LibaptApportIntegration
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← Revision 7 as of 2008-08-06 16:31:09 ⇥
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Automatically report package failures (overwrite problems, maintainer script failures etc) with libapt. It needs to be modified so that it can create a apport report when a package fails to install/upgrade/remove. | Apport provides a good mechanism to automatically collect problem reports. This mechanism should be used to automatically collect package failure information (overwrite problems, maintainer script failures etc). |
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== Rationale == | == Release Note == The apport-synaptic-integration makes our QA infrastructure more complete by providing a way to give high quality feedback in case of packaging problems. |
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Maurice is a ubuntu developer who made a mistake in the hotkeysetup postinst. With the new report mechanism he gets a good quality bugreport at the same day as he uploads the faulty package. |
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The collection mechanism will be implemented inside libapt. |
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Libapt needs to be extended so that it can create a apport report when a package fails to install/upgrade/remove. This will ensure that the apt frontends (synaptic, aptitude, python-apt) will benefit from this integration automatically. The current apport 'package_hook' helper script is kept so that the release-upgrader can still use it to attach log files. |
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The code in apt that drives dpkg (dpkgpm.cc) will be modified so that it can create a apport report. It will create them when a package fails to install/upgrade/remove. The error message from dpkg that was send over the statusfd will be writen to the report. Libapt will write a small initial report with its own code. It will not use external libraries for this as the system maybe in a state where e.g. python is not usable. If a "DPkgPM::InitialReportOnly" flag is set, it will set chmod the report to have a "0" permission (first create, then chmod, then write). This is useful for frontends that want to add additional information to the report (e.g. the release-upgrader will want to attach its log files and then chmod to 0600 to make it visible for the apport UI). We keep the apport 'package_hook' script, because the release-upgrader is not a regular packaged application so it can not install a package hook on its own. It will also call apport-gtk manually because apport is disabled in feisty. The script 'package_hook' needs to check for an already existing crash report from libapt (chmodded to 0) and update it accordingly. == Future == A very useful feature would be if libapt could log the complete dpkg session so that it could be attached. This logging must be fully opaque for the terminal that is logged and it must not interfere with applications like the dialog frontend in debconf. We should check screen or script for solutions to this problem. Another feature would be if a maintainer script fails we could rerun it inside libapt with "sh -x " and capture the complete output fot the bugreport. In order for this to work, the terminal logging problem must be solved first. It should not be a problem as maintainer script are idempotent (according to policy); it is the same effect as the user just reattempting the upgrade. |
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* More robust handling of followup error chains when run with DPkg::StopOnError=false * adept has a modified copy of dpkgpm.cc; discuss unification with standard libapt |
When libapt is run with "DPkgPM::StopOnError=False" we will get followup errors from dpkg for packages that depend on the failed package (because it is e.g. only unpacked, but not configured yet). A robust handling of followup error chains is required. A simple solution is to only log the first error in this case. A more elaborate solution will depend on https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/maintainer-script-failures |
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== BoF agenda and discussion == | == Test Plan == |
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* Integration of apport problem report creation in libapt: - we have to be careful as pretty much every package on the system may be in a in-between state (unpacked/configured) - no interactivity, no python-problem-report, etc. libapt will write a small initial report with its own code. In the future we might have more use cases of additional information. For this, libapt should check a flag "Initial report only" which causes it to create the report with 0 permissions (first create, then chmod, then write); then frontends can complete it themselves. The dist-upgrader will set this flag and append its own logs and chmod to 600. This avoids races with the apport UI. We will keep the current apport `package_hook` for the dist-upgrader for the following reasons: * It is not a packaged application, thus cannot install a package hook * apport UI is not enabled in feisty . `package_hook` needs to check for an already existing crash report from libapt (chmodded to 0) and update it accordingly A nice feature in the future would be if libapt would be able to log the complete output of the dpkg session (or maybe even only stderr). Screen solved this problem already, we may look if we can lift some code from there. Another feature would be if a maintainer script fails we could rerun it inside libapt with "sh -x " and capture the complete output fot the bugreport. Shouldn't be a problem as maintainer script are idempotent (according to policy); it is the same effect as the user just reattempting the upgrade. |
Install a package with a broken maintainer script and wait for a apport to show up. |
Please check the status of this specification in Launchpad before editing it. If it is Approved, contact the Assignee or another knowledgeable person before making changes.
Launchpad Entry: https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/apport-synaptic-integration
Packages affected: apt, update-manager
Summary
Apport provides a good mechanism to automatically collect problem reports. This mechanism should be used to automatically collect package failure information (overwrite problems, maintainer script failures etc).
Release Note
The apport-synaptic-integration makes our QA infrastructure more complete by providing a way to give high quality feedback in case of packaging problems.
Use Cases
Maurice is a ubuntu developer who made a mistake in the hotkeysetup postinst. With the new report mechanism he gets a good quality bugreport at the same day as he uploads the faulty package.
Scope
The collection mechanism will be implemented inside libapt.
Design
Libapt needs to be extended so that it can create a apport report when a package fails to install/upgrade/remove. This will ensure that the apt frontends (synaptic, aptitude, python-apt) will benefit from this integration automatically.
The current apport 'package_hook' helper script is kept so that the release-upgrader can still use it to attach log files.
Implementation
The code in apt that drives dpkg (dpkgpm.cc) will be modified so that it can create a apport report. It will create them when a package fails to install/upgrade/remove. The error message from dpkg that was send over the statusfd will be writen to the report.
Libapt will write a small initial report with its own code. It will not use external libraries for this as the system maybe in a state where e.g. python is not usable. If a "DPkgPM::InitialReportOnly" flag is set, it will set chmod the report to have a "0" permission (first create, then chmod, then write). This is useful for frontends that want to add additional information to the report (e.g. the release-upgrader will want to attach its log files and then chmod to 0600 to make it visible for the apport UI).
We keep the apport 'package_hook' script, because the release-upgrader is not a regular packaged application so it can not install a package hook on its own. It will also call apport-gtk manually because apport is disabled in feisty. The script 'package_hook' needs to check for an already existing crash report from libapt (chmodded to 0) and update it accordingly.
Future
A very useful feature would be if libapt could log the complete dpkg session so that it could be attached. This logging must be fully opaque for the terminal that is logged and it must not interfere with applications like the dialog frontend in debconf. We should check screen or script for solutions to this problem.
Another feature would be if a maintainer script fails we could rerun it inside libapt with "sh -x " and capture the complete output fot the bugreport. In order for this to work, the terminal logging problem must be solved first. It should not be a problem as maintainer script are idempotent (according to policy); it is the same effect as the user just reattempting the upgrade.
Outstanding Issues
When libapt is run with "DPkgPM::StopOnError=False" we will get followup errors from dpkg for packages that depend on the failed package (because it is e.g. only unpacked, but not configured yet). A robust handling of followup error chains is required. A simple solution is to only log the first error in this case. A more elaborate solution will depend on https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/maintainer-script-failures
Test Plan
Install a package with a broken maintainer script and wait for a apport to show up.
LibaptApportIntegration (last edited 2008-08-06 16:31:09 by localhost)