[Bug 1070151] Re: resolvconf postinst: reinstallation after removal does not recreate symlink

[Thomas Hood]

The appropriate status for this report is presumably "opinion" or
"wontfix", since refraining from creating the symlink on anything but an
initial install (or install after purge) was a deliberate choice.

However, I do wish to say that I was never entirely happy with the
choice. It makes the postinst in a sense non-idempotent. So perhaps it's
time to revisit the decision. The reason for writing the postinst such
that it creates the symlink once and only once was to allow an "anti-
resolvconf" administrator to remove the symlink after installation and,
without having to run dpkg-reconfigure, not see the symlink get
recreated every time the package is configured or upgraded. This
deference to anti-resolvconf admins came at the expense of some
inconvenience to other administrators as in the case were are discussing
here (bug #1070151).

My feeling is that the original decision was, on balance, the right one
and it's too early to change it. Admins who remove the symlink at
/etc/resolv.conf generally do so because they have non-functional name
service for some reason, they aren't familiar with resolvconf, do not
want to read the documentation at the moment and just want to fix name
service in the way they have always done, by editing /etc/resolv.conf by
hand --- and want it to stay fixed. These guys are already angry enough.

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu
Foundations Bugs, which is subscribed to resolvconf in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1070151

Title:
  resolvconf postinst: reinstallation after removal does not recreate
  symlink

Status in “resolvconf” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  resolvconf complains, and gives up when trying to reinstall following
  a dnscache-run installation.

  To recreate on Ubuntu Precise server:

  #apt-get install dnscache-run

  This removes resolvconf.

  #apt-get install resolvconf

  This removes dnscache-run but:

  Setting up resolvconf (1.63ubuntu16) ...
  resolvconf start/running
  Processing triggers for resolvconf ...
  resolvconf: Error: /etc/resolv.conf isn't a symlink, not doing anything.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
  Package: resolvconf 1.63ubuntu16
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-32.51-generic-pae 3.2.30
  Uname: Linux 3.2.0-32-generic-pae i686
  ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu14
  Architecture: i386
  Date: Tue Oct 23 05:03:57 2012
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Server 12.04.1 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release i386 (20120817.3)
  PackageArchitecture: all
  ProcEnviron:
   LANGUAGE=en_GB:en
   TERM=xterm
   PATH=(custom, no user)
   LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  SourcePackage: resolvconf
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/resolvconf/+bug/1070151/+subscriptions