Unable to dump debconf database

I installed using the Ubuntu Server final image for 11.10 and was unable to recreate this bug report. Looking in /var/log/installer the directory cdebconf was created and "sudo debconf-get-selections --installer" returned information.

Could you provide some more details about how you were able to recreate this bug report?

I've just run this on oneiric desktop and have exactly the same issue:

$ sudo debconf-get-selections --installer > file.preseed
debconf: DbDriver "di_questions": could not open /var/log/installer/cdebconf/questions.dat
$ find /var/log/installer/
/var/log/installer/
/var/log/installer/media-info
/var/log/installer/version
/var/log/installer/syslog
/var/log/installer/partman
/var/log/installer/casper.log
/var/log/installer/debug
/var/log/installer/initial-status.gz
$

Confirmed also on a freshly installed precise desktop.

Ignore comment #2 as /var/log/installer/cdebconf/ will only appear on a system installed using debian-installer.

I am using Ubuntu Server 11.10 (GNU/Linux 3.0.0-12-server x86_64) and it is working for me.
$sudo debconf-get-selections --installer > file.preseed
$

However when I try it on a desktop version:
$ sudo debconf-get-selections --installer > file.preseed
debconf: DbDriver "di_questions": could not open /var/log/installer/cdebconf/questions.dat

Sorry -- Desktop is Ubuntu 11.10 (GNU/Linux 3.0.0-14-generic x86_64)

On Mon, Jan 09, 2012 at 05:03:33PM -0000, jdfalk wrote:
> However when I try it on a desktop version:
> $ sudo debconf-get-selections --installer > file.preseed
> debconf: DbDriver "di_questions": could not open /var/log/installer/cdebconf/questions.dat

This is expected - the desktop installer doesn't use cdebconf during
installation and doesn't write that file. It might not be desperately
meaningful even if it did.

As far as I can tell, this was pilot error due to using that command on a system that wasn't installed using debian-installer. Dave's never replied to confirm or deny that, but that's definitely the most likely scenario anyway. Feel free to open if you can show logs of this happening on a system installed using debian-installer.