,
Guillem

Message #35 received at 58859@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: "Andreas Schulz Ltd" <robin_reinhardt@online.de>

To: "58859" <58859@bugs.debian.org>

Subject: Nachfolgend finden Sie Arbeitsvorschlag vom 23.05.2014 zur Durchsicht

Date: ---, 25 May 2014 17:50:46 GMT

Sehr geehrte/r Arbeitsuchender,

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Unser Betrieb verfügt über viele Niederlassungen in ganz Europa und wir arbeiten im Bereich der Mediendigitalisierung. Zur Zeit suchen wir nach neuen Mitarbeitern. 

Ihr Profil sollte folgendes beinhalten: Eine Tätigkeit von zu Hause entspricht Ihrer Vorstellung, eine Tätigkeit von zu Hause entspricht Ihrer Vorstellung, Sie besitzen Flexibilität, Sie besitzen eine teamorientierte Arbeitsweise, Grundkenntnisse von MS-Office sind von Vorteil und sie verfügen über ein Paar Stunden Zeit am Tag. 

Konnten wir Ihr Interesse wecken? Dann freuen wir uns über Ihre Bewerbung! Senden Sie Ihre vollständigen Bewerbungsunterlagen an: NewittLaenae@pacific-ocean.com
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Beste Grüße

Andreas Schulz Ltd

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