Public bug reported: The script /usr/lib/update-notifier/update-motd-fsck-at-reboot contains some coding errors. One of the errors hides the other error:
1. It sets two variables NEEDS_FSCK_CHECK and NEED_FSCK_CHECK (missing 'S') but only checks one of them (NEEDS_FSCK_CHECK). Because of this error, the script doesn't always initialize the value of NEEDS_FSCK_CHECK at the start of the script, so whatever value might happen to be passed in from the environment of the script could force a check even if the script would not itself do so. Rename variable NEED_FSCK_CHECK to NEEDS_FSCK_CHECK and always run your Bourne shell scripts with the "-u" (check for undefined variables) option enabled: #!/bin/sh -u 2. It sets the variables with values "no" and "yes", but *any* value set in the variables means "yes". (It doesn't check that the value is actually "yes", so even "no" means "yes".) Because of coding error #1, this coding error #2 has no effect on the script operation, so if you fix coding error #1 without fixing this one, the script will incorrectly always run. You have to fix both. Change: if [ -n "$NEEDS_FSCK_CHECK" ]; then to actually check for a "yes": if [ "$NEEDS_FSCK_CHECK" = 'yes' ]; then P.S. This script uses dumpe2fs that waits for all the disks on your system to spin up, which can significantly delay an ssh login to your system, as well as cause unnecessary wear on all your normally idle disks since the script seems to run frequently. If you don't like this behaviour (and don't need the fsck information it generates), you can render the script inactive by adding this line to /etc/crontab: 01 * * * * root f=/var/lib/update-notifier/fsck-at-reboot ; test -e $f && touch $f It would be nice if there were a cleaner way (perhaps something in /etc/default/?) to disable all this disk-spin-up activity, but that would be a different bug report. ProblemType: Bug DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04 Package: update-notifier-common 3.192.30.10 ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.11.0-46.51~20.04.1-generic 5.11.22 Uname: Linux 5.11.0-46-generic x86_64 ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.21 Architecture: amd64 CasperMD5CheckResult: skip Date: Thu Jan 13 23:40:37 2022 EcryptfsInUse: Yes InstallationDate: Installed on 2020-10-07 (463 days ago) InstallationMedia: Lubuntu 20.04.1 LTS "Focal Fossa" - Release amd64 (20200731) PackageArchitecture: all SourcePackage: update-notifier UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install) modified.conffile..etc.apt.apt.conf.d.10periodic: [modified] mtime.conffile..etc.apt.apt.conf.d.10periodic: 2020-10-08T05:49:47.646282 ** Affects: update-notifier (Ubuntu) Importance: Undecided Status: New ** Tags: amd64 apport-bug focal third-party-packages -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1957863 Title: coding errors in update-motd-fsck-at-reboot script To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/update-notifier/+bug/1957863/+subscriptions -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs