4

I am trying to upgrade my Raspberry Pi Zero and have been fighting a multitude of segmentation faults, and I am at a loss as to how to fix this. When I enter sudo apt-get upgrade, this is the output:

osmc@OSMCPIZERO32:~$ sudo apt-get upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Calculating upgrade... Done
The following packages have been kept back:
rbp1-kernel-osmc
The following packages will be upgraded:
armv6l-eventlircd-osmc armv6l-remote-osmc base-files-osmc diskmount-osmc libxslt1.1 mediacenter-addon-osmc
perftune-osmc rbp-bootloader-osmc rbp-userland-dev-osmc rbp-userland-osmc rbp1-mediacenter-osmc
wireless-firmware-osmc
12 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 1 not upgraded.
Need to get 58.6 MB of archives.
After this operation, 279 kB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] yes
Get:1 http://archive.raspbian.org/raspbian/ jessie/main libxslt1.1 armhf 1.1.28-2+deb8u1 [213 kB]
Get:2 http://apt.osmc.tv/ jessie/main base-files-osmc all 1.9.5 [15.4 kB]
Get:3 http://apt.osmc.tv/ jessie/main diskmount-osmc all 1.4.4 [3,684 B]
Get:4 http://apt.osmc.tv/ jessie/main perftune-osmc all 1.2.0 [2,042 B]
Get:5 http://apt.osmc.tv/ jessie/main rbp-bootloader-osmc armhf 1.2.9-1 [2,165 kB]
Get:6 http://apt.osmc.tv/ jessie/main rbp-userland-dev-osmc armhf 1.2.0-5 [417 kB]
Get:7 http://apt.osmc.tv/ jessie/main rbp-userland-osmc armhf 1.2.0-5 [1,874 kB]
Get:8 http://apt.osmc.tv/ jessie/main mediacenter-addon-osmc all 3.0.618 [18.0 MB]
Get:9 http://apt.osmc.tv/ jessie/main rbp1-mediacenter-osmc armhf 16.1.0-12 [30.3 MB]
Get:10 http://apt.osmc.tv/ jessie/main armv6l-eventlircd-osmc armhf 1.2.0 [34.8 kB]
Get:11 http://apt.osmc.tv/ jessie/main armv6l-remote-osmc armhf 1.2.1 [1,343 kB]
Get:12 http://apt.osmc.tv/ jessie/main wireless-firmware-osmc all 1.1.2 [4,266 kB]
Fetched 58.6 MB in 3min 37s (269 kB/s)
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess tar was killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/libxslt1.1_1.1.28-2+deb8u1_armhf.deb (--unpack):
subprocess dpkg-deb --control returned error exit status 2
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess tar was killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/base-files-osmc_1.9.5_all.deb (--unpack):
subprocess dpkg-deb --control returned error exit status 2
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess tar was killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/diskmount-osmc_1.4.4_all.deb (--unpack):
subprocess dpkg-deb --control returned error exit status 2
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess tar was killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/perftune-osmc_1.2.0_all.deb (--unpack):
subprocess dpkg-deb --control returned error exit status 2
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess tar was killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/rbp-bootloader-osmc_1.2.9-1_armhf.deb (--unpack):
subprocess dpkg-deb --control returned error exit status 2
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess tar was killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/rbp-userland-dev-osmc_1.2.0-5_armhf.deb (--unpack):
subprocess dpkg-deb --control returned error exit status 2
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess tar was killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/rbp-userland-osmc_1.2.0-5_armhf.deb (--unpack):
subprocess dpkg-deb --control returned error exit status 2
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess tar was killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/mediacenter-addon-osmc_3.0.618_all.deb (--unpack):
subprocess dpkg-deb --control returned error exit status 2
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess tar was killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/rbp1-mediacenter-osmc_16.1.0-12_armhf.deb (--unpack):
subprocess dpkg-deb --control returned error exit status 2
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess tar was killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/armv6l-eventlircd-osmc_1.2.0_armhf.deb (--unpack):
subprocess dpkg-deb --control returned error exit status 2
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess tar was killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/armv6l-remote-osmc_1.2.1_armhf.deb (--unpack):
subprocess dpkg-deb --control returned error exit status 2
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess tar was killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/wireless-firmware-osmc_1.1.2_all.deb (--unpack):
subprocess dpkg-deb --control returned error exit status 2
 Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/libxslt1.1_1.1.28-2+deb8u1_armhf.deb
/var/cache/apt/archives/base-files-osmc_1.9.5_all.deb
/var/cache/apt/archives/diskmount-osmc_1.4.4_all.deb
/var/cache/apt/archives/perftune-osmc_1.2.0_all.deb
/var/cache/apt/archives/rbp-bootloader-osmc_1.2.9-1_armhf.deb
/var/cache/apt/archives/rbp-userland-dev-osmc_1.2.0-5_armhf.deb
/var/cache/apt/archives/rbp-userland-osmc_1.2.0-5_armhf.deb
/var/cache/apt/archives/mediacenter-addon-osmc_3.0.618_all.deb
/var/cache/apt/archives/rbp1-mediacenter-osmc_16.1.0-12_armhf.deb
/var/cache/apt/archives/armv6l-eventlircd-osmc_1.2.0_armhf.deb
/var/cache/apt/archives/armv6l-remote-osmc_1.2.1_armhf.deb
/var/cache/apt/archives/wireless-firmware-osmc_1.1.2_all.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

Any thoughts or advice would be most appreciated before I tear out the rest of my hair. :) Thanks!

Improve this question
7
  • 3
    Re-install. I don't see much point in doing anything else. Did you download packages from any non-standard repositories?
    – joan
    Jul 11, 2016 at 17:42
  • @goldilocks I notice there is mention of an armhf package there, which those should not end up on anything but a Pi 2/3, I have 481 packages installed on my original Pi, 377 of which are armhf - armhf has nothing to do with pi1 vs pi2/3
    – Jaromanda X
    Jul 11, 2016 at 23:03
  • I got similar errors a while back, as @joan says, the only thing to do is re-install, on a NEW SD CARD. In my case the errors were happening due to a failing SD card
    – Jaromanda X
    Jul 11, 2016 at 23:05
  • @JaromandaX You're right -- thanks. My /var/cache/apt/archives is full of armhf too; I had thought Debian used that for ARMv7+ (that's what it says here) and assumed Raspbian was taken from the armel line, but either it's compiled separately and uses that label ambiguously or tweaked (I've never investigated this). I did try Debian bash from an armhf package on a B+ Raspbian and although it appears to link properly, it segfaults when run (so there maybe room to get snagged here).
    – goldilocks ♦
    Jul 12, 2016 at 2:47
  • It's probably too late to investigate now but you might try and see what happened to your tar executable as it keeps dying on your package manager - Seg. Faults are what happens when a program tries to go somewhere in memory that does not exist or is used by something else that doesn't want to share (most things don't but that are some things that use "shared memory" to pass information between threads in the same program IIRC) - this type of error is usually down to poor coding (using a pointer that is not valid or NULL) or file system corruption (of the executable) file itself...!
    – SlySven
    Jul 12, 2016 at 22:40

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
2

Thanks for all those who replied. I decided to just scrap the install and use a backup image I had made a few days prior. I'm pretty sure that the reason for all the seg faults is due to me (without realizing the future problems that would ensue at the time) editing my sources list in order to get the Weaved package installed on my Pi Zero. I didn't realize that only Raspbian repos were to be on that list. I was installing Weaved in order to figure out a way to remotely SSH my Pi when it was connected to a VPN tunnel, because I am having trouble forwarding packets via iptables to make it work that way. In the end, I didn't even use the Weaved service, and ended up corrupting my card as well. A lose-lose for me as it turns out. But thank god for making regular backups, because I've put literally hundreds of hours trying to configure this card exactly the way I want it to be (while learning a fair amount of network administration and Linux along the way..)

Improve this answer
1
  • Please mark this as accepted if it answered your question (even though you answered it yourself) Thanks
    – Piotr Kula
    Oct 31, 2016 at 12:29
0

Cause

I had the similar problem, and also suspect that it is due to wrong apt source, especially the one in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/raspi.list.

It seems that /etc/apt/sources.list.d/raspi.list should always use debian source from raspberrypi (other than the official or mirror of official debian repo):

deb http://archive.raspberrypi.org/debian/ jessie main ui

If the official debian source is used, it probably introduces wrong binary format in upgrade, and they result in segment fault when execute. (Also, I didn't find the mirror list of archive.raspberrypi.org/debian.)

I found that at least the following binaries exit with segfault immediately after start at the moment:

  1. /bin/tar
  2. /bin/sed
  3. /usr/bin/reset

The first two of above are used in unpacking or some configuration scripts during apt-get upgrade, and cause the failure. Even after the source files are restored to the original ones, the corrupted binaries still exist and interrupt all future upgrades.

Solution

Other than reinstall the whole system, the corrupted binaries can be recovered from the official image:

  1. Download the raspbian image from raspberrypi.org.
  2. Mount the second partition of the image (which is the root file system).
  3. Copy the corresponding binaries from the official image to your pi.
  4. Make sure the source files are correct (both /etc/apt/sources.list and /etc/apt/sources.list.d/raspi.list.
  5. sudo apt-get clean && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade to see if it works (if not, see details below).

Find corrupted binaries

I didn't find a way to make apt-get be verbose, neither found its log with more details. But the cause of segment fault in apt-get can still be indicated via strace.

The following command exports the execve system call (it is used for executing another binary) trace of apt-get upgrade to file named execlist:

sudo strace -f -e trace=execve apt-get -y upgrade > execlist 2>&1

Wait until it finishes. if it doesn't end after a long time, hit ctrl+c to interrupt. Open the execlist and find the line containing killed by SIGSEGV. Look for execve just before these lines with the same pid, and the first argument of execve reveals the corrupted binary.

For example:

...
[pid 30462] execve("/bin/sed", ["sed", "-n", "-e\n\t\ts/^[[:space:]]*\\[global\\]/\\"..., "/etc/samba/smb.conf"], [/* 25 vars */]) = 0
Process 30463 attached
[pid 30463] execve("/usr/bin/tail", ["tail", "-n", "1"], [/* 25 vars */]) = 0
[pid 30462] --- SIGSEGV {si_signo=SIGSEGV, si_code=SEGV_MAPERR,  si_addr=0x61096} ---
[pid 30463] +++ exited with 0 +++
[pid 30462] +++ killed by SIGSEGV +++
[pid 30461] --- SIGCHLD {si_signo=SIGCHLD, si_code=CLD_EXITED, si_pid=30463, si_uid=0, si_status=0, si_utime=0, si_stime=3} ---
Segmentation fault
...

Shows pid 30462 is killed by SIGSEGV, which was started with execve("/bin/sed", ...). After that, you may run /bin/sed to check if it really is corrupted.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.