Bug#1125017: init-system-helpers: "dpkg --purge tracker-extract" removes a symlink from package localsearch

[Vincent Lefevre]

Package: init-system-helpers
Version: 1.69
Severity: grave
Justification: causes non-serious data loss

Package tracker-extract has been renamed to localsearch.
So when upgrading, localsearch is installed and tracker-extract
removed. But when I do "dpkg --purge tracker-extract" to completely
get rid of tracker-extract, this removes the

  /etc/systemd/user/gnome-session.target.wants/localsearch-3.service

symbolic link, which is now part of localsearch installation.

In /var/log/dpkg.log:

2026-01-08 13:33:20 startup packages remove
2026-01-08 13:33:20 status installed tracker-extract:amd64 3.8.2-4+b1
2026-01-08 13:33:21 remove tracker-extract:amd64 3.8.2-4+b1 <none>
2026-01-08 13:33:21 status half-configured tracker-extract:amd64 3.8.2-4+b1
2026-01-08 13:33:21 status half-installed tracker-extract:amd64 3.8.2-4+b1
2026-01-08 13:33:21 status triggers-pending man-db:amd64 2.13.1-1
2026-01-08 13:33:21 status triggers-pending libglib2.0-0t64:amd64 2.86.3-4
2026-01-08 13:33:21 status triggers-pending systemd:amd64 259-1
2026-01-08 13:33:21 status triggers-pending procps:amd64 2:4.0.4-9
2026-01-08 13:33:21 status config-files tracker-extract:amd64 3.8.2-4+b1
2026-01-08 13:33:21 startup archives unpack
2026-01-08 13:33:22 install localsearch:amd64 <none> 3.8.2-10
2026-01-08 13:33:22 status half-installed localsearch:amd64 3.8.2-10
2026-01-08 13:33:22 status unpacked localsearch:amd64 3.8.2-10
2026-01-08 13:33:22 startup packages configure
2026-01-08 13:33:22 configure localsearch:amd64 3.8.2-10 <none>
2026-01-08 13:33:22 status unpacked localsearch:amd64 3.8.2-10
2026-01-08 13:33:22 status half-configured localsearch:amd64 3.8.2-10
2026-01-08 13:33:22 status triggers-awaited localsearch:amd64 3.8.2-10
2026-01-08 13:33:22 trigproc systemd:amd64 259-1 <none>
2026-01-08 13:33:22 status half-configured systemd:amd64 259-1
2026-01-08 13:33:22 status installed systemd:amd64 259-1
2026-01-08 13:33:22 trigproc man-db:amd64 2.13.1-1 <none>
2026-01-08 13:33:22 status half-configured man-db:amd64 2.13.1-1
2026-01-08 13:33:26 status installed man-db:amd64 2.13.1-1
2026-01-08 13:33:26 trigproc libglib2.0-0t64:amd64 2.86.3-4 <none>
2026-01-08 13:33:26 status half-configured libglib2.0-0t64:amd64 2.86.3-4
2026-01-08 13:33:26 status installed localsearch:amd64 3.8.2-10
2026-01-08 13:33:26 status installed libglib2.0-0t64:amd64 2.86.3-4
2026-01-08 13:33:26 trigproc procps:amd64 2:4.0.4-9 <none>
2026-01-08 13:33:26 status half-configured procps:amd64 2:4.0.4-9
2026-01-08 13:33:26 status installed procps:amd64 2:4.0.4-9
2026-01-08 13:34:15 startup packages purge
2026-01-08 13:34:15 status config-files tracker-extract:amd64 3.8.2-4+b1
2026-01-08 13:34:15 purge tracker-extract:amd64 3.8.2-4+b1 <none>
2026-01-08 13:34:16 status not-installed tracker-extract:amd64 <none>

In /var/log/apt/term.log, about the upgrade:

Log started: 2026-01-08  13:33:20
(Reading database [...] 727011 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing tracker-extract (3.8.2-4+b1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package localsearch.
(Reading database [...] 726841 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../localsearch_3.8.2-10_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking localsearch (3.8.2-10) ...
Setting up localsearch (3.8.2-10) ...
Processing triggers for systemd (259-1) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.13.1-1) ...
Processing triggers for libglib2.0-0t64:amd64 (2.86.3-4) ...
Processing triggers for procps (2:4.0.4-9) ...
Log ended: 2026-01-08  13:33:26

At this point, I still have

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 43 2025-09-25 04:30:19 /etc/systemd/user/gnome-session.target.wants/localsearch-3.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/user/localsearch-3.service

$ dpkg -S /usr/lib/systemd/user/localsearch-3.service
localsearch: /usr/lib/systemd/user/localsearch-3.service

# dpkg --purge tracker-extract
(Reading database ... 727010 files and directories currently installed.)
Purging configuration files for tracker-extract (3.8.2-4+b1) ...

and /etc/systemd/user/gnome-session.target.wants/localsearch-3.service
no longer exists.

This seems to be due to

  deb-systemd-helper --user purge 'localsearch-3.service' >/dev/null || true

in the /var/lib/dpkg/info/tracker-extract.postrm script.

The maintainer cannot reproduce this issue:

  https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1113704#51

-- System Information:
Debian Release: forky/sid
  APT prefers unstable-debug
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable-debug'), (500, 'stable-updates'), (500, 'stable-security'), (500, 'stable-debug'), (500, 'proposed-updates-debug'), (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'testing'), (500, 'stable'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Foreign Architectures: i386

Kernel: Linux 6.18.3+deb14-amd64 (SMP w/12 CPU threads; PREEMPT)
Kernel taint flags: TAINT_PROPRIETARY_MODULE, TAINT_OOT_MODULE, TAINT_UNSIGNED_MODULE
Locale: LANG=C.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=C.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE not set
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /usr/bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
LSM: AppArmor: enabled

Versions of packages init-system-helpers is related to:
pn  insserv  <none>

-- no debconf information

-- 
Vincent Lefèvre <vincent at vinc17.net> - Web: <https://www.vinc17.net/>
100% accessible validated (X)HTML - Blog: <https://www.vinc17.net/blog/>
Work: CR INRIA - computer arithmetic / Pascaline project (LIP, ENS-Lyon)