/etc/kernel/postinst.d/nvidia-common fails when you try to install a new custom kernel package

Thanks for your report.

The cause of the failure is
=====
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/nvidia-common

run-parts: /etc/kernel/postinst.d/nvidia-common exited with return code 10

Failed to process /etc/kernel/postinst.d at /var/lib/dpkg/info/linux-image-2.6.27-10-generic.postinst line 1002.

dpkg : erreur de traitement de linux-image-2.6.27-10-generic (--configure) :

 le sous-processus post-installation script a retourné une erreur de sortie d'état 2
=====

affecting to nvidia-common

Also reported in bug 276946

Can you attach the output of the following command?
sudo sh /etc/kernel/postinst.d/nvidia-common

I cannot attach the output of sudo sh /etc/kernel/postinst.d/nvidia-common because... There no output ! I execute the command and no text is written in the terminal.
I post you the file.

I'm having the same pronlem after compiling a custom kernel using kernel-package:

$ sudo make-kpkg --initrd --append-to-version=-nostradamus kernel_image kernel_headers

$ sudo dpkg -i linux-image-2.6.27.10-nostradamus_2.6.27.10-nostradamus-10.00.Custom_amd64.deb

Selecting previously deselected package linux-image-2.6.27.10-nostradamus.
(Reading database ... 147895 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking linux-image-2.6.27.10-nostradamus (from linux-image-2.6.27.10-nostradamus_2.6.27.10-nostradamus-10.00.Custom_amd64.deb) ...
Done.
Setting up linux-image-2.6.27.10-nostradamus (2.6.27.10-nostradamus-10.00.Custom) ...
Running depmod.
Finding valid ramdisk creators.
Using mkinitramfs-kpkg to build the ramdisk.
Examining /etc/kernel/postinst.d.
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/dkms
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/nvidia-common
run-parts: /etc/kernel/postinst.d/nvidia-common exited with return code 20
Failed to process /etc/kernel/postinst.d at /var/lib/dpkg/info/linux-image-2.6.27.10-nostradamus.postinst line 1181.
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6.27.10-nostradamus (--install):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2
Errors were encountered while processing:
 linux-image-2.6.27.10-nostradamus

And I can confirm that there is no output of sudo sh /etc/kernel/postinst.d/nvidia-common

Same here with a vanilla 2.6.27 kernel built following [0]:

{{{
$ sudo dpkg -i linux-image-2.6.27-freezedccp_2.6.27-freezedccp-10.00.Custom_amd64.deb
Selecting previously deselected package linux-image-2.6.27-freezedccp.
(Reading database ... 218814 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking linux-image-2.6.27-freezedccp (from linux-image-2.6.27-freezedccp_2.6.27-freezedccp-10.00.Custom_amd64.deb) ...
Done.
Setting up linux-image-2.6.27-freezedccp (2.6.27-freezedccp-10.00.Custom) ...
Running depmod.
Finding valid ramdisk creators.
Using mkinitramfs-kpkg to build the ramdisk.
Running postinst hook script /usr/sbin/update-grub.
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
Found kernel: /vmlinuz.old
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-2.6.27-freezedccp
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-2.6.27-9-generic
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-2.6.24-23-generic
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-2.6.15-51-amd64-generic
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-2.6.12.old
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-2.6.12-10-amd64-generic
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-2.6.12-9-amd64-generic
Found kernel: /vmlinuz-2.6.12
Found kernel: /memtest86+.bin
Replacing config file /var/run/grub/menu.lst with new version
Updating /boot/grub/menu.lst ... done

Examining /etc/kernel/postinst.d.
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/dkms
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/nvidia-common
run-parts: /etc/kernel/postinst.d/nvidia-common exited with return code 20
Failed to process /etc/kernel/postinst.d at /var/lib/dpkg/info/linux-image-2.6.27-freezedccp.postinst line 1181.
dpkg: error processing linux-image-2.6.27-freezedccp (--install):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2
Errors were encountered while processing:
 linux-image-2.6.27-freezedccp
}}}

[0] http://www.howtoforge.com/kernel_compilation_ubuntu_p2

Additionally to the previous comment, I tried to remove the nvidia-common package (as the computer I'm working on is ATI-based). Apt-file confirms that the script is part of nvidia-common:

$ apt-file search /etc/kernel/postinst.d/nvidia-common
nvidia-common: /etc/kernel/postinst.d/nvidia-common

But the problem remains even after removing said package:

$ sudo apt-get remove nvidia-common
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  nvidia-common
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
After this operation, 139kB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?
(Reading database ... 218813 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing nvidia-common ...
$ sudo apt-get autoremove
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
  nvidia-177-modaliases nvidia-96-modaliases nvidia-71-modaliases nvidia-173-modaliases
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  nvidia-173-modaliases nvidia-177-modaliases nvidia-71-modaliases nvidia-96-modaliases
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 4 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
After this operation, 295kB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?
(Reading database ... 218802 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing nvidia-173-modaliases ...
Removing nvidia-177-modaliases ...
Removing nvidia-71-modaliases ...
Removing nvidia-96-modaliases ...
$ ls -l /etc/kernel/postinst.d/nvidia-common
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 462 2008-10-07 00:17 /etc/kernel/postinst.d/nvidia-common

I had the same problem with nvidia-common. But I was helped to solve it this way:

sudo apt-get purge nvidia-common
sudo apt-get install nvidia-common

Thanks kalimatas
sudo apt-get purge nvidia-common
sudo apt-get install nvidia-common

worked like a charm

greetings

I can confirm this issue.
I'm running 2.6.31-19-generic (Ubuntu 9.10) and I tried to install a package of 2.6.33-rc8 compiled with make-kpkg

Maybe the cause is the same of this bug.
The script has output

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nvidia-common/+bug/292606

On a fully-updated Karmic I had the same problem while installing a custom kernel compiled with make-kpkg.
Installing this package solved the problem:

http://linux.dell.com/dkms/permalink/dkms_2.1.1.2-0ubuntu1_all.deb

Hope this will help those who cannot upgrade to (still unstable) Lucid that uses the updated package.

Thanks Giorgio

wget http://linux.dell.com/dkms/permalink/dkms_2.1.1.2-0ubuntu1_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i dkms_2.1.1.2-0ubuntu1_all.deb

fixes the problem for me on Karmic

Thanks kalimatas,

Your fixed worked! You rock!

Paul

I'm having the same issue with Lucid, trying to compile the zen kernel 2.6.35, I've even tried upgrading dkms to version 2.1.1.2-3. If I stop nvidia-common from executing the kernel installs fine but boots into low graphics mode due to the fact the the nvidia driver module is somehow in the wrong format.