[Bug 1913726] Re: /usr/lib/update-notifier/list-oem-metapackages:apt_pkg.Error:/usr/lib/update-notifier/list-oem-metapackages at 43:__init__:open

[Launchpad Bug Tracker]

This bug was fixed in the package update-notifier - 3.192.30.6

---------------
update-notifier (3.192.30.6) focal; urgency=medium

  * data/list-oem-metapackages:
    + Handle bad apt indexes. apt.Cache() can fail if the apt lists can't be
      parsed for whatever reason. Handle that and exit 0 so that
      update-notifier continues.  A consequence of being in this state is that
      we can't find any oem metapackages if any are applicable. If the indexes
      become good again then we'll find them next time. (LP: #1913726)

 -- Iain Lane <iain.lane at canonical.com>  Fri, 29 Jan 2021 12:51:36 +0000

** Changed in: update-notifier (Ubuntu Focal)
       Status: Fix Committed => Fix Released

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Title:
  /usr/lib/update-notifier/list-oem-metapackages:apt_pkg.Error:/usr/lib
  /update-notifier/list-oem-metapackages at 43:__init__:open

Status in update-notifier package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Released
Status in update-notifier source package in Focal:
  Fix Released

Bug description:
  [ Description ]

  If you have malformed apt lists, list-oem-metapackages, a script which
  update-notifier runs before it launches update-manager, can crash.

  [ Fix ]

  Catch failures to construct an apt.Cache object and exit.

  [ QA ]

  1. Edit a list file in /var/lib/apt/lists which is being used - for example that for the Ubuntu archive's 'main' component.
  2. Type some gibberish at the top.
  3. Run /usr/lib/update-notifier/list-oem-metapackages as a regular user.
  4. When using the current version of update-notifier this should crash. After updating it should print an error and exit 0.
  5. Now you can `apt update` or revert what you did in step 2 manually.

  [ Where problems could occur ]

  We're proceeding to run update-manager now when we know that apt is in
  a bogus state. This was the status quo for a long time before the
  recent update which introduced list-oem-metapackages, but we could
  maybe do something different there.

  [ Original description ]

  The Ubuntu Error Tracker has been receiving reports about a problem regarding update-notifier.  This problem was most recently seen with package version 3.192.38, the problem page at https://errors.ubuntu.com/problem/e8eeed367adc9f2602fec155d19013736a59b99c contains more details, including versions of packages affected, stacktrace or traceback, and individual crash reports.
  If you do not have access to the Ubuntu Error Tracker and are a software developer, you can request it at http://forms.canonical.com/reports/.

  Traceback (most recent call last):
    File "/usr/lib/update-notifier/list-oem-metapackages", line 43, in <module>
      cache = apt.Cache()
    File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/apt/cache.py", line 170, in __init__
      self.open(progress)
    File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/apt/cache.py", line 232, in open
      self._cache = apt_pkg.Cache(progress)
  apt_pkg.Error: E:can not open /var/lib/apt/lists/fr.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_focal_InRelease - fopen (13: Permission denied), E:The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.

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