Bug#223872: dpkg ignores preconfigure script failures

[Adam Heath <doogie@debian.org>]

On Sat, 13 Dec 2003, Brian McGroarty wrote:

> Package: dpkg
> Version: 1.10.18
> Severity: important
>
> dpkg proceeds even if the preconfigure scripts do not successfully run.
>
> For example, /tmp is locally mounted noexec to prevent abuse. After
> upward of a hundred errors like the below, dpkg carried through the
> rest of the install and completed without any indication that anything
> had gone wrong. If I had not been watching the console, I would not
> know why some packages are broken.
>
> Can't exec "/tmp/base-config.config.111481": Permission denied at /usr/share/perl/5.8.2/IPC/Open3.pm line 165.
> open2: exec of /tmp/base-config.config.111481 configure 1.75 failed at /usr/share/perl5/Debconf/ConfModule.pm line 44
> base-config failed to preconfigure, with exit status 255
> Can't exec "/tmp/passwd.config.111483": Permission denied at /usr/share/perl/5.8.2/IPC/Open3.pm line 165.

dpkg is not running that.  debconf is.  Which is either called by apt
directly(preconfigure), or by a package's preinst/postinst.  If it's the
latter case, it's a bug in the package.

So, what package are you having problems with, so that this bug can be
reassigned to it.