[Aptitude-devel] Bug#776101: aptitude: hangs forever on 'setting up console-setup (1.116)'

[Axel Beckert]

Control: reassign -1 console-setup 0.116

Hi,

Gordon Morehouse wrote:
> running 'aptitude upgrade' followed by 'aptitude update'

You mean "running 'aptitude update' followed by 'aptitude upgrade'",
don't you?

> on a Debian testing system hangs

How long did you approximately wait?

> after similar output from aptitude:
>
> Installing new version of config file /etc/console-setup/compose.ISO-8859-3.inc ...
> Installing new version of config file /etc/console-setup/compose.ISO-8859-4.inc ...
> Installing new version of config file /etc/console-setup/compose.ISO-8859-7.inc ...
> Installing new version of config file /etc/console-setup/compose.ISO-8859-9.inc ...

This output is not from aptitude but either from dpkg or ucf.

> Setting up console-setup (1.116) ...

This is output from dpkg, announcing that it will now run
console-setup's postinst script.

> 'top' shows aptitude taking about 3-4% CPU but it is stuck.

Because aptitude is probably not the one which is working at that
time. The one which should do something is either a postinst script
from some to-be-installed package or some trigger. But dpkg would have
announce triggers. As well as aptitude is mentioning that it's
re-reading it's database.

Did top show any other child process of aptitude?

> Ctrl-C is not effective.

Ok.

> Kill with SIGTERM does stop the process while breaking terminal
> echo.

Sure, because it doesn't leave aptitude a chance to do so. IMHO
expected behaviour.

> It leaves the aptitude /var lockfile dirty.

Dito.

> Running 'sudo dpkg --configure -a' has a couple errors about
> /var/cache/debconf/config.dat being locked as well.

This sounds as if the aptitude including its children processes were
killed while debconf tried to ask you a question or -- more likely --
generate a config file.

I'm quite sure this is no issue with aptitude at all but likely with
the postinst script of a to-be-installed package. I currently assume
it's console-setup, also because it's a heavy debconf user. Hence
reassigning.

		Regards, Axel
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