update-notifier updates-available does not reset after dpkg run

Bug #1563854 reported by Stefan Bader
14
This bug affects 3 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
Ubuntu on IBM z Systems
Fix Released
Low
Unassigned
update-notifier (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
High
Unassigned

Bug Description

From /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/99update-notifier the script /usr/lib/update-notifier/update-motd-updates-available is started on a successful "apt-get update" run. It will update /var/lib/update-notifier/updates-available with the number of new packages that are installable (and this is inserted into the dynamic motd which is shown on every login).

In the past /var/lib/update-notifier/updates-available was replaced by an empty line from the Dpkg::post-invoke hook. This is missing in Xenial, so motd will incorrectly claim to have installable packages until there are again new ones after a updating the apt cache.

Delta in /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/99update-notifier:
-DPkg::Post-Invoke {"if [ -d /var/lib/update-notifier ]; then touch /var/lib/update-notifier/dpkg-run-stamp; fi; if [ -e /var/lib/update-notifier/updates-available ]; then echo > /var/lib/update-notifier/updates-available; fi "; };
+DPkg::Post-Invoke {"if [ -d /var/lib/update-notifier ]; then touch /var/lib/update-notifier/dpkg-run-stamp; fi";};
+APT::Update::Post-Invoke-Success {"/usr/lib/update-notifier/update-motd-updates-available 2>/dev/null || true";};

It looks like before the file was re-created by update-motd on every login. And maybe while moving this to post-apt-get-update the reset was dropped.

Related branches

Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Changed in update-notifier (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Changed in update-notifier (Ubuntu):
importance: Undecided → High
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package update-notifier - 3.167

---------------
update-notifier (3.167) xenial; urgency=medium

  * Use mktemp -p in the target directory to avoid a cross-filesystem move.
  * Also update motd if the dpkg status database has changed (LP: #1563854)

 -- Adam Conrad <email address hidden> Mon, 04 Apr 2016 15:22:20 -0600

Changed in update-notifier (Ubuntu):
status: Confirmed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Stefan Bader (smb) wrote :

Hm, I would call it half-fixed. While doing a dist-upgrade does not reset it, its at least reset now when doing another apt-get update after upgrading.

dann frazier (dannf)
Changed in ubuntu-z-systems:
status: New → Fix Released
importance: Undecided → Low
Revision history for this message
Dimitri John Ledkov (xnox) wrote :

I think we need the below patch too. Hopefully this will not stall $ apt dist-upgrade, and still accurately show e.g. that 99 updates left after only one package was installed, which also happens to be part of 100 updates.

Revision history for this message
no!chance (ralf-fehlau) wrote :

This bug exists in Ubuntu 16.04, too!

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