All 14.04 kernel upgrades fail

[viking777]

I have been jogging along with 14.04 for a long while with no problems whatsoever until recently when I did an upgrade which installed a new kernel version (upgraded 3.13.0-49 to 3.13.0-51). This repeatedly fails (as does the installation of any other kernel version) and requires me to roll back to a disk image from before the upgrade. The errors are very long winded but basically boil down to a failure to configure the packages properly. The following is a typical error message:


Setting up linux-image-3.16.0-36-generic (3.16.0-36.48~14.04.1) ...
Running depmod.
update-initramfs: deferring update (hook will be called later)
initrd.img(/boot/initrd.img-3.16.0-36-generic
) points to /boot/initrd.img-3.16.0-36-generic
(/boot/initrd.img-3.16.0-36-generic) -- doing nothing at /var/lib/dpkg/info/linux-image-3.16.0-36-generic.postinst line 491.
vmlinuz(/boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
) points to /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
(/boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic) -- doing nothing at /var/lib/dpkg/info/linux-image-3.16.0-36-generic.postinst line 491.
Examining /etc/kernel/postinst.d.
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/apt-auto-removal 3.16.0-36-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/dkms 3.16.0-36-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/initramfs-tools 3.16.0-36-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-3.16.0-36-generic
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/pm-utils 3.16.0-36-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/update-notifier 3.16.0-36-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/zz-extlinux 3.16.0-36-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
P: Checking for EXTLINUX directory... found.
P: Writing config for /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic...
P: Writing config for /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-49-generic...
P: Writing config for /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-48-generic...
P: Installing debian theme...cp: cannot stat ‘/usr/share/syslinux/themes/debian-wheezy/extlinux/memtest.bin’: No such file or directory
run-parts: /etc/kernel/postinst.d/zz-extlinux exited with return code 1
Failed to process /etc/kernel/postinst.d at /var/lib/dpkg/info/linux-image-3.16.0-36-generic.postinst line 1025.
dpkg: error processing package linux-image-3.16.0-36-generic (--configure):
subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2
Errors were encountered while processing:
linux-image-3.16.0-36-generic
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
A package failed to install. Trying to recover:
Setting up linux-image-3.16.0-36-generic (3.16.0-36.48~14.04.1) ...
Running depmod.
update-initramfs: deferring update (hook will be called later)
initrd.img(/boot/initrd.img-3.16.0-36-generic
) points to /boot/initrd.img-3.16.0-36-generic
(/boot/initrd.img-3.16.0-36-generic) -- doing nothing at /var/lib/dpkg/info/linux-image-3.16.0-36-generic.postinst line 491.
vmlinuz(/boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
) points to /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
(/boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic) -- doing nothing at /var/lib/dpkg/info/linux-image-3.16.0-36-generic.postinst line 491.
Examining /etc/kernel/postinst.d.
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/apt-auto-removal 3.16.0-36-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/dkms 3.16.0-36-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/initramfs-tools 3.16.0-36-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-3.16.0-36-generic
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/pm-utils 3.16.0-36-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/update-notifier 3.16.0-36-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/zz-extlinux 3.16.0-36-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic
P: Checking for EXTLINUX directory... found.
P: Writing config for /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-36-generic...
P: Writing config for /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-49-generic...
P: Writing config for /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-48-generic...
P: Installing debian theme...cp: cannot stat ‘/usr/share/syslinux/themes/debian-wheezy/extlinux/memtest.bin’: No such file or directory
run-parts: /etc/kernel/postinst.d/zz-extlinux exited with return code 1
Failed to process /etc/kernel/postinst.d at /var/lib/dpkg/info/linux-image-3.16.0-36-generic.postinst line 1025.
dpkg: error processing package linux-image-3.16.0-36-generic (--configure):
subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2
Errors were encountered while processing:
linux-image-3.16.0-36-generic



In that instance I was trying the 3.16 kernel but that is not relevant, the same error occurs for ALL kernel changes. I have tried synaptic, apt-get, apt-get -f, and aptitude, nothing makes any difference the error is the same every time.

Once this happens it becomes not only impossible to install or upgrade kernels, it is also impossible to remove them as well, so that is not an option, my only option is a previous disk image from fsarchiver.

As long as I stick with the -48 and -49 kernels pinned against upgrade, all is well and apt-get -f install shows no errors.

In case you read the error message in detail the lines it mentions read as follows:


491: warn "$kimage($vmlinuz_target) points to $target ($real_target) -- doing nothing";
1025: system ("run-parts --verbose --exit-on-error --arg=$version " .

I think 1025 is the error, but it means nothing to me.

[bapoumba]

May be this :

P: Installing debian theme...cp: cannot stat ‘/usr/share/syslinux/themes/debian-wheezy/extlinux/memtest.bin’: No such file or directory

And that : http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2256524
?

For info, I do not have that file.

[viking777]

Brilliant maestro, brilliant, thank you so much for finding that - I couldn't. Thanks to schragge too who answered it first time around.

I saw that error message, but totally ignored it thinking "that must be spurious, I use grub not syslinux" but as soon as I uninstalled the package everything went back to normal again.

The mysteries of Linux are unfathomable sometimes!

[bapoumba]

I just searched around with the errors you had spotted but did not find anything convincing me it could be your problem.
Then I scrutinized your outputs and looked here and there about the errors. I posted my best guess, glad you got it to work :)

Please mark your thread as solved (under Thread Tools), thanks !

[viking777]

Thanks again for your efforts.

I already marked it solved.

[bapoumba]

Thanks, and you are most welcome :)