Newrelic agent installation failure

Posted by ZedTuX 0n R00t on January 14, 2015

I just started my script in order to build a new version of a Docker image with fresh code and it failed with the following error:

1
2
3
4
5
dpkg: error processing newrelic-sysmond (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 newrelic-sysmond
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

This issue has been reported to newrelic but seems to be abandonned. I have posted a comment in order to bump it, we will see.

Now how can I manage this issue ? Installing a previous, working, version ? Let’s try it.

List existing versions of an apt package

Looking around on the Internet pointed me to the following command:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
$ apt-cache madison newrelic-sysmond
newrelic-sysmond |  2.0.0.105 | http://apt.newrelic.com/debian/ newrelic/non-free amd64 Packages
newrelic-sysmond |  2.0.0.103 | http://apt.newrelic.com/debian/ newrelic/non-free amd64 Packages
newrelic-sysmond |   1.5.1.93 | http://apt.newrelic.com/debian/ newrelic/non-free amd64 Packages
newrelic-sysmond |   1.5.0.81 | http://apt.newrelic.com/debian/ newrelic/non-free amd64 Packages
newrelic-sysmond |  1.4.3.478 | http://apt.newrelic.com/debian/ newrelic/non-free amd64 Packages
newrelic-sysmond |  1.4.2.476 | http://apt.newrelic.com/debian/ newrelic/non-free amd64 Packages
newrelic-sysmond |  1.4.0.471 | http://apt.newrelic.com/debian/ newrelic/non-free amd64 Packages
newrelic-sysmond |  1.3.1.437 | http://apt.newrelic.com/debian/ newrelic/non-free amd64 Packages

It seems that this version 2.0.0.x has an issue, and I don’t have the time right now to check this, so let’s rollback to the version 1.5.1.93.

Specifying apt package version

My Dockerfile has the following RUN instruction:

1
2
3
4
5
6
RUN echo deb http://apt.newrelic.com/debian/ newrelic non-free >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/newrelic.list && \
  curl https://download.newrelic.com/548C16BF.gpg | apt-key add - && \
  apt-get update && \
  apt-get install -y libpq-dev \
  newrelic-sysmond \
  libmagic-dev

This line add the newrelic Debian package registry URL, import their key and install some packages including the package newrelic-sysmond.

To define the version to install you have to add =<version> after the package name:

1
2
3
4
5
6
RUN echo deb http://apt.newrelic.com/debian/ newrelic non-free >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/newrelic.list && \
  curl https://download.newrelic.com/548C16BF.gpg | apt-key add - && \
  apt-get update && \
  apt-get install -y libpq-dev \
  newrelic-sysmond=1.5.1.93 \
  libmagic-dev

Now the building of the image is working, I can breathe.