[Bug 1371703] [NEW] No fallback if the system update process fails at any point

Matthew Paul Thomas mpt at canonical.com
Fri Sep 19 17:05:33 UTC 2014


Public bug reported:

For someone to install a system update, all of the following need to be true:
(A) The phone needs to start up completely.
(B) Unity needs to not crash.
(C) The networking stack needs to let Ubuntu check for updates.
(D) If System Settings is not in the Launcher, the Apps scope needs to not crash.
(E) System Settings needs to launch without crashing.
(F) The System Settings "Updates" screen needs to open without crashing.
(G) The system-image update system itself needs to work properly.

This is a long and brittle chain. If *any one* of these steps breaks,
the phone is no longer updateable. And at worst -- if A, B, or C fails
-- the phone is effectively bricked.

This is not a theoretical problem. On Ubuntu for PC, crasher bugs in
update-manager often persist for a long time in the list of most common
errors, because the updates that fix them can't themselves be installed
until a nearby geek cracks out a terminal to use apt-get. That's not so
practical on a phone.

Therefore, there should be a fallback path for installing system image
updates in emergency situations. This path may not avoid all of the
requirements listed above, but it should avoid as many as practical.

** Affects: system-image (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1371703

Title:
  No fallback if the system update process fails at any point

Status in “system-image” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  For someone to install a system update, all of the following need to be true:
  (A) The phone needs to start up completely.
  (B) Unity needs to not crash.
  (C) The networking stack needs to let Ubuntu check for updates.
  (D) If System Settings is not in the Launcher, the Apps scope needs to not crash.
  (E) System Settings needs to launch without crashing.
  (F) The System Settings "Updates" screen needs to open without crashing.
  (G) The system-image update system itself needs to work properly.

  This is a long and brittle chain. If *any one* of these steps breaks,
  the phone is no longer updateable. And at worst -- if A, B, or C fails
  -- the phone is effectively bricked.

  This is not a theoretical problem. On Ubuntu for PC, crasher bugs in
  update-manager often persist for a long time in the list of most
  common errors, because the updates that fix them can't themselves be
  installed until a nearby geek cracks out a terminal to use apt-get.
  That's not so practical on a phone.

  Therefore, there should be a fallback path for installing system image
  updates in emergency situations. This path may not avoid all of the
  requirements listed above, but it should avoid as many as practical.

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