Bug#497759: /usr/sbin/update-grub: update-grub exits with status one during upgrade of lenny to newer kernel and grub (legacy)

[Daniel Dickinson]

Package: grub
Version: 0.97-47
Severity: normal
File: /usr/sbin/update-grub


Attempting to do an upgrade on lenny from the previous kernel (.25) to the one now in testing (.26-4) apt reports update-grub failed with status 1 and the new kernel remains unconfigured.  I'm doing this report now in case my system is unbootable for a while as I try to fix whatever's wrong.

-- Package-specific info:

*********************** BEGIN /boot/grub/device.map
(hd0)	/dev/hda
*********************** END /boot/grub/device.map

*********************** BEGIN /proc/mounts
/dev/mapper/ginserat-root / ext3 rw,relatime,errors=remount-ro,user_xattr,acl,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/md0 /boot ext3 rw,errors=continue,data=ordered 0 0
*********************** END /proc/mounts

*********************** BEGIN /boot/grub/menu.lst
# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
#            grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
#            grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
#            and /usr/share/doc/grub-legacy-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default		0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout		5

# Pretty colours
color cyan/blue white/blue

### PASSWORD LINE REMOVED ###
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line)  and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
### PASSWORD LINE REMOVED ###
### PASSWORD LINE REMOVED ###
### PASSWORD LINE REMOVED ###

### PASSWORD LINE REMOVED ###

#
# examples
#
# title		Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root		(hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader	+1
#
# title		Linux
# root		(hd0,1)
# kernel	/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=/dev/mapper/ginserat-root ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd0,0)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
##      alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
##      lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=true

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=quiet

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
##      lockold=true
# lockold=true

## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenhopt=

## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenkopt=console=tty0

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
##      altoptions=(single-user) single
# altoptions=(single-user mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
##      howmany=7
# howmany=all

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
##      memtest86=false
# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
## can be true or false
# updatedefaultentry=false

## should update-grub add savedefault to the default options
## can be true or false
# savedefault=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title		Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.25-2-686
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/vmlinuz-2.6.25-2-686 root=/dev/mapper/ginserat-root ro quiet
initrd		/initrd.img-2.6.25-2-686

title		Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.25-2-686 (single-user mode)
lock
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/vmlinuz-2.6.25-2-686 root=/dev/mapper/ginserat-root ro single
initrd		/initrd.img-2.6.25-2-686

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
*********************** END /boot/grub/menu.lst

-- System Information:
Debian Release: lenny/sid
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (500, 'testing'), (500, 'stable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.25-2-686 (SMP w/1 CPU core)
Locale: LANG=en_CA.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_CA.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)

Versions of packages grub depends on:
ii  grub-common              1.96+20080724-9 GRand Unified Bootloader, version 
ii  libc6                    2.7-13          GNU C Library: Shared libraries
ii  libncurses5              5.6+20080804-1  shared libraries for terminal hand

grub recommends no packages.

Versions of packages grub suggests:
pn  grub-legacy-doc               <none>     (no description available)
ii  mdadm                         2.6.7-3    tool to administer Linux MD arrays
pn  multiboot-doc                 <none>     (no description available)

-- no debconf information