Bug#1026840: Apt-Setup udeb package bug in mirror configuration script

[Smith, Brett A]

Package: apt-mirror-setup

Version: 0.166

 

Description:

Affected file: ./usr/lib/apt-setup/generators/50mirror

Line(s): 273

General:

When using a preseeded installation on Debian 11.6 using netboot, with the following line added:

 

Apt-mirror-setup apt-setup/mirror/error select Ignore

 

The Debian installer ends up in an loop because line 273 of 50mirror sets the error setting to Retry:

 

                                db_set apt-setup/mirror/error Retry

                                db_input critical apt-setup/mirror/error || true

                                db_go || exit 10

                                db_get apt-setup/mirror/error

                                if [ "$RET" = "Change mirror" ]; then

                                                choose-mirror -n || true

                                                db_capb backup progresscancel

                                elif [ "$RET" = Ignore ]; then

                                                exit 1

                                fi

 

As a result, the option to ignore an error in the mirrors configuration is ignored and the installer never completes. This is problematic for a fully automated preseed installation of many nodes, as it requires console access on each node to fix. Usually our method of fixing has been to import our own repositories gpg key (as we aren’t using a mirror, we are using our own local mirror copy from dvd media where we have to sign the Packages file with our own key. This is listed as an issue for others, but we accept that it would be technically problematic to have the DVD/CD build servers have access to the private signing key to put the gpg keys into the media). We can’t use reprepro to make a repo either. Our implementation “challenges” aside, it is a bug in this file and I believe could be corrected by removing the offending line. It appears like a debug line was accidentally committed.

 

This bug is also present in the most recent unstable release of this package  – 0.172. I cannot see when this bug was introduced as I honestly don’t know how Debian’s git repositories work or where they are located. I am sure this is documented, I am just unfamiliar is all.

 

Of note, this script seems to ignore settings apt-setup/no_mirror and apt-setup/use_mirror unless it is a cdrom installation. This is also potentially a bug or it could be a misunderstanding on usage of the parameters in the preseed, but, I think it’s outside of scope of what I am raising here.

 

Cheers,

Brett