Unable to run do-release-upgrade under script(1) because of a need to clear the screen

This is still a problem upgrading to 22.04.
Grrr.

Could you provide some more details about how you use script to run the release upgrade process? I was able to start a release upgrade using do-release-upgrade after having started script.

Thinking about it more I think this could be an issue with screen and your screenrc file. The dist-upgrade process will try to run the upgrade inside screen and provides its own screen rc file. One way to test this would be to run 'do-release-upgrade' and then cancel the upgrade process, then switch to /tmp/ubuntu-release-upgrader-$tempname and run 'sudo ./jammy --disable-gnu-screen'. (Apparently, that argument can't be passed through from do-release-upgrade.)

Here's part of my script log where things worked:

Script started on 2022-09-13 11:27:06-07:00 [TERM="xterm-256color" TTY="/dev/pts/0" COLUMNS="80" LINES="24"]
^[]0;bdmurray@clean-focal-amd64: ~^G^[[01;32mbdmurray@clean-focal-amd64^[[00m:^[[01;34m~^[[00m$ do-release-upgrade ^M
^[[?2004l^[[?1l^[>^[[?25h^[[>4;m^[[?1049l^[[23;0;0t^[]0;bdmurray@clean-focal-amd64: ~^G^[[01;32mbdmurray@clean-focal-amd64^[[00m:^[[01;34m~^[[00m$ do-release-upgrade ^M
Checking for a new Ubuntu release^M
^M0% [Working] ^M0% [Connecting to archive.ubuntu.com] ^M0% [Connecting to archive.ubuntu.com (185.125.190.36)] ^M0% [Connected to archive.ubuntu.com (185.125.190.36)] ^M0% [Waiting for headers] ^MGet:1 Upgrade tool signature [819 B] ^M
^M0% [1 0 B/819 B 0%] ^M99% [Working] ^M99% [Waiting for headers] ^MGet:2 Upgrade tool [1,265 kB] ^M
^M0% [2 0 B/1,265 kB 0%] ^M8% [2 111 kB/1,265 kB 8%] ^M76% [2 968 kB/1,265 kB 76%] ^M100% [Working] ^MFetched 1,266 kB in 0s (0 B/s) ^M
authenticate 'jammy.tar.gz' against 'jammy.tar.gz.gpg' ^M
extracting 'jammy.tar.gz'^M
^[[!p^[[?3;4l^[[4l^[>^[[?1049h^[[22;0;0t^[[4l^[[?1h^[=^[[0m^[(B^[[1;24r^[[H^[[2J^[[23B^[[7mscreenrc: log: window required^[[27m ^H^H^M^[[31C^[[1K^[[H^[[H^[[2J
Reading cache^M

The way I use it is a bit complicated, but the key thing is that I set
TERM=dumb and then pipe all output from script(1) (not screen) through tee
and col so that I get readable permanent results in addition to what shows
up on my screen,.

It's particularly problematic in the few updates that actually pop up a GUI
window -- script won't even see that.

On Tue, Sep 13, 2022 at 11:45 AM Brian Murray <email address hidden>
wrote:

> Could you provide some more details about how you use script to run the
> release upgrade process? I was able to start a release upgrade using do-
> release-upgrade after having started script.
>
> Thinking about it more I think this could be an issue with screen and
> your screenrc file. The dist-upgrade process will try to run the upgrade
> inside screen and provides its own screen rc file. One way to test this
> would be to run 'do-release-upgrade' and then cancel the upgrade
> process, then switch to /tmp/ubuntu-release-upgrader-$tempname and run
> 'sudo ./jammy --disable-gnu-screen'. (Apparently, that argument can't be
> passed through from do-release-upgrade.)
>
> Here's part of my script log where things worked:
>
> Script started on 2022-09-13 11:27:06-07:00 [TERM="xterm-256color"
> TTY="/dev/pts/0" COLUMNS="80" LINES="24"]
> ^[]0;bdmurray@clean-focal-amd64: ~^G^[[01;32mbdmurray@clean-focal-amd64^[[00m:^[[01;34m~^[[00m$
> do-release-upgrade ^M
>
> ^[[?2004l^[[?1l^[>^[[?25h^[[>4;m^[[?1049l^[[23;0;0t^[]0;bdmurray@clean-focal-amd64:
> ~^G^[[01;32mbdmurray@clean-focal-amd64^[[00m:^[[01;34m~^[[00m$
> do-release-upgrade ^M
> Checking for a new Ubuntu release^M
> ^M0% [Working]
> ^M0% [Connecting to archive.ubuntu.com]
> ^M0% [Connecting to archive.ubuntu.com (185.125.190.36)]
> ^M0% [Connected to archive.ubuntu.com
> (185.125.190.36)] ^M0% [Waiting for headers]
> ^MGet:1 Upgrade tool
> signature [819 B] ^M
> ^M0% [1 0 B/819 B 0%]
> ^M99% [Working]
> ^M99% [Waiting for headers]
> ^MGet:2 Upgrade tool [1,265 kB]
> ^M
> ^M0% [2 0 B/1,265 kB 0%]
> ^M8% [2 111 kB/1,265 kB 8%]
> ^M76% [2 968 kB/1,265 kB 76%]
> ^M100% [Working]
> ^MFetched 1,266 kB in 0s (0 B/s)
> ^M
> authenticate 'jammy.tar.gz' against 'jammy.tar.gz.gpg' ^M
> extracting 'jammy.tar.gz'^M
> ^[[!p^[[?3;4l^[[4l^[>^[[?1049h^[[22;0;0t^[[4l^[[?1h^[=^[[0m^[(B^[[1;24r^[[H^[[2J^[[23B^[[7mscreenrc:
> log: window required^[[27m ^H^H^M^[[31C^[[1K^[[H^[[H^[[2J
> Reading cache^M
>
>
> ** Changed in: ubuntu-release-upgrader (Ubuntu)
> Importance: Undecided => Medium
>
> ** Changed in: ubuntu-release-upgrader (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1810216
>
> Title:
> Unable to run do-release-upgrade under script(1) because of a need to
> clear the screen
>
> Status in ubuntu-release-upgrader package in Ubuntu:
> Incomplet...

I was able to reproduce this message with

TERM=dumb script -c 'do-release-upgrade'

As a workaround dropping the TERM=dumb bit does allow the upgrade to proceed and produces the typescript, albeit an ugly one.

I was able to fix this by using the command TERM="xterm-256color" before running the do-release-upgrade command. the procedure needs to be able to prompt screens during the process that TERM=dumb does not allow apparently.