installing policykit-1 hangs under systemd

Full log with pressing ^C after it's been stuck for a while.

I'm also seeing this problem. I did a minimal net install on x86_64. This problem occurs when I try to install apport:

$ sudo apt-get install apport
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  apport-symptoms libpolkit-agent-1-0 libpolkit-backend-1-0 policykit-1 python3-apport python3-problem-report
Suggested packages:
  apport-gtk apport-kde python3-launchpadlib
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  apport apport-symptoms libpolkit-agent-1-0 libpolkit-backend-1-0 policykit-1 python3-apport python3-problem-report
0 upgraded, 7 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0 B/316 kB of archives.
After this operation, 2,221 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y
Selecting previously unselected package libpolkit-agent-1-0:amd64.
(Reading database ... 59574 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../libpolkit-agent-1-0_0.105-8ubuntu2_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libpolkit-agent-1-0:amd64 (0.105-8ubuntu2) ...
Selecting previously unselected package libpolkit-backend-1-0:amd64.
Preparing to unpack .../libpolkit-backend-1-0_0.105-8ubuntu2_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libpolkit-backend-1-0:amd64 (0.105-8ubuntu2) ...
Selecting previously unselected package python3-problem-report.
Preparing to unpack .../python3-problem-report_2.17.2-0ubuntu1_all.deb ...
Unpacking python3-problem-report (2.17.2-0ubuntu1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package python3-apport.
Preparing to unpack .../python3-apport_2.17.2-0ubuntu1_all.deb ...
Unpacking python3-apport (2.17.2-0ubuntu1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package apport.
Preparing to unpack .../apport_2.17.2-0ubuntu1_all.deb ...
Unpacking apport (2.17.2-0ubuntu1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package apport-symptoms.
Preparing to unpack .../apport-symptoms_0.20_all.deb ...
Unpacking apport-symptoms (0.20) ...
Selecting previously unselected package policykit-1.
Preparing to unpack .../policykit-1_0.105-8ubuntu2_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking policykit-1 (0.105-8ubuntu2) ...
Processing triggers for shared-mime-info (1.3-1) ...
Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme (0.14-0ubuntu1) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.7.0.2-5) ...
Processing triggers for ureadahead (0.100.0-19) ...
Processing triggers for systemd (219-7ubuntu3) ...
Error getting authority: Error initializing authority: Error calling StartServiceByName for org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1: Timeout was reached (g-io-error-quark, 24)
Failed to execute operation: Connection timed out
dpkg: error processing package systemd (--unpack):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Processing triggers for dbus (1.8.12-1ubuntu5) ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 systemd
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

I can reproduce this in a minimal VM by purging policykit-1, restarting systemd, and installing a service:

sudo dpkg -P policykit-1 apport
sudo systemctl daemon-reexec
sudo apt-get install policykit-1 apport

This reminds me a lot of bug 1423811, but this might actually lead to a simpler test case and a different angle for understanding this.

Workaround: Install policykit-1 first, then reboot, then install everything else.

Thanks for your report!

Thanks, Martin! Your suggest workaround solved the problem for now.

Ah, the problem is that policykit-1's postinst kills the daemon, right after systemd starts it.

I uploaded a fix to the vivid-proposed SRU review queue.

Hello Nathan, or anyone else affected,

Accepted into vivid-proposed. The package will build now and be available in a few hours 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!

Same error unfortunately.

Selecting previously unselected package policykit-1.
Preparing to unpack .../policykit-1_0.105-8ubuntu3_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking policykit-1 (0.105-8ubuntu3) ...
Processing triggers for shared-mime-info (1.3-1) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.7.0.2-5) ...
Processing triggers for systemd (219-7ubuntu4) ...
Error getting authority: Error initializing authority: Error calling StartServiceByName for org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1: Timeout was reached (g-io-error-quark, 24)
Failed to execute operation: Connection timed out
dpkg: error processing package systemd (--unpack):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1

Nathan, I can perfectly reproduce this with vivid's policykit-1, but not with the version in -proposed, so I'm afraid I need more assistance. Can you please do

  sudo systemd-analyze set-log-level debug
  sudo apt-get install policykit-1 # and/or whatever you do to reproduce this
  sudo journalctl -b > /tmp/journal.txt

and attach /tmp/journal.txt here? Thanks!

Without a reboot, I still get the same error with the new policykit package from vivid-proposed.

When I do this:

# apt-get purge apport policykit-1
# apt-get autoremove

Then do a system reboot, followed by:

# apt-get install apport

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  apport-symptoms libpolkit-agent-1-0 libpolkit-backend-1-0 policykit-1 python3-apport python3-problem-report
Suggested packages:
  apport-gtk apport-kde python3-launchpadlib
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  apport apport-symptoms libpolkit-agent-1-0 libpolkit-backend-1-0 policykit-1 python3-apport python3-problem-report
0 upgraded, 7 newly installed, 0 to remove and 9 not upgraded.
Need to get 202 kB/316 kB of archives.
After this operation, 2,221 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y
Get:1 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ vivid-proposed/main libpolkit-agent-1-0 amd64 0.105-8ubuntu3 [15.2 kB]
Get:2 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ vivid-proposed/main libpolkit-backend-1-0 amd64 0.105-8ubuntu3 [35.7 kB]
Get:3 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ vivid/main python3-problem-report all 2.17.2-0ubuntu1 [9,950 B]
Get:4 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ vivid/main python3-apport all 2.17.2-0ubuntu1 [75.7 kB]
Get:5 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ vivid/main apport-symptoms all 0.20 [14.2 kB]
Get:6 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ vivid-proposed/main policykit-1 amd64 0.105-8ubuntu3 [51.6 kB]
Fetched 202 kB in 1s (124 kB/s)
Selecting previously unselected package libpolkit-agent-1-0:amd64.
(Reading database ... 68327 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../libpolkit-agent-1-0_0.105-8ubuntu3_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libpolkit-agent-1-0:amd64 (0.105-8ubuntu3) ...
Selecting previously unselected package libpolkit-backend-1-0:amd64.
Preparing to unpack .../libpolkit-backend-1-0_0.105-8ubuntu3_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libpolkit-backend-1-0:amd64 (0.105-8ubuntu3) ...
Selecting previously unselected package python3-problem-report.
Preparing to unpack .../python3-problem-report_2.17.2-0ubuntu1_all.deb ...
Unpacking python3-problem-report (2.17.2-0ubuntu1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package python3-apport.
Preparing to unpack .../python3-apport_2.17.2-0ubuntu1_all.deb ...
Unpacking python3-apport (2.17.2-0ubuntu1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package apport.
Preparing to unpack .../apport_2.17.2-0ubuntu1_all.deb ...
Unpacking apport (2.17.2-0ubuntu1) ...
Selecting previously unselected package apport-symptoms.
Preparing to unpack .../apport-symptoms_0.20_all.deb ...
Unpacking apport-symptoms (0.20) ...
Selecting previously unselected package policykit-1.
Preparing to unpack .../policykit-1_0.105-8ubuntu3_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking policykit-1 (0.105-8ubuntu3) ...
Processing triggers for shared-mime-info (1.3-1) ...
Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme (0.14-0ubuntu1) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.7.0.2-5) ...
Processing triggers for ureadahead (0.100.0-19) ...
ureadahead will be reprofiled on next reboot
Processing triggers for systemd (219-7ubuntu3) ...
...

Ah yes, that's right -- but I'm afraid if you are in that failed state, systemd's internal state gets too confused. I haven't yet figured out how to clean up after that without rebooting. So this is as expected, thanks for confirming!

Alright, looked at it some more.
Installing policykit-1, then apport works fine.
But if I install them together, it hangs.

Works: apt-get install policykit-1; apt-get install apport
Hangs on systemd triggers: apt-get purge apport policykit-1; apt-get install apport policykit-1

I've managed to reproduce this every time I've rebooted and tried again.

This bug was fixed in the package policykit-1 - 0.105-8ubuntu3

---------------
policykit-1 (0.105-8ubuntu3) vivid-proposed; urgency=medium

  * policykit-1.postinst: Don't kill polkitd under systemd, but properly
    restart it. This avoids killing it shortly after systemd tries to
    bus-activate it on installation. (LP: #1447654)
 -- Martin Pitt <email address hidden> Fri, 24 Apr 2015 16:56:30 +0100

The verification of the Stable Release Update for policykit-1 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.

Reopening due to comment 13. I just can't reproduce this any more, neither with installing packages separately (that has always worked for me) nor installing them together (I could previously reproduce the hang, but not any more with fixed policykit).

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Hi,

I just encountered this bug on a mini computer board (Intel Celeron J1900 x4, 2GHz with 4096 MB of RAM).
Ubuntu 15.04 Server for AMD64

I can give you every details for having this reproduced

With a minimalist installation as I always do with Debian (approximately nothing is installed but Linux Kernel and apt-get - then I choose what I need and nothing else)

For doing that :
   - I used "expert mode" by pressing "F6" at the boot of the installer (Legacy mode, not UEFI).
   - I didn't execute "Select and Install software". (because it loads and install many things I'm not going to use)

I use the following sources.list : http://62.210.206.25:82/html/sources.list (extracted from a fully installed Ubuntu server 15.04 amd64) because when "Select and Install software" is not done, sources.list is keept untouched (so I replaced it manually from a live usb stick)

Then I typed the following commands

apt-get update
apt-get upgrade
apt-get install mate-desktop-environment lightdm

Then it's freezing many times, whatever I try it always fails returning the same error :

Error getting authority: Error initializing authority: Error calling StartServiceByName for org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1: Timeout was reached (g-io-error-quark, 24)
Failed to execute operation: Connection timed out
dpkg: error processing package systemd (--unpack):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Processing triggers for dbus (1.8.12-1ubuntu5) ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 systemd
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

also :
"error calling StartServiceByName for org.freedesktop.PolicyKit"

or also :
"cannot open /run/systemd/was-enabled no such file"

But it continues after a while and then finish by

Errors were encountered while processing:
 systemd
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

Tried today with latest vivid release, same as OP:

- installed command line system
- apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade
- apt-get install ubuntu-mate-core

Problems still persists, although policykit-1 should be the patched release. Please re-open!

Daniel Kulesz [2015-05-27 23:28 -0000]:
> Problems still persists, although policykit-1 should be the patched
> release. Please re-open!

It is already open again (the floating task). I haven't managed to
reproduce this yet, sorry.

Martin
--
Martin Pitt | http://www.piware.de
Ubuntu Developer (www.ubuntu.com) | Debian Developer (www.debian.org)

All I have to do is a mini.iso 15.04 netinstall, install my default packages, and I can reproduce this bug on any machine I've tested.

The only workaround for me is:

Immediately after a netinstall:
---
sudo apt-get purge policykit-1
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo systemctl reboot
---
sudo apt-get install policykit-1
sudo systemctl reboot
---
Install the rest of the packages I want.

I wonder if that is a side effect of bug 1423811. Any chance you could try this on a wily daily CD and see if it still hangs? If not, then that fix would be a likely candidate. I can provide a systemd in a PPA for testing then.

Just tested wily (20150613), still hangs.

Same steps as before:
Install
apt-get purge apport policykit-1
reboot
apt-get install apport policykit-1

I just downloaded the vivid minimal CD and installed it under VirtualBox. After installation with no packages selected I tried to install network-manager (apt-get install network-manager) and that one failed with the error described by others - PolicyKit1 problem.

Just a note for others - installing policykit-1 and then network-manager works as expected (no reboot in between required).

This bug was fixed in the package policykit-1 - 0.105-10

---------------
policykit-1 (0.105-10) unstable; urgency=medium

  * Add 00git_type_registration.patch: Use GOnce for interface type
    registration. Fixes frequent udisks segfault (LP: #1236510).
  * Add 00git_fix_memleak.patch: Fix memory leak in EnumerateActions call
    results handler. (LP: #1417637)

 -- Martin Pitt <email address hidden> Wed, 08 Jul 2015 12:15:41 +0200

Reopening the task for vivid as well. AFAICT, this is not fixed there. I've been able to reproduce it consistently.

Let me know if there's anything I can do to help test.

Switch to systemd they said, nothing will go wrong they said, it's the future they said.

I'm doing the same thing as comment #18 - and getting the same errors. Will try the workaround..

I know it's not productive, but I've spent days trying get this mini build going - before that I spent 2 months trying to get a live build going.. I've used Ubuntu for nearly 10 years and never had problems like this. Most of my issues related to systemd, and keeping unity related packages out.. Those two things turned a successful OS into a headache. I understand a desktop for multiple interfaces - but give people options that work, and don't release things without more through testing... Please.

I did a couple of wily netinstalls today, and I'm still having this problem.

I first have to run sudo apt-get install policykit-1, and only then I can run my postinstall scripts normally.

Otherwise, I'm left with the notorious timeouts.

Can't policykit-1 be installed as part of the mini.iso? Then the reboot into the installed system will probably avoid the issue.

I think I know what's going on:

Unpacking apport (2.19.1-0ubuntu2) ...
Selecting previously unselected package policykit-1.
Preparing to unpack .../policykit-1_0.105-11ubuntu1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking policykit-1 (0.105-11ubuntu1) ...
Processing triggers for shared-mime-info (1.3-1) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.7.4-1) ...
Processing triggers for ureadahead (0.100.0-19) ...
Processing triggers for systemd (225-1ubuntu9) ...
Error getting authority: Error initializing authority: Error calling StartServiceByName for org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1: Timeout was reached (g-io-error-quark, 24)

The systemd trigger does a "systemctl daemon-reload". But at this point policykit-1 is merely unpacked, but *not* configured yet. There is a /etc/dbus-1/system.d/org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1.conf.dpkg-new, which isn't yet "active", so polkit has no D-Bus policy and can't start.

This does not trigger with only installing policykit-1 as that has no /etc/init.d/* and thus does not activate systemd's package trigger. So this happens if you install policykit-1 together with some package which ships an /etc/init.d/ script.

This will become much simpler once we can ship D-Bus policies in /usr. However, we need to wait with that until dbus 1.10 is in an LTS, i. e. we can rely on having "policies in /usr" support for an upgrade; otherwise we'll break upgrades.

Until then, we need to disallow polkit startup while the package is unconfigured. This could happen by the preinst doing "ln -s /dev/null /run/systemd/system/polkitd.service" and the postinst removing that link again.

I uploaded a fix for wily (at this point it'll probably become an SRU, though), and also an SRU for vivid in case anyone still cares.

This bug was fixed in the package policykit-1 - 0.105-11ubuntu2

---------------
policykit-1 (0.105-11ubuntu2) wily; urgency=medium

  * debian/policykit-1.{pre,pos}inst: Temporarily mask polkitd.service while
    policykit-1 is unpackaged but not yet configured. During that time we
    don't yet have our D-Bus policy in /etc so that polkitd cannot work yet.
    This can be dropped once the D-Bus policy moves to /usr.
    (Closes: #794723, LP: #1447654)

 -- Martin Pitt <email address hidden> Tue, 20 Oct 2015 05:37:43 +0200

Hello Nathan, or anyone else affected,

Accepted policykit-1 into vivid-proposed. The package will build now and be available at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/policykit-1/0.105-8ubuntu4 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!

Yes, policykit-1 0.105-8ubuntu4 fixes this for me.
Same steps as before: apt-get purge apport policykit-1: apt-get install apport policykit-1

How does this affect policykit-1-gnome? You just added the task without giving any explanation. Also, that package is structurally entirely different from policykit-1 itself, so this can't possibly have a similar problem. Hence, if you see a bug with pk-gnome, please file a separate report about it. Thanks!

This bug was fixed in the package policykit-1 - 0.105-8ubuntu4

---------------
policykit-1 (0.105-8ubuntu4) vivid-proposed; urgency=medium

  * debian/policykit-1.{pre,pos}inst: Temporarily mask polkitd.service while
    policykit-1 is unpackaged but not yet configured. During that time we
    don't yet have our D-Bus policy in /etc so that polkitd cannot work yet.
    This can be dropped once the D-Bus policy moves to /usr.
    (Closes: #794723, LP: #1447654)

 -- Martin Pitt <email address hidden> Tue, 20 Oct 2015 05:49:49 +0200