[Bug 819957] [NEW] purging /var/cache breaks debconf

[Ben Howard]

Public bug reported:

If user deletes /var/cache/*, while leaving /var/cache, then debconf is
broken. Specifically, debconf looks for /var/cache/debconf and does not
create the missing directory, and after the directory is creating,
software fails to install.

Repo Steps:
1. rm /var/cache/*
2. Attempt to install any package

Why this is a bug? Per the LSB, (
http://www.pathname.com/fhs/pub/fhs-2.3.html#VARCACHE), applications
should recover from missing files. A user who removes /var/cache/* will
experience problems with the installation of software.

root at domU-12-31-39-0B-60-05:/home/ubuntu# lsb_release -d
Description:    Ubuntu oneiric (development branch)

root at domU-12-31-39-0B-60-05:/home/ubuntu# apt-cache policy debconf
debconf:
  Installed: 1.5.40ubuntu1
  Candidate: 1.5.40ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 1.5.40ubuntu1 0
        500 http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ oneiric/main i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
root at domU-12-31-39-0B-60-05:/home/ubuntu# 

--- 
Attempt to install the Sun JDK:

sun-dlj-v1-1 license could not be presented
try 'dpkg-reconfigure debconf' to select a frontend other than noninteractive

dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/sun-java6-jre_6.26-1oneiric1_all.deb (--unpack):
 subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 2
Unpacking sun-java6-bin (from .../sun-java6-bin_6.26-1oneiric1_i386.deb) ...

sun-dlj-v1-1 license could not be presented
try 'dpkg-reconfigure debconf' to select a frontend other than noninteractive

dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/sun-java6-bin_6.26-1oneiric1_i386.deb (--unpack):
 subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 2
Unpacking sun-java6-jdk (from .../sun-java6-jdk_6.26-1oneiric1_i386.deb) ...

sun-dlj-v1-1 license could not be presented
try 'dpkg-reconfigure debconf' to select a frontend other than noninteractive

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: debconf 1.5.40ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-7.9-virtual 3.0.0
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-7-virtual i686
Architecture: i386
Date: Tue Aug  2 18:16:15 2011
Ec2AMI: ami-d319dfba
Ec2AMIManifest: (unknown)
Ec2AvailabilityZone: us-east-1c
Ec2InstanceType: t1.micro
Ec2Kernel: aki-805ea7e9
Ec2Ramdisk: unavailable
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: debconf
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

** Affects: debconf (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New


** Tags: apport-bug ec2-images i386 oneiric

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/819957

Title:
  purging /var/cache breaks debconf

Status in “debconf” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  If user deletes /var/cache/*, while leaving /var/cache, then debconf
  is broken. Specifically, debconf looks for /var/cache/debconf and does
  not create the missing directory, and after the directory is creating,
  software fails to install.

  Repo Steps:
  1. rm /var/cache/*
  2. Attempt to install any package

  Why this is a bug? Per the LSB, (
  http://www.pathname.com/fhs/pub/fhs-2.3.html#VARCACHE), applications
  should recover from missing files. A user who removes /var/cache/*
  will experience problems with the installation of software.

  root at domU-12-31-39-0B-60-05:/home/ubuntu# lsb_release -d
  Description:    Ubuntu oneiric (development branch)

  root at domU-12-31-39-0B-60-05:/home/ubuntu# apt-cache policy debconf
  debconf:
    Installed: 1.5.40ubuntu1
    Candidate: 1.5.40ubuntu1
    Version table:
   *** 1.5.40ubuntu1 0
          500 http://us-east-1.ec2.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ oneiric/main i386 Packages
          100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
  root at domU-12-31-39-0B-60-05:/home/ubuntu# 

  --- 
  Attempt to install the Sun JDK:

  sun-dlj-v1-1 license could not be presented
  try 'dpkg-reconfigure debconf' to select a frontend other than noninteractive

  dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/sun-java6-jre_6.26-1oneiric1_all.deb (--unpack):
   subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 2
  Unpacking sun-java6-bin (from .../sun-java6-bin_6.26-1oneiric1_i386.deb) ...

  sun-dlj-v1-1 license could not be presented
  try 'dpkg-reconfigure debconf' to select a frontend other than noninteractive

  dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/sun-java6-bin_6.26-1oneiric1_i386.deb (--unpack):
   subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 2
  Unpacking sun-java6-jdk (from .../sun-java6-jdk_6.26-1oneiric1_i386.deb) ...

  sun-dlj-v1-1 license could not be presented
  try 'dpkg-reconfigure debconf' to select a frontend other than noninteractive

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
  Package: debconf 1.5.40ubuntu1
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-7.9-virtual 3.0.0
  Uname: Linux 3.0.0-7-virtual i686
  Architecture: i386
  Date: Tue Aug  2 18:16:15 2011
  Ec2AMI: ami-d319dfba
  Ec2AMIManifest: (unknown)
  Ec2AvailabilityZone: us-east-1c
  Ec2InstanceType: t1.micro
  Ec2Kernel: aki-805ea7e9
  Ec2Ramdisk: unavailable
  PackageArchitecture: all
  ProcEnviron:
   LANG=en_US.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  SourcePackage: debconf
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

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