desktop-packages team mailing list archive

[Matthew Paul Thomas <mpt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I won't disagree with Michael that if what apt-get update receives is
not a package list, it should be discarded rather than overwriting the
known-good package list. However, that wouldn't solve the problem of
trying to install packages, because whenever apt tried to download a
package, it would still get a copy of the sign-on page instead of the
package data.

The same problem will occur for when you connect to an open wi-fi
network that requires sign-in or payment, and try installing software
before going through the sign-in process. Feel free to copy the rest of
this comment elsewhere if the bug is already reported.

Here's how I imagine this working:

1. apt (or Empathy, or Thunderbird...) retrieves something over the
Internet that is very different from the kind of data it was expecting.

2. apt says to Network Manager (since it's running), "Hey, I think we
might not have a proper Internet connection here. Can you deal with it?
I'll wait."

3. Network Manager sends off a request for a very simple ubuntu.com Web
page of known contents, but receives something very different. "Yep,
we're in sign-on land all right."

4. Since a GUI is running, and a sign-on window isn't open already,
Network Manager opens one to display the response it received. It's a
minimal browser-like window, with the title something like "Connect to
{wi-fi network name}" if it's a wi-fi network, or "Connect to the
Internet" otherwise.

5. You click "Register as a new user" in the Web page. Network Manager
detects that you've gone from one page to another in the sign-on window,
so for all it knows, you might be finished. Just in case you are, it
tries retrieving that tiny test Web page again. Again the response is
wrong, so NM knows you aren't finished.

6. Finally you complete the sign-on process. Again Network Manager
detects that you've gone from one page to another (or that you closed
the sign-on window), so it tests again to see whether you have a Web
connection. This time, success. Network Manager broadcasts a D-Bus
message, "okay, we're online now".

7. apt hears the message, and tries the original request again. This
time, it works.

** Package changed: software-center (Ubuntu) => apt (Ubuntu)

** Changed in: apt (Ubuntu)
   Importance: Undecided => Medium

** Changed in: apt (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => Triaged

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Desktop
Packages, which is subscribed to software-center in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/487682

Title:
  Software Store Forbids Installation After apt-get Update cannot
  directly access Internet

Status in “apt” package in Ubuntu:
  Triaged

Bug description:
  Binary package hint: software-center

  I'm on a university connection that requires a log in every twelve
  hours before I may access the internet. When apt-get update is
  automatically run, it can't download the information, which is fine.
  Once I'm logged in again, though, and try to install something through
  the software-store, it tells me that my package is an untrusted
  source.

  I never had this problem with gnome-app-install or synaptic, this has
  only happened with software-center, so I'm filing the bug against that
  package. Synaptic/apt-get will warn you that the package sources
  cannot be authenticated but will still allow you to install. The
  Software Center/update manager will flat-out refuse to until the
  sources are updated.

  Please see the screenshot for a visual or the video demonstrating the
  bug process in post 6.

  ProblemType: Bug
  Architecture: i386
  Date: Tue Nov 24 11:38:10 2009
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
  NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
  Package: software-center 1.0.2
  PackageArchitecture: all
  ProcEnviron:
   LANG=en_US.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-15.50-generic
  SourcePackage: software-center
  Uname: Linux 2.6.31-15-generic i686

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