[Bug 501655] Re: package mysql-server-5.1 5.1.37-1ubuntu5 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed pre-removal script returned error exit status 1

[brian]

The update appear to be failing because MySQL cannot be shutdown. I just
tried again and this time explicitly tried to first stop MySQL:

-- snip --
bip at apollo:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/mysql stop
 * Stopping MySQL database server mysqld                                                                                                                          [fail] 
bip at apollo:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/mysql status
/usr/bin/mysqladmin: connect to server at 'localhost' failed
error: 'Access denied for user 'debian-sys-maint'@'localhost' (using password: YES)'
 * 
bip at apollo:~$ mysql mysql -uroot -p
Enter password: 
Reading table information for completion of table and column names
You can turn off this feature to get a quicker startup with -A

Welcome to the MySQL monitor.  Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 29
Server version: 5.1.37-1ubuntu5.1 (Ubuntu)

Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the current input
statement.

mysql> \q
Bye
bip at apollo:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/mysql status
/usr/bin/mysqladmin: connect to server at 'localhost' failed
error: 'Access denied for user 'debian-sys-maint'@'localhost' (using password: YES)'
-- snip --

So, for some reason, i cannot stop it. And, apparently, neither can
dpkg.

-- snip --
Preparing to replace mysql-server-5.1 5.1.37-1ubuntu5 (using .../mysql-server-5.1_5.1.37-1ubuntu5.1_amd64.deb) ...
 * Stopping MySQL database server mysqld
   ...fail!
invoke-rc.d: initscript mysql, action "stop" failed.
dpkg: warning: old pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
dpkg - trying script from the new package instead ...
 * Stopping MySQL database server mysqld
   ...fail!
invoke-rc.d: initscript mysql, action "stop" failed.
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/mysql-server-5.1_5.1.37-1ubuntu5.1_amd64.deb (--unpack):
 subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
 * Stopping MySQL database server mysqld
   ...fail!
invoke-rc.d: initscript mysql, action "stop" failed.
 * Starting MySQL database server mysqld
   ...done.
Preparing to replace libdvdnav4 4.1.3-3 (using .../libdvdnav4_4.1.3-3ubuntu1_amd64.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement libdvdnav4 ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/mysql-server-5.1_5.1.37-1ubuntu5.1_amd64.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
A package failed to install.  Trying to recover:
Setting up libdvdnav4 (4.1.3-3ubuntu1) ...

Processing triggers for libc-bin ...
ldconfig deferred processing now taking place
-- snip --

I'm fairly new to Ubuntu (coming from Fedora) and don't know anything
about debian-sys-maint. Is it normal that this user would be used to
stop the daemon from the /etc/init.d script?

bip at apollo:~$ sudo grep debian /etc/mysql/debian.cnf 
user     = debian-sys-maint
user     = debian-sys-maint

Is there any chance this user was only just recently added and MySQL
doesn't for some reason know about it? It's not listed in the mysql.user
table. I'm more of a Postgres guy so i may be off-base here, but it's
not in /etc/passwd, either, so I'm assuming it's supposed to be a MySQL
user.

-- 
package mysql-server-5.1 5.1.37-1ubuntu5 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/501655
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