[Bug 1001131] Re: debootstrap fails to install customized Ubuntu

[Launchpad Bug Tracker]

This bug was fixed in the package debootstrap - 1.0.56

---------------
debootstrap (1.0.56) unstable; urgency=low


  [ Tollef Fog Heen ]
  * Install base-passwd and base-files in two calls rather than one to
    avoid problems with home-built media with different ordering in
    Packages.  Thanks to Jo Shields for pointing this out and providing
    the workaround.  Closes: #601670.  LP: #1001131.

  [ Joey Hess ]
  * When deboostrapping Debian, and the debian-archive-keyring is not
    available, switch the default mirror to a https url. This way at
    least the CA level of security is available even for users who
    have no way to check gpg keys in the WoT. The https mirror is
    currently https://mirrors.kernel.org/debian.
  * Avoid writing https urls into sources.list, as apt does not support https.

 -- Christian Perrier <bubulle at debian.org>  Mon, 30 Dec 2013 08:00:41
+0100

** Changed in: debootstrap (Ubuntu)
       Status: Confirmed => Fix Released

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1001131

Title:
  debootstrap fails to install customized Ubuntu

Status in “debootstrap” package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Released

Bug description:
  When following the Install CD customization procedure (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallCDCustomization) I fail to get an installable image.
  Even with no changes in the CD tree, the created image fails to install. The same procedure worked before precise, I had success with natty and lucid.
  The installation stops at installing base-files and base-passwd (see attached image).
  If I go back to the installation menu and select Install the base system, then it succeds. Unfortunatelly, debootstrap.log gets deleted by this time, so I created a special debootstrap package with lots of debug messages. It turned out that both packages (base-files and base-passwd) got installed, but still, somehow the dpkg installing them failed.
  It turned out, that base-passwd has a postinstall script that - during system installation - populates /etc/passwd and /etc/group copying the files from /usr/share/base-passwd

  if [ ! -e /etc/passwd ] ; then
          cp /usr/share/base-passwd/passwd.master /etc/passwd
  fi

  if [ ! -e /etc/group ] ; then
          cp /usr/share/base-passwd/group.master /etc/group
  fi

  On the other hand, base-files also has a postinstall script changes the owner of /var/lib/dpkg
  if [ ! -d /var/lib/dpkg ]; then
    mkdir -m 755 -p /var/lib/dpkg
    chown root:root /var/lib/dpkg
  fi

  In my log this shows as:
  + echo
  + chown: invalid user: `root:root'
  dpkg: error processing base-files (--install):
   subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
  dpkg: base-passwd: dependency problems, but configuring anyway as you requested:
   base-passwd depends on libc6 (>= 2.8); however:
    Package libc6 is not installed.
  Setting up base-passwd (3.5.24) ...
  install base-files

  which indicates that the /target/etc/passwd is not yet populated and
  chown cannot resolv root:root.

  For some unknown reason, the postinstall script of base-files runs BEFORE the postinstall script of base-passwd in my installation, altough it does no such thing in the standard precise installation.
  The code fragment that does this installation is:
    x_core_install base-files base-passwd
  (in a debootstrap script called precise - a link to a long unchanged script called gutsy)

  Modifying this script to have the two packages installed separatelly did the trick:
    x_core_install base-passwd
    x_core_install base-files

  Now, I can install my customized distro.

  I would like your opinion on what could have gone wrong about it:
  Why the standard Ubuntu precise installs flawlessly while my reconstructed distro doesn't? How is it, that the same procedure used to create a custom distro suddenly went wrong with no apparent change in the components?
  Ok, there might have been changes, but this area is very poorly documented so I had to trial and error to find out how things work (and I still might be wrong).

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