[Bug 1302208] [NEW] error: Cannot find a question for

[Hadmut Danisch]

Public bug reported:

I am still trying to write autoinstallation manifests for puppet, which
should install several packages, including sympa.

Unfortunately, the sympa postinst script is overengineered and cannot be
run in a non-interactive mode without giving answers through preseed.

I therefore tried to add configuration value through the debconf
mechanism, which permanently fails once the sympa package had been
installed (and removed again with --purge). I've tracked the problem
down to

echo "sympa\tsympa/dbconfig-install\tboolean\tfalse" | debconf-set-selections -v
info: Trying to set 'sympa/dbconfig-install' [boolean] to 'false'
info: Loading answer for 'sympa/dbconfig-install'
error: Cannot find a question for sympa/dbconfig-install


This works on a clean, fresh system where sympa had never been installed, but once it was installed, debconf-set-selections fails. 


/var/cache/debconf/templates.dat contains

Name: sympa/dbconfig-install
Description: Dummy template
Extended_description: This is a fake template used to pre-seed the debconf database. If you are seeing this, something is probably wrong.
Type: boolean
Owners: sympa/dbconfig-install


So it seems as if the templates.dat gets somewhat broken.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: debconf 1.5.51ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-19.40-generic 3.13.6
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-19-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.13.3-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
Date: Thu Apr  3 23:36:26 2014
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=de_DE.UTF-8
 SHELL=/usr/bin/tcsh
SourcePackage: debconf
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

** Affects: debconf (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New


** Tags: amd64 apport-bug trusty

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1302208

Title:
  error: Cannot find a question for

Status in “debconf” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  I am still trying to write autoinstallation manifests for puppet,
  which should install several packages, including sympa.

  Unfortunately, the sympa postinst script is overengineered and cannot
  be run in a non-interactive mode without giving answers through
  preseed.

  I therefore tried to add configuration value through the debconf
  mechanism, which permanently fails once the sympa package had been
  installed (and removed again with --purge). I've tracked the problem
  down to

  echo "sympa\tsympa/dbconfig-install\tboolean\tfalse" | debconf-set-selections -v
  info: Trying to set 'sympa/dbconfig-install' [boolean] to 'false'
  info: Loading answer for 'sympa/dbconfig-install'
  error: Cannot find a question for sympa/dbconfig-install

  
  This works on a clean, fresh system where sympa had never been installed, but once it was installed, debconf-set-selections fails. 

  
  /var/cache/debconf/templates.dat contains

  Name: sympa/dbconfig-install
  Description: Dummy template
  Extended_description: This is a fake template used to pre-seed the debconf database. If you are seeing this, something is probably wrong.
  Type: boolean
  Owners: sympa/dbconfig-install

  
  So it seems as if the templates.dat gets somewhat broken.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
  Package: debconf 1.5.51ubuntu2
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-19.40-generic 3.13.6
  Uname: Linux 3.13.0-19-generic x86_64
  ApportVersion: 2.13.3-0ubuntu1
  Architecture: amd64
  Date: Thu Apr  3 23:36:26 2014
  PackageArchitecture: all
  ProcEnviron:
   TERM=xterm
   PATH=(custom, no user)
   XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
   LANG=de_DE.UTF-8
   SHELL=/usr/bin/tcsh
  SourcePackage: debconf
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

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