[debian-mysql] Bug#798914: ambiguous error from logrotate script

[Daniel Pocock]

Package: mysql-server-5.5
Version: 5.5.44-0+deb8u1

The logrotate cron job was sending these emails from a newly built
server running jessie:

/etc/cron.daily/logrotate:
error: error running shared postrotate script for '/var/log/mysql.log
/var/log/mysql/mysql.log /var/log/mysql/mysql-slow.log
/var/log/mysql/error.log '
run-parts: /etc/cron.daily/logrotate exited with return code 1


The cause of the error was not clear.

Upon investigating, I discovered that it was because the
debian-sys-maint password didn't match.  I had copied all the tables
across from an older server, but the file /etc/mysql/debian.cnf had been
generated, with a new random password, during the installation of the
new server.

Maybe it could give a more verbose error if the mysqladmin ping fails?