[Software] half-configured and half-installed

[StevenFriedrich]

I noticed many messages in /var/log/dpkg.log stating "half-configured" and "half-installed" for many components.
This is a fresh install of: debian-live-12.5.0-amd64-kde.iso

[fabien]

These are normal logs, the progress of dpkg action:

Code: Select all

2024-04-08 20:51:14 startup archives unpack
2024-04-08 20:51:16 upgrade bsdutils:amd64 1:2.38.1-5+b1 1:2.38.1-5+deb12u1
2024-04-08 20:51:16 status half-configured bsdutils:amd64 1:2.38.1-5+b1
2024-04-08 20:51:17 status unpacked bsdutils:amd64 1:2.38.1-5+b1
2024-04-08 20:51:17 status half-installed bsdutils:amd64 1:2.38.1-5+b1
2024-04-08 20:51:17 status triggers-pending man-db:amd64 2.11.2-2
2024-04-08 20:51:17 status unpacked bsdutils:amd64 1:2.38.1-5+deb12u1
2024-04-08 20:51:17 startup packages configure
2024-04-08 20:51:17 configure bsdutils:amd64 1:2.38.1-5+deb12u1 <none>
2024-04-08 20:51:17 status unpacked bsdutils:amd64 1:2.38.1-5+deb12u1
2024-04-08 20:51:17 status half-configured bsdutils:amd64 1:2.38.1-5+deb12u1
2024-04-08 20:51:17 status installed bsdutils:amd64 1:2.38.1-5+deb12u1                 ### <-- Status: install ok installed

If the process ends with "status installed", it's all good. Only if it ends at a previous step is there a problem. These steps are described in the dpkg manual:

half-installed
The installation of the package has been started, but not completed for some reason.

unpacked
The package is unpacked, but not configured.

half-configured
The package is unpacked and configuration has been started, but not yet completed for some reason.

triggers-awaited
The package awaits trigger processing by another package.

triggers-pending
The package has been triggered.

installed
The package is correctly unpacked and configured.

You can verify that all packages are installed correctly in at least two ways:

Code: Select all

#> dpkg --audit

-C, --audit [package-name...]
Performs database sanity and consistency checks for package-name or all packages if omitted (per package checks since dpkg 1.17.10). For example, searches for packages that have been
installed only partially on your system or that have missing, wrong or obsolete control data or files. dpkg will suggest what to do with them to get them fixed.

Code: Select all

$> dpkg -l | grep -v "^ii "
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name                                 Version                              Architecture Description
+++-====================================-====================================-============-================================================================================

In my case everything is fine.