Bug#368898: Apt reliably segfaults when reading package index
apt reliably segfaults at present on my i686 system with apt 0.6.46.4, eg:
Ign file: apt-build Release.gpg
Get:1 file: apt-build Release [89B]
Ign file: apt-build/main Packages
Get:2 http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu testing Release.gpg [189B]
Get:3 http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu unstable Release.gpg [189B]
Ign http://www.rarewares.org ./ Release.gpg
Hit http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu testing Release
Ign http://www.rcdrummond.net sid Release.gpg
Get:4 http://security.debian.org testing/updates Release.gpg [189B]
Hit http://www.rarewares.org ./ Release
Hit http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu unstable Release
Get:5 http://debian-multimedia.fx-services.com testing Release.gpg [189B]
Get:6 http://debian-multimedia.fx-services.com unstable Release.gpg [189B]
Get:7 http://mirrors.geeks.org testing Release.gpg [189B]
Get:8 http://mirrors.geeks.org unstable Release.gpg [189B]
Ign http://www.rarewares.org ./ Packages/DiffIndex
Hit http://security.debian.org testing/updates Release
Get:9 http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu testing/main Packages [4298kB]
Hit http://mirrors.geeks.org testing Release
Ign http://www.rarewares.org ./ Packages
Ign http://www.rcdrummond.net sid Release
Ign http://security.debian.org testing/updates/main Packages/DiffIndex
Get:10 http://debian-multimedia.fx-services.com testing Release [5560B]
Hit http://www.rarewares.org ./ Packages
Hit http://mirrors.geeks.org unstable Release
Ign http://security.debian.org testing/updates/contrib Packages/DiffIndex
Ign http://security.debian.org testing/updates/non-free Packages/DiffIndex
Get:11 http://mirrors.geeks.org testing/main Packages/DiffIndex [2038B]
Get:12 http://mirrors.geeks.org testing/contrib Packages/DiffIndex [2023B]
Get:13 http://mirrors.geeks.org testing/non-free Packages [83.9kB]
Ign http://security.debian.org testing/updates/main Sources/DiffIndex
Ign http://security.debian.org testing/updates/contrib Sources/DiffIndex
Ign http://security.debian.org testing/updates/non-free Sources/DiffIndex
Ign http://www.rcdrummond.net sid/main Packages/DiffIndex
Get:14 http://debian-multimedia.fx-services.com unstable Release [5560B]
Hit ftp://ftp.sonic.net testing Release.gpg
Hit http://security.debian.org testing/updates/main Packages
Ign http://debian-multimedia.fx-services.com testing/main Packages/DiffIndex
Hit http://security.debian.org testing/updates/contrib Packages
Hit http://security.debian.org testing/updates/non-free Packages
Hit http://security.debian.org testing/updates/main Sources
Ign http://www.rcdrummond.net sid/main Packages
Ign http://debian-multimedia.fx-services.com unstable/main Packages/DiffIndex
Get:15 http://mirrors.geeks.org testing/main Sources [1215kB]
Hit http://security.debian.org testing/updates/contrib Sources
Hit ftp://ftp.sonic.net unstable Release.gpg
Hit http://debian-multimedia.fx-services.com testing/main Packages
Hit http://security.debian.org testing/updates/non-free Sources
Hit http://www.rcdrummond.net sid/main Packages
Hit http://debian-multimedia.fx-services.com unstable/main Packages
Hit ftp://ftp.sonic.net testing Release
Hit ftp://ftp.sonic.net unstable Release
[.somehow lost Get:16 in the paste]
Get:17 http://mirrors.geeks.org testing/contrib Sources [18.2kB]
Get:18 http://mirrors.geeks.org testing/non-free Sources [28.3kB]
Get:19 http://mirrors.geeks.org unstable/main Packages [4613kB]
Get:20 http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu testing/contrib Packages [58.8kB]
Get:21 http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu testing/non-free Packages [83.9kB]
Get:22 http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu testing/main Sources [1215kB]
Get:23 http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu testing/contrib Sources [18.2kB]
Get:24 http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu testing/non-free Sources [28.3kB]
Get:25 http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu unstable/main Packages [4614kB]
Get:26 http://mirrors.geeks.org unstable/contrib Packages [67.6kB]
Get:27 http://mirrors.geeks.org unstable/non-free Packages [93.6kB]
Get:28 http://mirrors.geeks.org unstable/main Sources [1303kB]
Get:29 http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu unstable/contrib Packages [67.6kB]
Get:30 http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu unstable/non-free Packages [93.3kB]
Get:31 http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu unstable/main Sources [1303kB]
Get:32 http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu unstable/contrib Sources [21.4kB]
Get:33 http://linux.csua.berkeley.edu unstable/non-free Sources [30.7kB]
Get:34 http://mirrors.geeks.org unstable/contrib Sources [21.4kB]
Get:35 http://mirrors.geeks.org unstable/non-free Sources [30.8kB]
Get:36 ftp://ftp.sonic.net unstable/main Packages [4613kB]
Fetched 26.2MB in 19m8s (22.8kB/s)
/usr/lib/dpkg/methods/apt/update: line 42: 26364 Segmentation fault $APTGET $OPTS "$APT_OPT0" "$APT_OPT1" update
The problem appears to be that in my /etc/apt/apt.conf I have the line:
APT::Cache-Limit "10000000";
which is not large enough.
This results in:
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 10000000 2007-03-07 07:40 /var/cache/apt/pkgcache.bin
I THINK that when this file is attempted to be read, a segfault occurs,
but I am murky on the design of apt.
Really it seems like a clear error should be produced when the ceiling
is reached, and that whoever tries to parse this (broken) file should
cleanly recover.
I can provide the set of apt source list files and the pkgcache.bin if this will
help.
-josh
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