Bug 684334

Summary: YumBaseError: Error: rpmdb open failed
Product: [Fedora] Fedora Reporter: Ganapathi Kamath <hgkamath>
Component: anacondaAssignee: Anaconda Maintenance Team <anaconda-maint-list>
Status: CLOSED DUPLICATE QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance <extras-qa>
Severity: medium Docs Contact:
Priority: unspecified    
Version: rawhideCC: anaconda-maint-list, jonathan, vanmeeuwen+fedora
Target Milestone: ---   
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: x86_64   
OS: Linux   
Whiteboard: anaconda_trace_hash:942981c935d3523a1b57402764a0c6efb333d4ad6c9aec2e92488218cb5d7f65
Fixed In Version: Doc Type: Bug Fix
Doc Text:
Story Points: ---
Clone Of: Environment:
Last Closed: 2011-03-11 20:27:17 UTC Type: ---
Regression: --- Mount Type: ---
Documentation: --- CRM:
Verified Versions: Category: ---
oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team: --- Target Upstream Version:
Embargoed:
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Description Flags
Attached traceback automatically from anaconda. none

Description Ganapathi Kamath 2011-03-11 20:24:21 UTC
The following was filed automatically by anaconda:
anaconda 15.20.1 exception report
Traceback (most recent call first):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/yum/config.py", line 1015, in _getsysver
    raise Errors.YumBaseError("Error: " + str(e))
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/yum/config.py", line 870, in readStartupConfig
    startupconf.releasever = _getsysver(startupconf.installroot, startupconf.distroverpkg)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/yum/__init__.py", line 295, in _getConfig
    startupconf = config.readStartupConfig(fn, root)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/site-packages/pyanaconda/yuminstall.py", line 776, in doConfigSetup
    yum.YumBase._getConfig(self)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/site-packages/pyanaconda/yuminstall.py", line 367, in setup
    self.doConfigSetup(root=self.anaconda.rootPath)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/site-packages/pyanaconda/yuminstall.py", line 1231, in doBackendSetup
    self.ayum.setup()
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/site-packages/pyanaconda/backend.py", line 192, in doBackendSetup
    if anaconda.backend.doBackendSetup(anaconda) == DISPATCH_BACK:
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/site-packages/pyanaconda/dispatch.py", line 211, in moveStep
    rc = stepFunc(self.anaconda)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/site-packages/pyanaconda/dispatch.py", line 130, in gotoNext
    self.moveStep()
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/site-packages/pyanaconda/gui.py", line 1257, in nextClicked
    self.anaconda.dispatch.gotoNext()
YumBaseError: Error: rpmdb open failed

Comment 1 Ganapathi Kamath 2011-03-11 20:24:27 UTC
Created attachment 483811 [details]
Attached traceback automatically from anaconda.

Comment 2 Chris Lumens 2011-03-11 20:27:17 UTC

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 520044 ***

Comment 3 Ganapathi Kamath 2011-03-11 22:15:42 UTC
It took me some time to figure it out.
I just got the fedora-15 alpha up and running.
resolution: 
Check the format partition for each linux partition.

Here is a the use-case scenario leading to this.

* Brand new hard disk

* Choose Manually create your own partition
   In this option there is no explicit option to indicate that one is doing do a upgrade or a clean install.

* First time around, the user (me) knows the drive is unformatted and remembers to explcitly format and create a file sysstem for each partition. 

* Start installing. The installation-scripts know that they are installing to a blank partitions and proceed.  Very soon after, the laptop switches off abruptly due to overheating (Something was blocking the fan outlets). It is possible, in /mnt/sysimage, the rpm repository in sysimage was partially initialized/invalid.

* Second time around,  the user forgets/does not think formatting is necessary again. (Because he/she believes that was done the last time around), (This in hind sight appears to be an oversight, and the error also seems meaningfull in hindsight, but there is nothing to clue the user at the time of error as to what the real problem is)

* on continuation error shows up, and user suspects bad DVD/installation script.

* User wastes quite a bit of time, before hitting on the solution. 

Suggestion
------------
a) immediately upon partition info selection, test for this condition whether installation is to proceed as an upgrade on unclean disk / back .  
b) Trap the error and indicate that as a possible cause, ask user to format partition

It might be a bad idea to automatically clean the rpm-db as it may legitly be a upgrade of a previously installed system, in which case maybe other options to restore sysimage's rpmdb should be provided.