[Adduser-devel] Bug#372280: adduser fails: "configuration error - unknown item"

[Ian Bruce]

Package: adduser
Version: 3.87

"adduser" produces a lot of error messages about unrecognized
parameters, which may or may not be harmless. This may indicate a
conflict with some version of another package, but it's not clear to me
which one.

related packages:

passwd : v1:4.0.15-10
debconf : v1.5.1

The first example below shows "adduser" being invoked directly from the
command line. The other two examples show the same problem occurring
when "apt-get" tries to create system userids while installing other
packages.


-- Ian Bruce



-------

# adduser gdubya
Adding user `gdubya'...
Adding new group `gdubya' (1002).
configuration error - unknown item 'FAIL_DELAY' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'QUOTAS_ENAB' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'NOLOGIN_STR' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'ENV_HZ' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'PASS_MAX_LEN' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'CHFN_AUTH' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'CLOSE_SESSIONS' (notify administrator)
Adding new user `gdubya' (1002) with group `gdubya'.
configuration error - unknown item 'FAIL_DELAY' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'QUOTAS_ENAB' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'NOLOGIN_STR' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'ENV_HZ' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'PASS_MAX_LEN' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'CHFN_AUTH' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'CLOSE_SESSIONS' (notify administrator)

-------

Setting up nfs-common (1.0.7-17) ...
Installing new version of config file /etc/init.d/nfs-common ...
Installing new version of config file /etc/default/nfs-common ...
Adding system user `statd'...
Adding new user `statd' (110) with group `nogroup'.
configuration error - unknown item 'QUOTAS_ENAB' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'NOLOGIN_STR' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'ENV_HZ' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'PASS_MAX_LEN' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'CHFN_AUTH' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'CLOSE_SESSIONS' (notify administrator)

-------

Setting up gdm (2.14.5-1) ...
Adding group `gdm' (107)...
configuration error - unknown item 'FAIL_DELAY' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'QUOTAS_ENAB' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'NOLOGIN_STR' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'ENV_HZ' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'PASS_MAX_LEN' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'CHFN_AUTH' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'CLOSE_SESSIONS' (notify administrator)
Done.
adduser: Warning: The home dir you specified already exists.
Adding system user `gdm' with uid 104...
Adding new user `gdm' (104) with group `gdm'.
configuration error - unknown item 'FAIL_DELAY' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'QUOTAS_ENAB' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'NOLOGIN_STR' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'ENV_HZ' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'PASS_MAX_LEN' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'CHFN_AUTH' (notify administrator)
configuration error - unknown item 'CLOSE_SESSIONS' (notify administrator)