[Aptitude-devel] Bug#814240: systemd triggers break upgrades within unstable

[Manuel A. Fernandez Montecelo]

Control: reassign -1 apt


2016-03-01 18:01 To Zack Weinberg:
>Hi Zack,
>
>2016-03-01 17:27 Zack Weinberg:
>>On Mon, Feb 29, 2016 at 12:18 PM, Manuel A. Fernandez Montecelo wrote:
>>>
>>>>DPkg::NoTriggers "true";
>>>>DPkg::ConfigurePending "true";
>>>>DPkg::TriggersPending "true";
>>>
>>>
>>>After talking about this bug a few days ago with APT Deities (David
>>>Kalnischkies, in this case), he told me that apt doesn't use "dpkg
>>>--triggers-only" by default.
>>>
>>>He believes that apt /could/ issue that command when
>>>"DPkg::TriggersPending" or "DPkg::ConfigurePending" are enabled, and
>>>possibly other similar ones (he didn't mention the specifics).
>>>
>>>Such options as marked as experimental and dangerous (man apt.conf) so
>>>maybe they are better left disabled unless there's a specific need to
>>>use them.
>>
>>On the system with the problem, that setting comes from a file named
>>/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/triggers, whose entire contents are
>>
>># cat /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/triggers
>>DPkg::NoTriggers "true";
>>PackageManager::Configure "smart";
>>DPkg::ConfigurePending "true";
>>DPkg::TriggersPending "true";
>>
>>It was last modified in 2011.  I have no memory of having created this
>>file, but it doesn't belong to any package either.  Searching the 'net
>>for that combination of options brings me to
>>https://raphaelhertzog.com/2011/05/30/trying-to-make-dpkg-triggers-more-useful-and-less-painful/
>>and bug #626599.  It is probable that I saw Raphael's blog post go by
>>and decided to try it out.
>
>I guessed that it would be something like that that triggered (pun maybe
>intended) people to use such options.
>
>
>>I have another computer that runs unstable, and which had not yet
>>received the systemd 229-2 update; I verified that it does *not* have
>>any of these settings and then ran the update.  It went through with
>>no problems.
>>
>>So that's a pretty strong indicator that this non-default mode is the
>>cause of the problem.  And it's corroborated by the dpkg/apt logs on
>>the computer that didn't have these settings, which show no sign of
>>the problem in the past, as far as I can tell.  But just to make sure,
>>I would like to leave this bug open until another systemd update comes
>>along and I can confirm that disabling these settings addresses the
>>problem on the computer that definitely did have it.
>
>Good, please do inform when that happens.
>
>
>I suppose that APT folks will want to reassign/clone the bug to
>themselves, and either fix the problem or remove the use of these
>variables.

Reassigning to apt after speaking to the developers.


Cheers.
-- 
Manuel A. Fernandez Montecelo <manuel.montezelo at gmail.com>