Full Main Memory Comsumption when Installing Certain Packages

AGT · 2015-03-17 23:08:26

Hi.

This happens since a while.
When any of these packages are installed, the entire RAM is consumed at full capacity, just as the package seems to be finishing installing (at 100%), until the process is aborted (Control+C). If I let it run, swap gets exhausted too. pacman reports the package as being installed, afterwards.

Note that installing refers to upgrading or reinstalling, too.

Here are the packages:

brltty
git
vhba-module
nss-pam-ldapd

Does anybody else experience this problem? What would the fix be?
I guess the problem is with pacman.

Thank you.

Last edited by AGT (2015-03-17 23:10:15)

Trilby · 2015-03-17 23:15:23

From the description, it sounds like an issue with post-install/upgrade scripts. It looks like those all use getent in those scripts - so that is almost certainly the problem. You could easily test this without a package with something like the following:

getent group git

That should return succcessfully (and quickly) with something like the following:

git:x:999:

If that instead hangs, then we'll know that's the problem and can start digging deeper.

AGT · 2015-03-17 23:22:03

Hmm...

getent group <a package from the list>

does not return any output.

Last edited by AGT (2015-03-17 23:23:14)

karol · 2015-03-17 23:33:39

Post the output of

uname -a
locate pacnew
cat /etc/group

Trilby · 2015-03-17 23:50:31

AGT wrote:

... does not return any output.

Does it return though, or does it hang?

This is the install code from the git package:

  if ! getent group git >/dev/null; then
    groupadd --system git 
  fi
  if ! getent passwd git >/dev/null; then
    useradd --system -c 'git daemon user' -g git -d / -s /bin/bash git 
  fi

If none of this hangs or eats memory, then we can rule out my suspicion.

AGT · 2015-03-17 23:54:27

> uname -a
Linux Portable 3.18.6-1-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Sat Feb 7 08:44:05 CET 2015 x86_64 GNU/Linux

I just installed `mlocate` and ran `updatedb`:

> locate pacnew
/etc/chrony.conf.pacnew
/etc/dhcpcd.conf.pacnew
/etc/group.pacnew
/etc/gshadow.pacnew
/etc/locale.gen.pacnew
/etc/login.defs.pacnew
/etc/makepkg.conf.pacnew
/etc/ntp.conf.pacnew
/etc/passwd.pacnew
/etc/shadow.pacnew
/etc/sudoers.pacnew
/etc/conf.d/fluidsynth.pacnew
/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf.pacnew
/etc/lxdm/lxdm.conf.pacnew
/etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist.pacnew
/etc/systemd/journald.conf.pacnew
/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc.pacnew
/var/named/root.hint.pacnew

> cat /etc/group
root:x:0:root
bin:x:1:root,bin,daemon
daemon:x:2:root,bin,daemon
sys:x:3:root,bin
adm:x:4:root,daemon
tty:x:5:
disk:x:6:root
lp:x:7:daemon,root
mem:x:8:
kmem:x:9:
wheel:x:10:root
ftp:x:11:
mail:x:12:
log:x:19:root
utmp:x:20:
locate:x:21:
rfkill:x:24:
smmsp:x:25:
http:x:33:
games:x:50:
lock:x:54:
uuidd:x:68:
dbus:x:81:
network:x:90:
video:x:91:
audio:x:92:root
optical:x:93:
floppy:x:94:
storage:x:95:
scanner:x:96:
power:x:98:
nobody:x:99:
users:x:100:
systemd-journal:x:190:
avahi:x:84:
boinc:x:13:
polkitd:x:102:
colord:x:124:
deluge:x:125:
dnsmasq:x:999:
rtkit:x:133:
mysql:x:89:
lxdm:x:121:
ntp:x:87:
postgres:x:88:
rpc:x:32:
chrony:x:183:
kvm:x:78:
uucp:x:14:
systemd-journal-gateway:x:191:
systemd-timesync:x:192:
systemd-network:x:193:
user:x:1000:
systemd-bus-proxy:x:194:
systemd-resolve:x:195:
wireshark:x:150:
input:x:97:
named:x:40:
kdm:x:135:
systemd-journal-remote:x:998:
systemd-journal-upload:x:997:
clamav:x:64:
guest:x:15:
plugdev:x:1001:
gdm:x:120:
lightdm:x:620:
spamd:x:182:
proc:x:26:
usbmux:x:140:

Sorry; I should have been more specific...
`getent` does return (immediately), but it does not output anything.

Last edited by AGT (2015-03-18 00:10:53)

AGT · 2015-03-17 23:56:27

More investigation:

> getent group git
> echo $?
2
> getent passwd git
> echo $?
2
> grep git /etc/passwd
> grep git /etc/group
> groupadd --system git
^C^C^C^C^C^C^C^C^C    # Ha! found it! 100% used RAM
> useradd --system -c 'git daemon user' -g git -d / -s /bin/bash git
useradd: group 'git' does not exist    # ...of course

#Comments added by me.
I had intended to include that the CPU was also 100% used for some of the listed packages, but I was not entirely sure for which packages it was happening; well, now it happened again, so I am mentioning it. This time, it continued at 100% usage for ~5-10 seconds after ^Canceling.

Thanks!

Last edited by AGT (2015-03-18 00:12:14)

karol · 2015-03-18 00:15:43

When are you going to deal with all these pacnew files?
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pa … save_files

AGT · 2015-03-18 00:53:55

I just finished merging the new files with the current ones.
I usually leave them there after updates, even if I merge the changes. I have customized them, so new files always appear after each update.

> groupadd --system git # Stall

Does this mean that groupadd is working improperly?

Last edited by AGT (2015-03-18 00:54:30)

Trilby · 2015-03-18 01:05:50

The fact that you have modified those files is why pacman creates .pacnew versions. You need to merge them after update.

The stall from groupadd does indeed mean it is working improperly - most likely due to an excessive neglect of pacnew files.

AGT · 2015-03-18 01:36:40

I don't merge .pacnew files after each update, because I would say that it is too much work for not much in return. I do it at some points in time.
I am not entierly convinced that the neglect of .pacnew files is the problem.
I have used the .pacnew's for the user, group, and shadow files, but groupadd and useradd continue to stall. I just had more users and more groups than what is in the new files.

Last edited by AGT (2015-03-18 01:38:35)

Arch Linux

#1 2015-03-17 23:08:26

Full Main Memory Comsumption when Installing Certain Packages

#2 2015-03-17 23:15:23

Re: Full Main Memory Comsumption when Installing Certain Packages

#3 2015-03-17 23:22:03

Re: Full Main Memory Comsumption when Installing Certain Packages

#4 2015-03-17 23:33:39

Re: Full Main Memory Comsumption when Installing Certain Packages

#5 2015-03-17 23:50:31

Re: Full Main Memory Comsumption when Installing Certain Packages

#6 2015-03-17 23:54:27

Re: Full Main Memory Comsumption when Installing Certain Packages

#7 2015-03-17 23:56:27

Re: Full Main Memory Comsumption when Installing Certain Packages

#8 2015-03-18 00:15:43

Re: Full Main Memory Comsumption when Installing Certain Packages

#9 2015-03-18 00:53:55

Re: Full Main Memory Comsumption when Installing Certain Packages

#10 2015-03-18 01:05:50

Re: Full Main Memory Comsumption when Installing Certain Packages

#11 2015-03-18 01:36:40

Re: Full Main Memory Comsumption when Installing Certain Packages

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