[Python-apps-team] Bug#735204: cloud-init: boot never finished switch to runlevel 2 with upstart

[Clint Byrum]

Package: cloud-init
Version: 0.7.2-3
Severity: normal

Dear Maintainer,
*** Please consider answering these questions, where appropriate ***

   * What led up to the situation?
     Install upstart and cloud-init on the same system.
   * What exactly did you do
     Boot a fresh instance.
   * What was the outcome of this action?
     System boots but rc never returns because startpar is waiting for
     jobs to be in a start/running state.
   * What outcome did you expect instead?
     I expected the system to boot completely.

The problem is that upstart booting on Debian is in a transition phase
where startpar listens to upstart events to keep track of upstartified
scripts that have scripts in /etc/rc#.d. It may miss early started
events though, so it will consider a job in 'start/running' as ready.

Since cloud-init uses tasks to control early boot, the tasks will have
run, but will be 'stop/waiting'. So startpar waits forever for them and
never moves to the final phase of the sysvinit boot.

As long as we need startpar for sysvinit<->upstart, we will have to use
pre-exec instead of 'task' to run one-time tasks. The jobs will also
need 'stop on' so the shut down does not block waiting for them.