File descriptor 3 (pipe:[36899]) leaked on vgs invocation. Parent PID 12657: /usr/sbin/grub-probe

Question

I am getting the error in the title, it happens during grub installation and also on dpkg --configure -a. I can't update anymore and the shell is unresponsive as soon as I hit the bug.

Can anyone help me?

The error in full:

[email protected]:~$ sudo dpkg --configure -a
Setting up grub-legacy-ec2 (17.1-27-geb292c18-0ubuntu1~16.04.1) ...
locale: Cannot set LC_CTYPE to default locale: No such file or directory
locale: Cannot set LC_MESSAGES to default locale: No such file or directory
locale: Cannot set LC_ALL to default locale: No such file or directory
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
Searching for default file ... found: /boot/grub/default
Testing for an existing GRUB menu.lst file ... found: /boot/grub/menu.lst
Searching for splash image ... none found, skipping ...
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-4.4.0-97-generic
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-4.4.0-96-generic
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-4.4.0-93-generic
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-4.4.0-92-generic
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-4.4.0-91-generic
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-4.4.0-89-generic
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-4.4.0-81-generic
Found kernel: /memtest86+.bin
Replacing config file /run/grub/menu.lst with new version
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-4.4.0-101-generic
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-4.4.0-98-generic
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-4.4.0-97-generic
Found kernel: /memtest86+.bin
Replacing config file /run/grub/menu.lst with new version
Updating /boot/grub/menu.lst ... done
Processing triggers for initramfs-tools (0.122ubuntu8.9) ...
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-4.4.0-101-generic
W: mdadm: /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf defines no arrays.
Setting up mdadm (3.3-2ubuntu7.6) ...
locale: Cannot set LC_CTYPE to default locale: No such file or directory
locale: Cannot set LC_MESSAGES to default locale: No such file or directory
locale: Cannot set LC_ALL to default locale: No such file or directory
update-initramfs: deferring update (trigger activated)
Generating grub configuration file ...
File descriptor 3 (pipe:[36899]) leaked on vgs invocation. Parent PID 12618: /usr/sbin/grub-probe
File descriptor 3 (pipe:[36899]) leaked on vgs invocation. Parent PID 12618: /usr/sbin/grub-probe
File descriptor 3 (pipe:[36899]) leaked on vgs invocation. Parent PID 12631: /usr/sbin/grub-probe
File descriptor 3 (pipe:[36899]) leaked on vgs invocation. Parent PID 12631: /usr/sbin/grub-probe
File descriptor 3 (pipe:[36899]) leaked on vgs invocation. Parent PID 12644: /usr/sbin/grub-probe
File descriptor 3 (pipe:[36899]) leaked on vgs invocation. Parent PID 12644: /usr/sbin/grub-probe
File descriptor 3 (pipe:[36899]) leaked on vgs invocation. Parent PID 12657: /usr/sbin/grub-probe
File descriptor 3 (pipe:[36899]) leaked on vgs invocation. Parent PID 12657: /usr/sbin/grub-probe
File descriptor 3 (pipe:[36899]) leaked on vgs invocation. Parent PID 12718: /usr/sbin/grub-probe
File descriptor 3 (pipe:[36899]) leaked on vgs invocation. Parent PID 12718: /usr/sbin/grub-probe
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-101-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-4.4.0-101-generic
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-98-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-4.4.0-98-generic
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-97-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-4.4.0-97-generic
File descriptor 3 (pipe:[36899]) leaked on vgs invocation. Parent PID 13191: /usr/sbin/grub-probe
File descriptor 3 (pipe:[36899]) leaked on vgs invocation. Parent PID 13191: /usr/sbin/grub-probe
Found memtest86+ image: /memtest86+.elf
Found memtest86+ image: /memtest86+.bin
File descriptor 3 (pipe:[36899]) leaked on lvs invocation. Parent PID 13419: /bin/sh

I got a little further, Ctrl+C did do something eventually:

^Cdpkg: error processing package mdadm (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script was interrupted
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of ubuntu-server:
 ubuntu-server depends on mdadm; however:
  Package mdadm is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing package ubuntu-server (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Setting up firefox (57.0+build4-0ubuntu0.16.04.6) ...
^C

Trying to install mdadm I hit the same issue though...

Eventually it does finish after a Ctrl+C:

Cdpkg: error processing package mdadm (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script was interrupted
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of ubuntu-server:
 ubuntu-server depends on mdadm; however:
  Package mdadm is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing package ubuntu-server (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Setting up firefox (57.0+build4-0ubuntu0.16.04.6) ...
Please restart all running instances of firefox, or you will experience problems.
Processing triggers for initramfs-tools (0.122ubuntu8.9) ...
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-4.4.0-101-generic
W: mdadm: /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf defines no arrays.
Errors were encountered while processing:
 mdadm
 ubuntu-server

Wat could it be...

After leaving the terminal for a while I get these messages:

[email protected]:~$ grep: grep: /tmp/os-prober.Igx4DO/raided-map: No such file or directory/tmp/os-prober.RQEdc8/raided-map: No such file or directory
grep: /tmp/os-prober.RQEdc8/swaps-map: No such file or directory
grep: /tmp/os-prober.o6miaE/raided-map: No such file or directory
grep: /tmp/os-prober.Igx4DO/swaps-map: No such file or directory
grep: /tmp/os-prober.RQEdc8/mounted-map: No such file or directory
grep: /tmp/os-prober.o6miaE/swaps-map: No such file or directory
grep: /tmp/os-prober.Igx4DO/mounted-map: No such file or directory
grep: /tmp/os-prober.o6miaE/mounted-map: No such file or directory

Solution

https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=592834 suggests that this is just a cosmetic issue (so not sure about your shell being unresponsive):

It's just overly-verbose debug from "vgs". It's complaining about an internal problem inside the lvm utilities. In this case it's really harmless.

Comments

[SebMa]

Do you have the corresponding bug URL on bugs.launchpad.net ?

[Larsen]

No, didn't look for it.

[SebMa]

I just created one : bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub2/+bug/1926791