[SOLVED] apt-get dpkg corruption issues

FrizzledOldButt · 01-01-2018, 12:52 AM

On a headless Ubuntu 16.04 machine I'm running I have increasing package corruption issues that I cannot resolve.

Similar issues are reported elsewhere but solutions offered are not working. The most common recommendation is to try apt-get clean and apt-get install -f. It's not helping.

I have tried manually cleaning out /var/cache/apt/archives, without luck.

Today the problem got even more severe, with the message

Code:

dpkg-deb (subprocess): decompressing archive member: internal bzip2 read error: 'DATA_ERROR'

Again, solutions offered at various places did not help.

Now when I try

Code:

sudo apt-get clean 
sudo apt-get install -f

I get

Code:

Unpacking linux-image-4.4.0-104-generic (4.4.0-104.127) ...
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-image-4.4.0-104-generic_4.4.0-104.127_amd64.deb (--unpack):
 corrupted filesystem tarfile - corrupted package archive
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess paste was killed by signal (Broken pipe)
Examining /etc/kernel/postrm.d .
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postrm.d/initramfs-tools 4.4.0-104-generic /boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-104-generic
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postrm.d/zz-update-grub 4.4.0-104-generic /boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-104-generic
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-image-4.4.0-104-generic_4.4.0-104.127_amd64.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
user@server:/var/cache/apt/archives$ ls

Short of a rebuild, anyone have a suggestion for a quicker fix that might work?

Thanks

ondoho · 01-01-2018, 03:22 AM

the 2 problems displayeed seem to be about bzip2 and tar, and have nothing to do with apt or dpkg.
maybe you should try to confirm that theory.
maybe you can reproduce bzip and tar errors without apt?
maybe you can check all files in /var/cache/apt/archives for errors, again without apt or dpkg?
maybe your /var is on a separate partition, and the whole partition is failing?

FrizzledOldButt · 01-01-2018, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ondoho

the 2 problems displayeed seem to be about bzip2 and tar, and have nothing to do with apt or dpkg.
maybe you should try to confirm that theory.

Whatever I try with apt-get or dpkg now returns something like

Quote:

You might want to run 'apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
linux-image-extra-4.4.0-104-generic : Depends: linux-image-4.4.0-104-generic but it is not going to be installed
linux-image-generic : Depends: linux-image-4.4.0-104-generic but it is not going to be installed
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).

So I don't seem to be able remove, purge, install etc.

Quote:

maybe you can reproduce bzip and tar errors without apt?

They seem to be working OK. No errors archiving and extraction other general files.

Quote:

maybe your /var is on a separate partition, and the whole partition is failing?

It's in the main partition. I had already checked the HDD, a 1T Seagate unit about 18 months old using a rescue boot disk. The disk utilities tell me everything is OK.

I'll re-install the OS during the next 24 hours.

Thanks

Stev8 · 01-05-2018, 10:38 AM

Hello

I think you have unmet dependancies which causes a cascade of issues.

If you can somehoe do it, install the synaptic package manager remove your unmet dependancies. Thats as far as i understand about dpkg corruption.

FrizzledOldButt · 01-05-2018, 04:56 PM

Hi all,
Thanks for the replies. @ondoho hinted about /var being in a separate partition. It isn't but the problem did track down to a partition on the PC, which is used as file server. It had LVM array of 6 x 2T WD drives. On closer inspection SMART reported one of the drives on it's way to WD heaven. I unmounted the LVM array and voila, sudo apt-get install -f worked!!?? I mounted the array and tried sudo apt-get install -f again. It failed as before.

I'm sure there is an explanation why a faulty drive in an LVM would affect the OS on the boot drive, but suffice that removing the HDD reported by SMART out of the array fixed things.

Cheers