[Bug 2090834] Re: vboxpostinstall.sh returned non-zero exit status 1.

[Olivier Gayot]

** Description changed:

- We have multiple private bug reports where people try to install Ubuntu
- 24.04 using virtualbox but vboxpostinstall.sh fails.
+ [Description]
+ We have multiple private bug reports where people try to install Ubuntu 24.04 using virtualbox (with Guest Additions) but vboxpostinstall.sh fails.
  
- All these bugs have:
+ After investigating, I found out that vboxpostinstall.sh indirectly
+ relies on usermod to add the `vboxuser` user to a group (vboxuser is the
+ default username for VirtualBox unattended installations but can be
+ changed by when creating the VM).
+ 
+ We know for a fact that Subiquity-based installers do not create users
+ until first boot so using usermod in a postinstall scripts doesn't work.
+ 
+ [Plan of actions]
+ 1. [x] Introduce support in the identity section for creating users before firstboot in devel series (i.e., resolute)
+ 2. [x] Open a PR in virtualbox to make sure they create the user using the identity section, not cloud-init's user-data.
+ 3. [ ] Backport the Subiquity changes to ubuntu/noble so that 24.04.4 can be installed unattended (provided a patched version of VirtualBox is used).
+ 
+ [How to reproduce]
+ * Setup an Ubuntu host system running questing (i.e., 25.10) or more recent. On older Ubuntu running VirtualBox < 7.1, unattended install for Ubuntu isn't supported at all.
+ * Install the following packages:
+    - virtualbox
+    - virtualbox-guest-additions-iso
+ * Start VirtualBox and create a new VM:
+    * Select an Ubuntu ISO, such as ubuntu-24.04.3-live-server-amd64.iso
+    * [x] Proceed with Unattended Installation
+    * Specify a password (twice)
+    * [x] Install Guest Additions
+    * The default ISO should automatically be picked up for the guest additions if virtualbox-guest-additions-iso is installed)
+    * If installing Ubuntu Desktop, bump the memory (8 GiB recommended)
+ * Click on "Finish" to start the installation
+ * After some time, it fails.
+ * The logs show that vboxpostinstall.sh --direct fails with status 1.
+ * In the journal, you should see that something (i.e., usermod) failed with `"vboxuser" user does not exist`
+ 
+ [Testing for 26.04 guest]
+ * Requirements
+    - [ ] The host must run a version of VirtualBox that includes https://github.com/VirtualBox/virtualbox/pull/439.
+ * Run the steps described in [How to reproduce] but use the resolute live server (or desktop) daily ISO and observe a successful installation.
+ 
+ [Testing for 24.04 guest]
+ * Requirements
+    - [ ] Wait until a daily ISO of noble with support for user-creation before first boot is available.
+    - [ ] The host must run a version of VirtualBox that includes https://github.com/VirtualBox/virtualbox/pull/439.
+ * Run the steps described in [How to reproduce] but use the resolute live server (or desktop) daily ISO and observe a successful installation.
+ 
+ [Workaround]
+ https://bugs.launchpad.net/subiquity/+bug/2090834/comments/7
+ 
+ [Additional info]
+ Bug reports all have:
  
  * CasperMD5CheckResult: fail
  
  So they all ended up closed automatically. I created an exception so
  that such reports would not automatically get closed if they also have:
  
  * CasperMD5CheckMismatches: ./boot/grub/grub.cfg
- 
- After investigating, I found out that vboxpostinstall.sh indirectly
- relies on usermod to add the `vboxuser` user to a group (vboxuser is the
- default name for VirtualBox unattended installations but can be changed
- by when creating the VM).
- 
- We know for a fact that Subiquity-based installers do not create users
- until first boot so using usermod in a postinstall scripts doesn't work.
- 
- Note that one cannot reproduce this issue with an Ubuntu Host OS at the
- moment. The virtualbox package in Ubuntu does not have the autoinstall
- support ; so when selecting unattended installation, there is no
- automation at all. Autoinstall support is new in VirtualBox 7.1.
- 
- Workaround: https://bugs.launchpad.net/subiquity/+bug/2090834/comments/7

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2090834

Title:
  vboxpostinstall.sh returned non-zero exit status 1.

Status in ubuntu-desktop-provision:
  Triaged
Status in Virtualbox:
  Unknown
Status in subiquity package in Ubuntu:
  Triaged
Status in subiquity source package in Noble:
  Triaged
Status in subiquity source package in Resolute:
  Triaged

Bug description:
  [Description]
  We have multiple private bug reports where people try to install Ubuntu 24.04 using virtualbox (with Guest Additions) but vboxpostinstall.sh fails.

  After investigating, I found out that vboxpostinstall.sh indirectly
  relies on usermod to add the `vboxuser` user to a group (vboxuser is
  the default username for VirtualBox unattended installations but can
  be changed by when creating the VM).

  We know for a fact that Subiquity-based installers do not create users
  until first boot so using usermod in a postinstall scripts doesn't
  work.

  [Plan of actions]
  1. [x] Introduce support in the identity section for creating users before firstboot in devel series (i.e., resolute)
  2. [x] Open a PR in virtualbox to make sure they create the user using the identity section, not cloud-init's user-data.
  3. [ ] Backport the Subiquity changes to ubuntu/noble so that 24.04.4 can be installed unattended (provided a patched version of VirtualBox is used).

  [How to reproduce]
  * Setup an Ubuntu host system running questing (i.e., 25.10) or more recent. On older Ubuntu running VirtualBox < 7.1, unattended install for Ubuntu isn't supported at all.
  * Install the following packages:
     - virtualbox
     - virtualbox-guest-additions-iso
  * Start VirtualBox and create a new VM:
     * Select an Ubuntu ISO, such as ubuntu-24.04.3-live-server-amd64.iso
     * [x] Proceed with Unattended Installation
     * Specify a password (twice)
     * [x] Install Guest Additions
     * The default ISO should automatically be picked up for the guest additions if virtualbox-guest-additions-iso is installed)
     * If installing Ubuntu Desktop, bump the memory (8 GiB recommended)
  * Click on "Finish" to start the installation
  * After some time, it fails.
  * The logs show that vboxpostinstall.sh --direct fails with status 1.
  * In the journal, you should see that something (i.e., usermod) failed with `"vboxuser" user does not exist`

  [Testing for 26.04 guest]
  * Requirements
     - [ ] The host must run a version of VirtualBox that includes https://github.com/VirtualBox/virtualbox/pull/439.
  * Run the steps described in [How to reproduce] but use the resolute live server (or desktop) daily ISO and observe a successful installation.

  [Testing for 24.04 guest]
  * Requirements
     - [ ] Wait until a daily ISO of noble with support for user-creation before first boot is available.
     - [ ] The host must run a version of VirtualBox that includes https://github.com/VirtualBox/virtualbox/pull/439.
  * Run the steps described in [How to reproduce] but use the resolute live server (or desktop) daily ISO and observe a successful installation.

  [Workaround]
  https://bugs.launchpad.net/subiquity/+bug/2090834/comments/7

  [Additional info]
  Bug reports all have:

  * CasperMD5CheckResult: fail

  So they all ended up closed automatically. I created an exception so
  that such reports would not automatically get closed if they also
  have:

  * CasperMD5CheckMismatches: ./boot/grub/grub.cfg

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