Ubuntu
dpkg package

Truncated (0 byte) files on crash during package install

Bug #559915 reported by João Pinto
10
This bug affects 1 person
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
dpkg (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
High
Colin Watson

Bug Description

Binary package hint: dpkg

While installing the package "quanta" using the software center I have experienced a system hard lock (X got into a white screen), the system was unresponsive.
After booting I have noted that the quant menu entry was not available.
APT did not complain about broken packages, however I have noted that quanta.desktop was 0 bytes.
I have attempted to fix it with "sudo apt-get install --reinstall quanta", the install was successful but I noted that there other files installed from quanta dependency packages where also truncated:
Rebuilding /usr/share/applications/desktop.pt_PT.utf8.cache...
Invalid desktop file /usr/share/applications/kde4/cervisia.desktop: ParsingError in file '/usr/share/applications/kde4/cervisia.desktop', [Desktop Entry]-Header missing
Invalid desktop file /usr/share/applications/kde4/kompare.desktop: ParsingError in file '/usr/share/applications/kde4/kompare.desktop', [Desktop Entry]-Header missing
Invalid desktop file /usr/share/applications/kde/kfilereplace.desktop: ParsingError in file '/usr/share/applications/kde/kfilereplace.desktop', [Desktop Entry]-Header missing
Invalid desktop file /usr/share/applications/kde/kmdr-editor.desktop: ParsingError in file '/usr/share/applications/kde/kmdr-editor.desktop', [Desktop Entry]-Header missing
Invalid desktop file /usr/share/applications/kde/klinkstatus.desktop: ParsingError in file '/usr/share/applications/kde/klinkstatus.desktop', [Desktop Entry]-Header missing

debsums did not help because the /var/lib/dpkg/info/cervisia.md5sums file is also truncated (I am going to file a bug for debsums for this as it should warn the user).

I am not sure this is a filesystem related corruption but I hope somehow it can be prevented at the application level, or at least add some validation on dpkg/apt for this scenario (warn on truncated md5sums ?, this would be a quick check).

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: dpkg 1.15.5.6ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-19.28-generic 2.6.32.10+drm33.1
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-19-generic x86_64
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sat Apr 10 10:40:55 2010
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" - Release amd64 (20091027)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=pt:pt_BR:en
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=pt_PT.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: dpkg

Related branches

lp:ubuntu/lucid/dpkg
Revision history for this message
João Pinto (joaopinto) wrote :
Revision history for this message
João Pinto (joaopinto) wrote :

It seems that all files installed from the package are 0 bytes:
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 0 2010-03-31 16:47 /usr/bin/cervisia

Revision history for this message
Jean-Baptiste Lallement (jibel) wrote :

Thanks for your report.

This is a side effect of the fix for bug 512096. Part of this fix had to be reverted due to performance issues. When a crash occurs during an upgrade, the files extracted from the archive during the last 30 seconds (default system value) before the crash are 0 bytes excepted the control files.

setting to triaged.

Changed in dpkg (Ubuntu):
importance: Undecided → High
status: New → Triaged
Revision history for this message
João Pinto (joaopinto) wrote :

The most concerning aspect of this bug is that you get corrupted packages without any indication of such condition. Non techie users will not easily found & fix the truncated files.

Colin Watson (cjwatson)
Changed in dpkg (Ubuntu):
status: Triaged → Fix Committed
assignee: nobody → Colin Watson (cjwatson)
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package dpkg - 1.15.5.6ubuntu4

---------------
dpkg (1.15.5.6ubuntu4) lucid; urgency=low

  * Backport from upstream:
    - Restore fsync during package unpack (LP: #559915). This is now done
      by deferring the fsync and rename for normal files in tar extraction
      so that it's done in one pass afterwards, to avoid massive I/O
      degradation due to the serialization from each write + fsync. When
      creating hard links to normal files on extraction use the .dpkg-new
      filename for source as the file is not yet in place due to the rename
      deferral.
    - Fix dpkg to not lose package metadata on filesystems where readdir()
      returns new files added after the opendir() call, btrfs in particular
      triggered the problematic behaviour. Closes: #575891
    - Report deferred trigger errors on status-fd. Closes: #574599,
      LP: #540252
      Thanks to Michael Vogt <email address hidden>.
 -- Colin Watson <email address hidden> Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:38:50 +0100

Changed in dpkg (Ubuntu):
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
jdcorm (jdcormier)
Changed in dpkg (Ubuntu):
assignee: Colin Watson (cjwatson) → jdcorm (jdcormier)
Colin Watson (cjwatson)
Changed in dpkg (Ubuntu):
assignee: jdcorm (jdcormier) → Colin Watson (cjwatson)
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