Ubuntu
update-notifier package

update-notifier crash detection checks for writable crash files

Bug #1378134 reported by Brian Murray
8
This bug affects 1 person
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
update-notifier (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Undecided
Unassigned
Trusty
Fix Released
Medium
Brian Murray

Bug Description

The update-notifier user session job checks to see if a crash file is writable, however apport doesn't make the crash file writable until after it has finished its initial data collection. Subsequently, its possible for the upstart job to notice the crash file and it not be writable and then apport is never launched for the crash file.

[Test Case]
1) sleep 100 &
2) pkill -11 sleep
3) ls -lh /var/crash/

You'll notice there is a crash in /var/crash but that you've received no apport dialog for the crash file. With the version of update-notifier from trusty-proposed you will receive an apport notification regarding the crash file.

[Impact]
Crashes from 14.04 are likely being underreported to the Ubuntu Error Tracker.

[Regression Potential]
This is a minor change to the update-notifier crash detection job and is unlikely to cause problems.

Revision history for this message
Brian Murray (brian-murray) wrote :

I've fixed this in Utopic already.

update-notifier (3.157) utopic; urgency=medium

  * debian/update-notifier-crash.conf: avoid race condition where the crash
    report may not yet be writable when the inotify create event happens.
 -- Brian Murray <email address hidden> Fri, 03 Oct 2014 17:00:11 -0700

Brian Murray (brian-murray)
Changed in update-notifier (Ubuntu):
status: New → Fix Released
Changed in update-notifier (Ubuntu Trusty):
status: New → In Progress
importance: Undecided → Medium
assignee: nobody → Brian Murray (brian-murray)
Revision history for this message
Chris J Arges (arges) wrote : Please test proposed package

Hello Brian, or anyone else affected,

Accepted update-notifier into trusty-proposed. The package will build now and be available at http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/update-notifier/0.154.1ubuntu1 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, and change the tag from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed. In either case, details of your testing will help us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance!

Changed in update-notifier (Ubuntu Trusty):
status: In Progress → Fix Committed
tags: added: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
Mathew Hodson (mhodson) wrote :

I ran the test case, and I did receive an apport dialogue.

tags: added: trusty verification-done
removed: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package update-notifier - 0.154.1ubuntu1

---------------
update-notifier (0.154.1ubuntu1) trusty-proposed; urgency=medium

  * debian/update-notifier-crash.conf: avoid race condition where the crash
    report may not yet be writable when the inotify create event happens.
    (LP: #1378134)
 -- Brian Murray <email address hidden> Mon, 06 Oct 2014 16:42:19 -0700

Changed in update-notifier (Ubuntu Trusty):
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Chris J Arges (arges) wrote : Update Released

The verification of the Stable Release Update for update-notifier has completed successfully and the package has now been released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regressions.

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