Introduction

This page lists some general issues that users might encounter while performing updates of their system. Apport will usually detect these failures and file a bug in Launchpad. These bugs can be identified by the bug tag 'apport-package' and can occur on nearly any package.

There are usually log file attached to the report which differs depending on the kind of install/upgrade:

* Package install/upgrade: DpkgTerminalLog * Distribution upgrade: VarLogDistupgradeMain and VarLogDistupgradeApttermlog

Detailed informations about debugging updatemanager can be found at DebuggingUpdateManager.

Documented below are the most commonly reported issues. For each case there is a description and a sample report and when applicable there is a workaround or fix and the master report it should be marked a duplicate of.

Known issues

Corrupted package archive

These errors indicates a corrupted archive (.deb or files on disk) The root cause of the corruption may be a bad network connection, faulty hardware, hardware shutdown,...

For those report the common workaround and stock response is:

||<tablestyle="background-color: #eee">Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. It seems that there was an error caused by a corrupted archive. Please execute the following commands, as it will clear your package cache, in a terminal ( Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal ) : sudo apt-get clean sudo apt-get update Then try performing the update again. This will likely resolve your issue. If so please set the bug's status to Invalid. Thanks in advance!||

Not a Debian format archive

* Bug : provide a master report

dpkg-deb: `/var/cache/apt/archives/libswscale0_4%3a0.5+svn20090706-2ubuntu2_i386.deb' is not a debian format archive 
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/libswscale0_4%3a0.5+svn20090706-2ubuntu2_i386.deb (--unpack): 
 subprocess dpkg-deb --control returned error exit status 2

Corrupted filesystem tarfile

* Bug 320743

Unpacking libaccess-bridge-java (from .../libaccess-bridge-java_1.24.0-0ubuntu2_all.deb) ...

dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/libaccess-bridge-java_1.24.0-0ubuntu2_all.deb (--unpack):

 corrupted filesystem tarfile - corrupted package archive
dpkg-deb: subprocess paste killed by signal (Broken pipe)

--fsys-tarfile

* Bug : provide a master report

Unpacking replacement audacity-data ...
dpkg-deb: subprocess paste killed by signal (Broken pipe)
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/audacity-data_1.3.7-2ubuntu1_all.deb (--unpack):
 subprocess dpkg-deb --fsys-tarfile returned error exit status 2
Processing triggers for man-db ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/audacity-data_1.3.7-2ubuntu1_all.deb

short read - Input/output error

This is either caused by no space left on hard disk, a faulty device or a corrupted archive

* Bug : provide a master report

Unpacking linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic (from .../linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic_2.6.27-11.24_i386.deb) ...

Done.

dpkg-deb: subprocess paste killed by signal (Broken pipe)

dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-image-2.6.27-11-generic_2.6.27-11.24_i386.deb (--unpack):

 short read in buffer_copy (backend dpkg-deb during `./lib/modules/2.6.27-11-generic/kernel/drivers/infiniband/core/ib_uverbs.ko')

or

Unpacking replacement libfreetype6 ...
dpkg-deb (subprocess): error in buffer_read(stream): failed to write to pipe in copy: Input/output error
dpkg-deb: subprocess paste returned error exit status 2
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/libfreetype6_2.3.9-4ubuntu0.1_i386.deb (--unpack):
 short read in buffer_copy (backend dpkg-deb during `./usr/lib/libfreetype.so.6.3.20')

TODO: Not the standard workaround. Provide one.

Exec format error

During installation of a package

Setting up flashplugin-installer (10.0.32.18ubuntu1) ...
dpkg (subprocess): unable to execute installed post-installation script: Exec format error
dpkg: error processing flashplugin-installer (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2

During removal of a package

Removing gnome-do ...

dpkg (subprocess): unable to execute installed pre-removal script: Exec format error

dpkg: error processing gnome-do (--purge):

 subprocess installed pre-removal script returned error exit status 2

Workaround A: Finish the install ||<tablestyle="background-color: #eee"> $ sudo apt-get clean $ sudo aptitude download python-libvirt $ sudo dpkg --unpack ./python-libvirt*.deb $ sudo dpkg --configure python-libvirt ||

Workaround B: Remove the package and reinstall ||<tablestyle="background-color: #eee"> $ sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/info/flashplugin-installer.{postinst,prerm,postrm} $ sudo apt-get remove --purge flashplugin-installer $ sudo apt-get clean $ sudo apt-get update

Then reinstall the package ||

Note: Change the package by the one which failed (check the log file)

lzma : decoder error

Unpacking openjdk-6-jre-lib (from .../openjdk-6-jre-lib_6b12-0ubuntu6_all.deb) ...

lzma: Decoder error

dpkg-deb: subprocess <decompress> returned error exit status 1

dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/openjdk-6-jre-lib_6b12-0ubuntu6_all.deb (--unpack):

 short read in buffer_copy (backend dpkg-deb during `./usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/jre/lib/ext/localedata.jar')

files list file missing final newline / contains empty filename

Typically these errors take the form : files list file for package packagename contains empty filename or files list file for package packagename is missing final newline

* Bug 108189

• Selecting previously deselected package linux-source-2.6.27.
  (Reading database ... dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-source-2.6.27_2.6.27-9.19_all.deb (--unpack):
   files list file for package `libpoppler-glib3' is missing final newline

Workaround: ||<tablestyle="background-color: #eee"> This can be fixed, with a little work. If you have the .deb file for the offending package currently available on your system, then check its integrity by running: dpkg --contents /var/cache/apt/archive/libgnome2-0_2.24.1-0ubuntu3_i386.deb or get a .deb file by running : sudo apt-get install --reinstall --download-only libgnome2-0

Once you have a valid .deb file, then you can reconstitute the file. First become root by using sudo -s (enter your administrative user password if necessary), and then use the following command: dpkg -c /var/cache/apt/archive/libgnome2-0_2.24.1-0ubuntu3_i386.deb | awk \ '{if ($6 == "./") { print "/."; } \ else if (substr($6, length($6), 1) == "/") \ {print substr($6, 2, length($6) - 2); } \ else { print substr($6, 2, length($6) - 1);}}' \ > /var/lib/dpkg/info/libgnome2-0.list ||

Inconsistent state

Package in bad inconsistent state

I get error message that said E:'dpkg--configure-a' E:_cache->open[] failed package is in very bad inconsistent state - you should reinstall it before attempting to configureing

Workaround A: ||<tablestyle="background-color: #eee"> Please open a Terminal from the menu Applications->Accessories->Terminal and type or copy and paste the row below:

sudo apt-get --reinstall install cupsys sudo dpkg --configure -a sudo apt-get -f install

give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when you type it, then press enter. ||

Workaround B: ||<tablestyle="background-color: #eee"> Try the command below to purge the offending packages : $ sudo dpkg --purge --force-remove-reinstreq flashplugin-installer flashplugin-nonfree

Then to reinstall : $ sudo apt-get install flashplugin-installer ||

package is already installed and configured

dpkg: error processing language-pack-ar (--configure):
 package language-pack-ar is already installed and configured

Workaround A: ||<tablestyle="background-color: #eee"> sudo dpkg --configure -a || Workaround B ||<tablestyle="background-color: #eee"> apt-get install --reinstall language-pack-ar ||

Other issues

Can't access archive

dpkg: error processing /media/cdrom0//pool/main/g/gcc-4.4/libstdc++6-4.4-dev_4.4.1-4ubuntu8_i386.deb (--unpack):
 cannot access archive: No such file or directory
dpkg: error processing /media/cdrom0//pool/main/g/gcc-4.4/g++-4.4_4.4.1-4ubuntu8_i386.deb (--unpack):
 cannot access archive: No such file or directory

No space left on device

* Bug 312491

Unpacking replacement perl-base ...
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/perl-base_5.10.0-11.1ubuntu2.2_i386.deb (--unpack):
 failed in buffer_write(fd) (10, ret=-1): backend dpkg-deb during `./usr/lib/perl/5.10.0/IO.pm': No space left on device

DbDriver "config" is locked

* Bug 349469

debconf: DbDriver "config": /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked by another process: Resource temporarily unavailable
https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apt/+bug/349469

fuser -v will return the locking process if any. Kill it and try performing the upgrade again. If none then try performing the update again.

Non-bugs

Common issues arising from hardware failures, common invalid bugs for this category.

CategoryBugSquad CategoryDebugging