Trying to install software, but I get an error every time ""config": /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked"

Question

I tried a lot of solutions posted here, but none of them work. I am trying to install vlc. Here's the whole output.

:/$ sudo apt-get install vlc
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
vlc is already the newest version (2.2.2-5).
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 0 B of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] Y
debconf: DbDriver "config": /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked by another process: Resource temporarily unavailable
Setting up libpam-systemd:amd64 (229-4ubuntu13) ...
debconf: DbDriver "config": /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked by another process: Resource temporarily unavailable
dpkg: error processing package libpam-systemd:amd64 (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 libpam-systemd:amd64
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

vlc seems to be installed already (see vlc is already the newest version), but there is a problem with configuring package libpam-systemd. Issue fuser -v /var/cache/debconf/config.dat to find out which process locks that file. — ridgy, Dec 26 '16 at 11:16
@ridgy at USER PID ACCESS COMMAND /var/cache/debconf/config.dat: root 8020 F.... frontend — Simeon Aleksov, Dec 26 '16 at 11:22
seems you got PID there but give full information to know what is processing using that file. — Raja G, Dec 26 '16 at 11:23
It seems there is some other process running dpkg from a frontend(?). You may find out more by sudo ps -ef | grep 8020 and then stop that process, either by closing ist window (if visible) or by killing the process: sudo kill 8020 or sudo kill -9 8020 (the hard way). — ridgy, Dec 26 '16 at 11:27
Does this answer your question? "debconf: DbDriver "config": config.dat is locked by another process: Resource temporarily unavailable" while installing packages — karel, Dec 10 '19 at 05:47
@karel This question is 3 years old..I think I solved it somehow but don't remember how. — Simeon Aleksov, Dec 11 '19 at 17:15

score 1 · Answer 1 · edited Jan 07 '20 at 07:26

1

From the given log report we found that /var/cache/debconf/config.dat file has been locked by some other process.

We have to release /var/cache/debconf/config.dat file from that process.

Open terminal and type lsof /var/cache/debconf/config.dat and you would get process name thats been using config.dat file and kill that process with either

kill <space> PID

or

kill <space> -9 <space> PID

then try again.

Hope it will help.

edited Jan 07 '20 at 07:26

Zanna

70,465

answered Dec 26 '16 at 11:18

Raja G

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This happenes after I do this, /$ lsof /var/cache/debconf/config.dat lsof: WARNING: can't stat() tracefs file system /sys/kernel/debug/tracing Output information may be incomplete. – Simeon Aleksov Dec 26 '16 at 11:21
@SimeonAleksov try doing it as root user. – Raja G Dec 26 '16 at 11:22
COMMAND PID USER FD TYPE DEVICE SIZE/OFF NODE NAME frontend 8020 root 4uW REG 8,1 49683 1442713 /var/cache/debconf/config.dat – Simeon Aleksov Dec 26 '16 at 11:23
@SimeonAleksov now try giving kill 8020 or kill -9 8020 as root user. – Raja G Dec 26 '16 at 11:25
Nice, nothing happened after running these commands, I am going to try to install something now. – Simeon Aleksov Dec 26 '16 at 11:29

Trying to install software, but I get an error every time ""config": /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked"

1 Answers1