resolvconf fails to install/upgrade because of immutable /etc/resolv.conf

First, resolvconf should not fail and block an update. Fix would be to check if /etc/resolv.conf is writable in package control scripts.

Second, I think a debconf notice should be used to tell users who have immutable resolv.conf that they probably don't want resolvconf installed. I know that debconf notices should be used sparsely, but I guess this would be a proper case: almost all users won't see it, and the other ones would be happy to know that they can safely remove this package.

The failure is correct.

If you don't want resolvconf to touch /etc/resolv.conf then answer "no" the linkify-resolvconf question.

Fixed in Debian resolvconf 1.59.

A new Ubuntu resolvconf package has been prepared by the Debian maintainers.

I ask you to test this new package before we upload it to the Ubuntu repos.

Please install the resolvconf package from ppa:jdthood/resolvconf (https://launchpad.net/~jdthood/+archive/resolvconf) and let me know whether or not you have any problems with it.
--
Thomas Hood
Debian resolvconf maintainers
<email address hidden>

This bug was fixed in the package resolvconf - 1.63ubuntu1

---------------
resolvconf (1.63ubuntu1) precise; urgency=low

  [ Thomas Hood ]
  * Debian fixed bugs (LP: #797339, #871058, #471975, #378844, #894417)
  * Differences from Debian:
    - /sbin/resolvconf:
      + Exit if /etc/resolv.conf is not a symlink
    - debian/rules:
      + Install upstart script rather than initscript (LP: #366967, #750423)
    - debian/{pre,post}inst
      + Migrate (to /run) from /var/run, not from /lib/init/rw.
      + [0706f28] Remove old Sys V init scripts and symlinks
  * Thanks to Sander van Grieken for his assistance with this release.

resolvconf (1.63) unstable; urgency=low

  [ Thomas Hood ]
  * [a83fce3] Depend on a later version of the initscripts package
  * [cfc8349] Use variable instead of hard-coded path for old run dir
    in maintainer scripts, to help shrink the Ubuntu diff.
  * [9921902] Update and improve resolvconf(8)
  * [719dc9b] Run update on boot (Closes: #651801, #651827)
  * [5fc985c] Don't trigger on reconfigure (Closes: #651803)

resolvconf (1.62) unstable; urgency=low

  [ Thomas Hood ]
  * [0352a85] postrm: On removal restore original resolv.conf if current
    (dynamic) resolv.conf has no content. (Closes: #644956)
    Thanks to Josep Lladonosa Capell.
  * [7cdfa73] Move logic details from initscript to /sbin/resolvconf;
    for this purpose add new options to /sbin/resolvconf:
    --enable-updates, --disable-updates, --updates-are-enabled,
    --create-runtime-directories.
  * [7cdfa73] Eliminate "-i" option supplied to update scripts and
    the code in /etc/resolvconf/update.d/libc that made use of this.

  [ Marco Nenciarini ]
  * [e175b76] Remove hardcoded path from resolvconf's invocation in
    maintainer scripts. Thanks to lintian

resolvconf (1.61) unstable; urgency=low

  * [cbb5105] list-records: Add comment re: extglob; speed up final loop
  * [4492943] Eliminate bashisms from /sbin/resolvconf. (Other scripts in this
    package still use bash, though, so this does not close wish #519364.)
    Thanks to Stefan Monnier
  * [63da54b] update.d/libc: Only run-parts update-libc.d/ if the latter exists.
    (Closes: #642965)

resolvconf (1.60) unstable; urgency=low

  [ Marco Nenciarini ]
  * [c30024e] Switch vcs fields to git
  * [4041409] Add debian/gbp.conf to make easy the usage of
    git-buildpackage

  [ Thomas Hood ]
  * [18e2fac] Update es.po thanks to Javier Fernández-Sanguino
    (Closes: #642360)
  * [18e2fac] Include resolv.conf.d/base information in
    resolv.conf *after* dynamic information, rather than before
    (Closes: #642222)

resolvconf (1.59) unstable; urgency=low

  * dhclient-enter-hooks.d/resolvconf: Add support for dhclient
    DHCPv6 (Closes: #635470)
  * postinst: Fail with message if /etc/resolv.conf is immutable
    (Closes: #635775)
  * Mention in resolvconf(8) that /etc/default/resolvconf has
    to be created if it is to be used to set resolvconf environment
    variables (Closes: #633014)
  * Drop outdated id.po

resolvconf (1.58) unstable; urgency=low

  [ Thomas Hood ]
  * Update README
  * Update debconf template translations:
    * da.po thanks to Joe Dalton (Closes: #630241)
  ...