[Bug 664514] [NEW] Unattended upgrade fails with segmentation fault in Ubuntu Server 10.10

[Launchpad Bug Tracker]

You have been subscribed to a public bug by Nobuto MURATA (nobuto):

[SRU for maverick]

* This bug makes unattended-upgrade completely unusable.
* This bug was fixed in upstream version 0.7.98.
* Just one-line backporting
  https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/python-apt/+bug/664514/+attachment/1769035/+files/python-apt_0.7.96.1ubuntu11.debdiff

TEST CASE:
1. Use out-of-date system which has security update notification
2. Run "$ sudo apt-get upgrade --download-only"
3. Run "$ sudo unattended-upgrade -d" and get Segmentation fault
4. Upgrade to -proposed package
5. Run "$ sudo unattended-upgrade -d" and all security updates get installed

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After upgrading from Ubuntu Server 10.04 to Ubuntu Server 10.10, I noticed that security updates were no longer being applied automatically (contrary to my configuration).

I did some poking around in the apt script (in etc/cron.daily).  Here is
the output with debug mode on.  (I cleared out the time stamp files to
force it to update now so errors regarding those are not important.)

power status (255) undetermined, continuing
system is on main power.
sleeping for 739 seconds
check_stamp: missing time stamp file: /var/lib/apt/periodic/update-stamp.
apt-key net-update (success)
download updated metadata (success).
send dbus signal (success)
X11 connection rejected because of wrong authentication.
check_stamp: missing time stamp file: /var/lib/apt/periodic/download-upgradeable-stamp.
download upgradable (success)
check_stamp: missing time stamp file: /var/lib/apt/periodic/upgrade-stamp.
Segmentation fault
unattended-upgrade (error)
check_stamp: missing time stamp file: /var/lib/apt/periodic/autoclean-stamp.
autoclean (success).
aged: ctime <30 and mtime <30 and ctime>2 and mtime>2
end remove by archive size: size=412396 < 512000

So, what's that seg fault in the middle there?  Turns out it is the call
to /usr/bin/unattended-upgrade.

I can actually reproduce it like this:

$ sudo unattended-upgrade
Segmentation fault

Now, this is about all I know how to do to debug the issue.  If you'd
like me to run a stack trace or something on unattended-upgrade to
figure out why it is crashing, please point me towards some directions
to do so.  (I notice that it is a python script and I am not very
familiar with python.)  In any case, this is a security issue, since
security updates cannot be installed automatically, I have to remember
to check the server often to make sure that security updates are
applied.

** Affects: python-apt
     Importance: Unknown
         Status: Fix Released

** Affects: python-apt (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: Fix Released

** Affects: python-apt (Debian)
     Importance: Unknown
         Status: Unknown

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Unattended upgrade fails with segmentation fault in Ubuntu Server 10.10
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/664514
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