simple-cdd and debconf password db

[vagrant@freegeek.org]

On Thu, Jan 11, 2007 at 12:40:10PM +0000, Matthew King wrote:
> Unless root, /usr/bin/debconf-set-selections fails:
> 
> mking@knight:~/src/Sphere/profiles$ /usr/bin/debconf-set-selections --checkonly default.preseed
> debconf: DbDriver "passwords" warning: could not open /var/cache/debconf/passwords.dat: Permission denied
> error: Cannot find a question for passwd/root-password
> error: Cannot find a question for passwd/root-password-again
> Command (511) failed with exit code: 1

ok, so i included the --force-preseed workaround for this problem, but
it seems like there must be a better way.

i've played around with trying to use the environment variables
described in the manpage debconf(7) with no luck.

it seems like some sort DEBCONF_DB_OVERRIDE or DEBCONF_DB_FALLBACK or
DEBCONF_DB_REPLACE environment variable might be useable to set up a
temporary debconf password db that could be used with
"debconf-set-selections --checkonly" but i haven't figured it out yet.

i've tried:

export DEBCONF_DB_OVERRIDE='File{/tmp/test.dat }' 
deconf-set-selections --checkonly profiles/default.preseed

i've also tried making a custom .debconfrc an playing with HOME, but
that didn't work either.

any more debconf savvy folks have an idea of what's needed?

live well,
  vagrant