[SOLVED] debconf bricked -- undefined variable $ARGV[0] and similar issues
On Sun, 15 Jun 2014 12:40:38 -0400 (EDT), Stephen Powell wrote:
>
> I tried an "apt-get dist-upgrade" of my jessie system yesterday, with bad
> results. It seems that debconf is bricked. Currently, there are three packages
> that are unpacked but not configured: tzdata, locales, and debconf. (There were
> originally two: tzdata and locales. I tried reinstalling debconf in an attempt
> to fix the problem, but that only bricked debconf too. So now there are three.
> Here's what I get when I attempt to configure debconf. I get similar errors if
> I attempt to configure either of the other two packages.
>
> -----
>
> root@smp6:~# dpkg --configure debconf
> Setting up debconf (1.5.53) ...
> Use of uninitialized value $ARGV[0] in string eq at /usr/share/debconf/frontend line 17.
> Use of uninitialized value $ARGV[0] in pattern match (m//) at /usr/share/debconf/frontend line 24.
> Use of uninitialized value $ARGV[0] in concatenation (.) or string at /usr/share/debconf/frontend line 60.
> Use of uninitialized value $ARGV[0] in pattern match (m//) at /usr/share/debconf/frontend line 61.
> Use of uninitialized value $ARGV[0] in pattern match (m//) at /usr/share/debconf/frontend line 62.
> Use of uninitialized value $ARGV[0] in pattern match (m//) at /usr/share/debconf/frontend line 72.
> Use of uninitialized value $r in <HANDLE> at /usr/share/perl5/Debconf/ConfModule.pm line 72.
> readline() on unopened filehandle at /usr/share/perl5/Debconf/ConfModule.pm line 72.
> dpkg: error processing package debconf (--configure):
> subprocess installed post-installation script was killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
> Errors were encountered while processing:
> debconf
> root@smp6:~#
>
> -----
>
> How did this happen, what can I do to fix it, and how do I make sure that it doesn't
> happen again? These errors are preventing the rest of the upgrade from going through.
> I can't go forward, and I can't back out. Fortunately, the system still runs (and
> boots).
The error messages above show up on the user's console
(a remote ssh session). An additional symptom is this message on the
system console (the SCLP line-mode console for Linux running in an LPAR,
the 3215 virtual console for Linux running in a virtual machine under z/VM):
-----
User process fault: interruption code 0x4003B in libperl.so.5.18.2[3fffcfff000+1d0000]
failing address: 0
-----
I checked, and libperl.so.5.18.2 belongs to package perl-base on the s390x
architecture. The package version currently installed was 5.18.2-4+b1.
According to Debian's web site, s390x is the *only* architecture running
this version in testing. All others are at 5.18.2-4. I found version
5.20.0-1 in experimental, and installed it. Problem solved. If you have
this problem, you can't fix it the usual way (apt-get install), because
apt-get will first run "dpkg --configure -a" if there are any unconfigured
packages on the system, which there are, and it will fail. This causes
apt-get install to fail. You have to download the packages somehow
(apt-get download, wget, ftp, etc.) then install them manually with dpkg.
You will need three packages, probably: perl, perl-base, and perl-modules.
Install perl-base first, then perl-modules (you will probably need to use
the --force-depends option on perl-modules), then finally perl.
Don't install version 5.18.2-4+b1 of perl* on your system!
--
.''`. Stephen Powell
: :' :
`. `'`
`-
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