[Debconf-devel] Bug#855912: db_purge: exits with error code 8 when using deluser in the same postinst

[Niels Thykier]

Hi Debconf maintainers,

Have you had a chance to review this bug?  AFAICT, it got
clone+reassigned without you explicitly being CC'ed, so I am leaving the
full mail quoted below for your sake.

~Niels

On Thu, 23 Feb 2017 11:39:08 +0100 Maximiliano Curia <maxy at debian.org>
wrote:
> Control: clone -1 -2
> Control: reassign -2 debconf 1.5.60
> Control: retitle -2 db_purge: exits with error code 8 when using deluser in the same postinst
> 
> ¡Hola Laurent!
> 
> El 2017-02-01 a las 13:31 +0100, Laurent Bonnaud escribió:
> > Package: sddm 
> > Version: 0.14.0-1 
> > Severity: serious
> 
> > here is the problem:
> 
> > # apt purge sddm   sddm-theme-breeze 
> > Reading package lists... Done 
> > Building dependency tree 
> > Reading state information... Done 
> > The following packages will be REMOVED:
> >  sddm* sddm-theme-breeze* 
> > 0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 2 to remove and 0 not upgraded. 
> > After this operation, 2 595 kB disk space will be freed. 
> > Do you want to continue? [Y/n]
> > (Reading database ... 261837 files and directories currently installed.) 
> > Removing sddm (0.14.0-1) .....................................................................................................]
> > Please be sure to run "dpkg-reconfigure gdm3". 
> > Removing sddm-theme-breeze (4:5.8.5-1) ... 
> > Processing triggers for man-db (2.7.6.1-2) ... 
> > (Reading database ... 261663 files and directories currently installed.) 
> > Purging configuration files for sddm (0.14.0-1) ... 
> > Removing user `sddm' ... 
> > Warning: group `sddm' has no more members. 
> > userdel: user sddm is currently used by process 658 
> > /usr/sbin/deluser: `/usr/sbin/userdel sddm' returned error code 8. Exiting. 
> > Could not remove sddm user. 
> > /usr/sbin/delgroup: `sddm' still has `sddm' as their primary group! 
> > Could not remove sddm group.
> 
> > Stopping the service before the purge fixes the problem.
> 
> This is the expected output when sddm is still running. We don't want to stop 
> the running display manager as it will kill the graphical user session.
> 
> > userdel: user sddm is currently used by process 658 
> > /usr/sbin/deluser: `/usr/sbin/userdel sddm' returned error code 8. Exiting. 
> > /usr/sbin/delgroup: `sddm' still has `sddm' as their primary group!
> 
> This part is not caused by us. Mmh, after a closer inspection this is caused 
> by the debconf purge, which get's confused with any message written to stdout.
> 
> I'm cloning the issue to debconf, as it would be better if db_purge wouldn't be 
> trying to parse whatever was printed to the stdout.
> 
> On the sddm usecase, I'll add the deluser and echo redirections (>&2).
> 
> Happy hacking,
> -- 
> A computer scientist is someone who, when told to "Go to Hell,"
> sees the "go to," rather than the destination, as harmful.
>  Saludos /\/\ /\ >< `/