Subject: simple-cdd fails to preseed passwords

From: Tom <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 04 Sep 2011 14:27:41 +0200

Package: simple-cdd
Version: 0.3.13
Severity: normal

When trying to preseed a password with simple-cdd, eg passwd/root-password-crypted,
simple-cdd fails with the following error message:

debconf: DbDriver "passwords" warning: could not open /var/cache/debconf/passwords.dat: Permission denied
error: Cannot find a question for passwd/root-password-crypted

because the question for the existing template is in the inaccessible passwords.dat

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 6.0.2
  APT prefers stable
  APT policy: (990, 'stable'), (700, 'testing'), (500, 'stable-updates'), (450, 'unstable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.32-5-686 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_US.utf8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.utf8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash

Versions of packages simple-cdd depends on:
ii  apt-utils              0.8.10.3+squeeze1 APT utility programs
ii  dctrl-tools            2.14.5            Command-line tools to process Debi
ii  debian-cd              3.1.5             Tools for building (Official) Debi
ii  debootstrap            1.0.26+squeeze1   Bootstrap a basic Debian system
ii  lsb-release            3.2-23.2squeeze1  Linux Standard Base version report
ii  python                 2.6.6-3+squeeze6  interactive high-level object-orie
ii  reprepro               4.2.0-2squeeze1   Debian package repository producer
ii  rsync                  3.0.7-2           fast remote file copy program (lik
ii  wget                   1.12-2.1          retrieves files from the web

Versions of packages simple-cdd recommends:
ii  edos-debcheck                1.0-9       Check package dependencies (transi
ii  edos-distcheck [edos-debchec 1.4.2-11+b1 Checks whether dependencies of pac

Versions of packages simple-cdd suggests:
ii  qemu-system        0.12.5+dfsg-3squeeze1 QEMU full system emulation binarie

-- no debconf information

-- debsums errors found:
debsums: changed file /usr/share/simple-cdd/tools/testing/qemu (from simple-cdd package)
yes, I applied http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=611635#15

---

From: Vagrant Cascadian <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2011 12:45:54 -0700

> because the question for the existing template is in the inaccessible passwords.dat

simple-cdd uses "debconf-set-selections --checkonly" to check the preseed 
files, but as you've noticed, debconf questions in passwords.dat cannot be 
checked by non-root users.

to work around this, i'd recommend using --force-preseed, and just make sure 
the syntax of your preseeding files is valid. alternately you could run as 
root, but that's discouraged and would require the --force-root option.

live well,
  vagrant

---

From: Vagrant Cascadian <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2017 15:24:51 -0800

Control: block 640344 by 587380
Control: affects 587380 simple-cdd

> checked by non-root users.

Since this is caused by a limitation of debconf-set-selections, adding
block and affects appropriately.

live well,
  vagrant