[Bug 1576746] Re: Can't launch do-release-upgrade as root (No new release found)

[Launchpad Bug Tracker]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

** Changed in: ubuntu-release-upgrader (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => Confirmed

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1576746

Title:
  Can't launch do-release-upgrade as root (No new release found)

Status in ubuntu-release-upgrader package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  Trying to update to Ubuntu 15.04 to Ubuntu 15.10 update-manager GUI
  silently fails or I constantly receive "No new release found" from
  command-line acting as root user.

  In /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades I correctly have
  "Prompt=normal"

  Attempted programs used:

  1) update-manger (GUI, non-root)
  2) update-manager -d (CLI/GUI, non-root)
  3) sudo update-manager -d (CLI)
  3) sudo do-release-manager -d (CLI)

  GUI launched as non-root prompts for a new release (update-
  manager1.png), but as soon as prompted to log to root (update-
  manager2.png) it fails silently. GUI launched as root *doesn't* prompt
  for new release.

  WORKAROUND:
  Only working mean to upgrade is by command line with non-root "do-release-manager", which correctly reports the available release.

  TROUBLESHOOTING:
  Debugging do-release-upgrade[1][2][3] led me to the following discovery: in MetaRelease.py[4] root succeeds in "opening" the non-existing file "/var/lib/update-manager/meta-release-development", leading to timeout exception while trying to download the remote file[6] checking for changes at line 330. Instead non-root fails trying to access meta-release-development and fallabacks to a file in the home directory[7]. Downloading at line 330 succeeds and the main script can continue.

  meta-release-development[5] in my system wasn't present. This is
  probably a LTS system switched to non-LTS at some point. Everything
  else seems to be working.

  STEPS TO REPRODUCE:
  - In a 15.04 system, delete system meta-release-development[5], if present;
  - Try to upgrade as a root user (GUI or CLI).

  PROPOSED SOLUTION:
  Better handle non existing meta-release-development[5] file as root in MetaRelease.py[4].

  VERSIONS INFO:
  Description:	Ubuntu 15.04
  Release:	15.04

  ubuntu-release-upgrader-core:
    Installed: 1:15.04.14.3
    Candidate: 1:15.04.14.3

  [1] /usr/bin/do-release-upgrade
  [2]debug-do-release-upgrade-root.png
  [3] debug-do-release-upgrade-nonroot.png
  [4] /usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/UpdateManager/Core/MetaRelease.py
  [5] /var/lib/update-manager/meta-release-development
  [6] http://changelogs.ubuntu.com/meta-release-development
  [7] ~/.cache/update-manager-core/meta-release

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