Subject: apt-listchanges: apt update hangs if no mail system
Package: apt-listchanges
Version: 3.10
Tags: patch
Justification: breaks unrelated software
Severity: critical
-- System Information:
Debian Release: 9.5
APT prefers stable-updates
APT policy: (500, 'stable-updates'), (500, 'stable')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Kernel: Linux 4.9.0-6-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8),
LANGUAGE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
Versions of packages apt-listchanges depends on:
ii apt 1.4.8
ii debconf [debconf-2.0] 1.5.61
ii debianutils 4.8.1.1
ii python3 3.5.3-1
ii python3-apt 1.4.0~beta3
ii ucf 3.0036
apt-listchanges recommends no packages.
Versions of packages apt-listchanges suggests:
ii citadel-server [mail-transport-agent] 902-4
pn python3-gi <none>
pn www-browser <none>
pn x-terminal-emulator <none>
-- debconf information:
apt-listchanges/frontend: pager
apt-listchanges/which: news
apt-listchanges/confirm: false
apt-listchanges/email-address: root
apt-listchanges/save-seen: true
-- Desription of problem:
When performing a apt update today (Monday, September 10, 2018) there
was a news bit about the Apache/2 package that required reading and
confirmation.
Upon confirmation the apt-listchanges script returned to attempt to send
mail to the configured user email (which is just 'root' in this case.)
IF a system either does not have a mail service installed or is
impropery configured, apt-listchanges will hang while attempting to send
an email before it allows the update process to continue.
Ctrl-c breaks the hang as expected but also breaks the update process
leaving the system in a broken state, unable to update itself.
--BEGIN console output --
Get:70 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian stretch/main amd64
libapache2-mod-php7.0 amd64 7.0.30-0+deb9u1 [1,225 kB]
Get:71 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian stretch/main amd64 php7.0-common
amd64 7.0.30-0+deb9u1 [877 kB]
Get:72 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian stretch/main amd64 patch amd64
2.7.5-1+deb9u1 [112 kB]
Get:73 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian stretch/main amd64 php7.0 all
7.0.30-0+deb9u1 [53.4 kB]
Get:74 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian stretch/main amd64
shared-mime-info amd64 1.8-1+deb9u1 [731 kB]
Fetched 73.6 MB in 22s (3,309 kB/s)
Reading changelogs... Done
apt-listchanges: Mailing root: apt-listchanges: news for GX520
^CE: Sub-process /usr/bin/apt-listchanges --apt || test $? -lt 10
received signal 2.
E: Failure running script /usr/bin/apt-listchanges --apt || test $? -lt 10
--END console output --
** I was able to work around this by editing the apt-listchanges script
file by commenting out the offending Mail section as follows:
-- BEGIN snippet --
if news or changes:
apt_listchanges.confirm_or_exit(config, frontend)
hostname = subprocess.getoutput('hostname')
# if apt_listchanges.can_send_emails(config):
# if changes:
# subject = _("apt-listchanges: changelogs for %s") %
hostname
# apt_listchanges.mail_changes(config, changes, subject)
# if news:
# subject = _("apt-listchanges: news for %s") % hostname
# apt_listchanges.mail_changes(config, news, subject)
---END snippet --
Running apt update after this change still allows the News flash and
confirm dialog, and then continues / completes the system updates as normal.
As with the other related 'Wishlist' bug reports for apt-listchanges,
there should be additional prompts added to this file to:
(1) Ask if the user wants to mail a report (default N). - Also notify
user that the process may hang if no mail subsystem exists (which I
believe is now the case starting with stretch) or is improperly
configured. (Just 'root')
(2) See other 3 reports related to MAIL for additional prompt suggestions.
- Thank you -
