[Bug 827942] Re: package dselect (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: unable to create `/etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg.dpkg-new' (while processing `./etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg'): Invalid argument

[Nathan Neal]

> It might be related under the hood. Did you write to your linux partition
> from MacOS some time before the failure?


No, have not booted to MacOS for a few days at least, so I cannot
imagine that being the cause of the bug.  I also had installed other
packages immediately prior to trying to install dselect (I'll copy
that history here too, in case that might give you a clue as to what
it might be).

> Weird. Did something change at the kernel level? Did you enable/disable
> some security stuff (SMACK) ?

No, not that I know of.  I have not tried to manipulate the kernel
manually in any way.  I have not changed anything security wise except
for installing some open vpn packages (if that counts as security).  I
have not, as far as I know, done anything with SMACK, I don't even
know what it is.

> There's /var/log/dpkg.log but I saw your apt-history file and I don't
> think the supplementary packages can explain why it works now. It's more
> a kernel level issue or maybe a glibc issue. Somehow I would favor a bug
> in the kernel with ext2 possibly related to some unexpected stuff done
> by MacOS. But it's just a wild guess. It might also be some issue with
> SMACK or similar security modules but I doubt we would get EINVAL as error
> code if that was the reason.


I really don't know what the issue could be.  Is there any log file on
my side that might help you resolve what was responsible for the
error?

I'm attaching my /var/dpkg/log file so you can peruse it and see if
you see anything that might have caused the error initially.  Since
the error occurred right when I was in the middle of installing a few
different packages, I'm leaning towards that being the most likely
cause, but you're the expert, and hopefully you can tell for sure from
the file.

Thanks,

Nate


2011/8/21 Raphaël Hertzog <hertzog at debian.org>:
> On Sun, 21 Aug 2011, Nathan Neal wrote:
>> Well, I had originally installed Ubuntu under ext3, but could not
>> write to it under Mac OS X, and did some searching online, and I seem
>> to remember reading that MOSX works better with ext2 formatting than
>> ext3, so I wiped my Linux partition, reformatted as ext2, and
>> reinstalled Ubuntu.  MOSX does now allow read/write to the Linux
>> partition, whereas under ext3 it did not.  Anyway, all that is just
>> some background as why I chose ext2.
>
> It might be related under the hood. Did you write to your linux partition
> from MacOS some time before the failure?
>
>> I did as as you suggested, and tried installing dselect again, and
>> this time it worked.  I'm copying/pasting the text of the terminal
>
> Weird. Did something change at the kernel level? Did you enable/disable
> some security stuff (SMACK) ?
>
>> of an easier way (maybe a cache of some sort), then you could instruct
>> me on how to access it.
>
> There's /var/log/dpkg.log but I saw your apt-history file and I don't
> think the supplementary packages can explain why it works now. It's more
> a kernel level issue or maybe a glibc issue. Somehow I would favor a bug
> in the kernel with ext2 possibly related to some unexpected stuff done
> by MacOS. But it's just a wild guess. It might also be some issue with
> SMACK or similar security modules but I doubt we would get EINVAL as error
> code if that was the reason.
>
> Cheers,
> --
> Raphaël Hertzog ◈ Debian Developer
>
> Follow my Debian News ▶ http://RaphaelHertzog.com (English)
>                      ▶ http://RaphaelHertzog.fr (Français)
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/827942
>
> Title:
>  package dselect (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: unable to
>  create `/etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg.dpkg-new' (while processing
>  `./etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg'): Invalid argument
>
> Status in “dpkg” package in Ubuntu:
>  New
>
> Bug description:
>  I don't know a great deal about linux/ubuntu.  I was trying to update
>  a library file libc6 to a newer version, and could not see a way to do
>  this using apt, so I went through some man pages, found dselect, tried
>  to use it, found it was not installed, and tried to install it using
>  apt-get....this is when I received this error.  I don't know if it's a
>  bug or not, I don't know if I can't use dselect when apt is already
>  installed due to some sort of conflict.
>
>  ProblemType: Package
>  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
>  Package: dselect (not installed)
>  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-10.46-generic 2.6.38.7
>  Uname: Linux 2.6.38-10-generic i686
>  NonfreeKernelModules: wl
>  AptOrdering:
>   dselect: Install
>   dselect: Configure
>  Architecture: i386
>  Date: Wed Aug 17 07:00:16 2011
>  DpkgTerminalLog:
>   Unpacking dselect (from .../dselect_1.16.0~ubuntu7_i386.deb) ...
>   dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/dselect_1.16.0~ubuntu7_i386.deb (--unpack):
>    unable to create `/etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg.dpkg-new' (while processing `./etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg'): Invalid argument
>  ErrorMessage: unable to create `/etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg.dpkg-new' (while processing `./etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg'): Invalid argument
>  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release i386 (20110427.1)
>  SourcePackage: dpkg
>  Title: package dselect (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: unable to create `/etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg.dpkg-new' (while processing `./etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg'): Invalid argument
>  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/dpkg/+bug/827942/+subscriptions
>


** Attachment added: "dpkg.log"
   https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/827942/+attachment/2298179/+files/dpkg.log

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/827942

Title:
  package dselect (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: unable to
  create `/etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg.dpkg-new' (while processing
  `./etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg'): Invalid argument

Status in “dpkg” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  I don't know a great deal about linux/ubuntu.  I was trying to update
  a library file libc6 to a newer version, and could not see a way to do
  this using apt, so I went through some man pages, found dselect, tried
  to use it, found it was not installed, and tried to install it using
  apt-get....this is when I received this error.  I don't know if it's a
  bug or not, I don't know if I can't use dselect when apt is already
  installed due to some sort of conflict.

  ProblemType: Package
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
  Package: dselect (not installed)
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-10.46-generic 2.6.38.7
  Uname: Linux 2.6.38-10-generic i686
  NonfreeKernelModules: wl
  AptOrdering:
   dselect: Install
   dselect: Configure
  Architecture: i386
  Date: Wed Aug 17 07:00:16 2011
  DpkgTerminalLog:
   Unpacking dselect (from .../dselect_1.16.0~ubuntu7_i386.deb) ...
   dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/dselect_1.16.0~ubuntu7_i386.deb (--unpack):
    unable to create `/etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg.dpkg-new' (while processing `./etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg'): Invalid argument
  ErrorMessage: unable to create `/etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg.dpkg-new' (while processing `./etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg'): Invalid argument
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release i386 (20110427.1)
  SourcePackage: dpkg
  Title: package dselect (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: unable to create `/etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg.dpkg-new' (while processing `./etc/dpkg/dselect.cfg'): Invalid argument
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

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