Bug#867997: jessie->stretch, all apt clients break with /var/lib/dpkg/status realpath error
Quoting Niels Thykier (ni...@thykier.net): FTR; I don't think that "apt-get check" is supposed to work as non-root. - If it fails, please attempt to figure out where the permission fails (e.g. [dir-test]) # ls -ld / /var /var/lib /var/lib/dpkg /var/lib/dpkg/status drwxr-xr-x 21 root root1024 Jul 10 11:21 / drwxr-xr-x 13 root root4096 May 7 2013 /var drwxr-xr-x 74 root root4096 Jul 7 16:01 /var/lib drwxr-xr-x 8 root root4096 Jul 11 08:48 /var/lib/dpkg -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1961225 Jul 11 08:48 /var/lib/dpkg/status As you can see, none of these are writable by _apt; however, these are the same permissions I see on the other (working) Indeed, and _apt does not need write access to the status file. Does it work if you disable the sandbox user, e.g. by using: apt-get -o APT::Sandbox::User=root update No, same error: # apt-get -o APT::Sandbox::User=root update Get:1 http://security.debian.org stretch/updates InRelease [62.9 kB] Get:2 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian stretch-updates InRelease [88.5 kB] Ign:3 http://ftp.debian.org/debian stretch InRelease Hit:4 http://ftp.debian.org/debian stretch Release Fetched 151 kB in 1s (81.1 kB/s) Reading package lists... Error! E: flAbsPath on /var/lib/dpkg/status failed - realpath (22: Invalid argument) E: Could not open file - open (2: No such file or directory) E: Problem opening E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened. -- Alan Schwartz The Michael Reese Endowed Professor of Medical Education Associate Head, UIC Department of Medical Education Research Professor, UIC Department of Pediatrics ala...@uic.edu | http://ulan.mede.uic.edu/alansz | PGP: 0x062556CF
Bug#867997: jessie->stretch, all apt clients break with /var/lib/dpkg/status realpath error
Alan Schwartz: >> Sorry to hear you had issues with the upgrade. >> >> The problem you describe appears to be related to the release notes item >> [5.3.2] (5.3.2.1 actually, but I cannot find the direct link to that). >> The exact case with /var/lib/dpkg/status is not mentioned, but it could >> be that there are some permissions on your system that forbit "_apt" to >> access /var/lib/dpkg/status. >> >> * Could you please try to login in as the _apt user and check that it >> can read /var/lib/dpkg/status? > > Due to the /nonexistent home directory and /bin/false login shell, > it does not appear to be possible to log in as _apt: > > [...] For future reference, you can "by-pass" that by using: su -s/bin/bash _apt That will grant you a shell as _apt provided it is run as root (regardless of _apt's login shell and $HOME). > _apt$ apt-get check > E: Could not open lock file /var/lib/dpkg/lock - open (13: Permission > denied) > E: Unable to lock the administration directory (/var/lib/dpkg/), are you > root? > FTR; I don't think that "apt-get check" is supposed to work as non-root. >> - If it fails, please attempt to figure out where the permission >> fails (e.g. [dir-test]) > > # ls -ld / /var /var/lib /var/lib/dpkg /var/lib/dpkg/status > drwxr-xr-x 21 root root1024 Jul 10 11:21 / > drwxr-xr-x 13 root root4096 May 7 2013 /var > drwxr-xr-x 74 root root4096 Jul 7 16:01 /var/lib > drwxr-xr-x 8 root root4096 Jul 11 08:48 /var/lib/dpkg > -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1961225 Jul 11 08:48 /var/lib/dpkg/status > > As you can see, none of these are writable by _apt; however, these are > the same permissions I see on the other (working) Indeed, and _apt does not need write access to the status file. Does it work if you disable the sandbox user, e.g. by using: apt-get -o APT::Sandbox::User=root update Thanks, ~Niels
Bug#867997: jessie->stretch, all apt clients break with /var/lib/dpkg/status realpath error
Sorry to hear you had issues with the upgrade. The problem you describe appears to be related to the release notes item [5.3.2] (5.3.2.1 actually, but I cannot find the direct link to that). The exact case with /var/lib/dpkg/status is not mentioned, but it could be that there are some permissions on your system that forbit "_apt" to access /var/lib/dpkg/status. * Could you please try to login in as the _apt user and check that it can read /var/lib/dpkg/status? Due to the /nonexistent home directory and /bin/false login shell, it does not appear to be possible to log in as _apt: # su - _apt No directory, logging in with HOME=/ If I change _apt's HOME to /tmp and login shell to /bin/bash: # su - _apt _apt$ apt-get check E: Could not open lock file /var/lib/dpkg/lock - open (13: Permission denied) E: Unable to lock the administration directory (/var/lib/dpkg/), are you root? - If it fails, please attempt to figure out where the permission fails (e.g. [dir-test]) # ls -ld / /var /var/lib /var/lib/dpkg /var/lib/dpkg/status drwxr-xr-x 21 root root1024 Jul 10 11:21 / drwxr-xr-x 13 root root4096 May 7 2013 /var drwxr-xr-x 74 root root4096 Jul 7 16:01 /var/lib drwxr-xr-x 8 root root4096 Jul 11 08:48 /var/lib/dpkg -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1961225 Jul 11 08:48 /var/lib/dpkg/status As you can see, none of these are writable by _apt; however, these are the same permissions I see on the other (working) Debian 9 system. lsattr shows no attributes on any /var/lib/dpkg/status files. * If you have any policy framework enabled (SELinux or AppArmor), please check if any of these are forbidding the access. Neither of those are enabled. -- Alan Schwartz The Michael Reese Endowed Professor of Medical Education Associate Head, UIC Department of Medical Education Research Professor, UIC Department of Pediatrics ala...@uic.edu | http://ulan.mede.uic.edu/alansz | PGP: 0x062556CF
Bug#867997: jessie->stretch, all apt clients break with /var/lib/dpkg/status realpath error
Alan Schwartz: > Package: upgrade-reports > Version: 9 > Severity: grave > > Followed the Debian 9 release notes to upgrade a jessie i386 (686) machine > to stretch. No apt sources except official debian ones. Following the apt-get > dist-upgrade step, attempts to use apt-get, apt-cache, aptitude > produce the following error: > > # apt-get update > Hit:1 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian stretch-updates InRelease > Ign:2 http://ftp.debian.org/debian stretch InRelease > Get:3 http://security.debian.org stretch/updates InRelease [62.9 kB] > Hit:4 http://ftp.debian.org/debian stretch Release > Fetched 62.9 kB in 1s (38.2 kB/s) > Reading package lists... Error! > E: flAbsPath on /var/lib/dpkg/status failed - realpath (22: Invalid > argument) > E: Could not open file - open (2: No such file or directory) > E: Problem opening > E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened. > > > Error persists after reboot of the system. > > [...] Hi, Sorry to hear you had issues with the upgrade. The problem you describe appears to be related to the release notes item [5.3.2] (5.3.2.1 actually, but I cannot find the direct link to that). The exact case with /var/lib/dpkg/status is not mentioned, but it could be that there are some permissions on your system that forbit "_apt" to access /var/lib/dpkg/status. * Could you please try to login in as the _apt user and check that it can read /var/lib/dpkg/status? - If it fails, please attempt to figure out where the permission fails (e.g. [dir-test]) * If you have any policy framework enabled (SELinux or AppArmor), please check if any of these are forbidding the access. Thanks, ~Niels [5.3.2]: https://www.debian.org/releases/stretch/amd64/release-notes/ch-information.en.html#apt-issues [dir-test]: Example: ls -ld / /var /var/lib /var/lib/dpkg /var/lib/dpkg/status
Bug#867997: jessie->stretch, all apt clients break with /var/lib/dpkg/status realpath error
Package: upgrade-reports Version: 9 Severity: grave Followed the Debian 9 release notes to upgrade a jessie i386 (686) machine to stretch. No apt sources except official debian ones. Following the apt-get dist-upgrade step, attempts to use apt-get, apt-cache, aptitude produce the following error: # apt-get update Hit:1 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian stretch-updates InRelease Ign:2 http://ftp.debian.org/debian stretch InRelease Get:3 http://security.debian.org stretch/updates InRelease [62.9 kB] Hit:4 http://ftp.debian.org/debian stretch Release Fetched 62.9 kB in 1s (38.2 kB/s) Reading package lists... Error! E: flAbsPath on /var/lib/dpkg/status failed - realpath (22: Invalid argument) E: Could not open file - open (2: No such file or directory) E: Problem opening E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened. Error persists after reboot of the system. However, dpkg -l and similar still work. The /var/lib/dpkg structure appears to be intact: $ ls -l /var/lib/dpkg total 6904 drwxr-xr-x 2 root root4096 Jul 7 16:39 alternatives -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1379057 Apr 28 2015 available -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1361618 Apr 28 2015 available-old -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 8 Feb 20 2006 cmethopt -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 953 Jul 7 15:54 diversions -rw-r--r-- 1 root root1034 Jul 7 15:54 diversions-old drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 339968 Jul 7 16:03 info -rw-r- 1 root root 0 Jul 7 16:44 lock -rw-r- 1 root root 0 Feb 20 2006 methlock drwxr-xr-x 7 root root4096 Feb 7 2011 methods drwxr-xr-x 2 root root4096 May 26 2005 parts -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 460 Jul 7 16:40 statoverride -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 421 Jul 7 16:40 statoverride-old -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1961225 Jul 7 16:44 status -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1961225 Jul 7 16:44 status-old drwxr-xr-x 2 root root4096 Jul 7 16:43 triggers drwxr-xr-x 2 root root4096 Jul 7 16:44 updates I am using Debian GNU/Linux 2.2, kernel 2.2.17-pre-patch-13 and libc6 2.1.3-10. Earlier in the week, I did a similar upgrade on another system with same hardware and didn't experience a problem.
