258900 - Error Message: "this is not a valid install package" encountered when trying to download Extensions or Themes from update.mozilla.org

Status: VERIFIED INVALID

(Core Graveyard :: Installer: XPInstall Engine, defect)

Description

[Marcia Knous [:marcia]]

Seen using Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; rv:1.7.3)
Gecko/20040911 Firefox/0.10

I was testing downloading some random extensions. I clicked on the first three
on the list from update.mozilla.org and I got an error message, something like
"this is not a valid installation package." The extension did show up in the Ext
Mgr and was installed despite this error message when I restarted FF. I saw this
happen a few times, and then I was not able to reproduce it.

Filing this bug to document in case it crops up again.

Comment 1

[Marcia Knous [:marcia]]

If memory serves me correct, when this happened I was downloading the following
three extensions: Adbar, Advanced Highlighter Button, and Amazon sidebar.

Comment 2

[Marcia Knous [:marcia]]

ok, was able to reproduce this using Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X
Mach-O; rv:1.7.3) Gecko/20040909 Firefox/0.10.

Here is the exact error message, I get it when clicking on the Advanced Search
Button extension:

"Firefox could not download the file at
http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/extensions/advanced_search button
because: not a valid install package."

In this instance I *did not* get the error message when I clicked on amazon
sidebar, and advanced highlighter.

Only other thing I should mention is that I did not a set of disabled extension
in my Ext Mgr that I brought over from another profile.

Comment 3

[Asa Dotzler [:asa]]

Looks like my bug 257193.  I think there's a real problem here and it would be
good if ben or wolf or someone could look into this before we ship PR. 

Comment 4

[Asa Dotzler [:asa]]

*** Bug 257193 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 5

[Asa Dotzler [:asa]]

This is error-207 I think. Under what circumstances to we throw that. I read
somewhere in the forums I think, that if you find you're getting this that
clearing the cache might help. Probably bogus, just trying to get any helpful
information in this bug.

Comment 6

[Wolf [:wolf]]

Looks like Advanced Search Button's XPI is actually corrupt, somehow. I'm unable
to open it even with winzip. Its corrupt on stage, so the error firefox is
throwing isn't unexpected.

I've also tried and installed Advanced Highlighter and Amazon.com sidebar
successfully. 

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; rv:1.7.3) Gecko/20040911 Firefox/0.10

Comment 7

[Wolf [:wolf]]

Ok, i've fixed the corrupt file, it should remirror in the next hour and replace
the corrupt version.

The corrupt file, I've kept, just in case it's needed for testing, as it
reliably reproduces the error message. :-)

http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/extensions/advanced_search_button/asb.corrupt.xpi

Comment 8

[Jesse Ruderman]

If I use Tools > Themes > Update to try to upgrade from Noia eXtreme 2.73 to
Noia eXtreme 2.75, I get the following error message:

"The following components could not be installed due to errors (the file could
not be downloaded, was corrupt, or for some other reason)."

"Noia 2.0 (eXtreme) 2.75 (Not a valid install package)"

Also, Noia eXtreme 2.75 doesn't appear on update.mozilla.org; it only appears
when I use Tools > Themes > Update.

Comment 9

[Jesse Ruderman]

Same problem with Tools > Extensions > Update.  My only incompatible extension
is Adblock and trying to update it fails with a similar message.

Comment 10

[Dimitrios]

I managed to update Translate extension today, using Gecko/20040912
Firefox/0.10. But it failed to update Noia theme from 2.74 to 2.75 ("not a valid
install package"). Modifying summary.

Comment 11

[Asa Dotzler [:asa]]

One of three things is happening, I suspect. Either the install packages are
invalid, in which case the extension authors need to update them with functional
packages, the server is doing something to corrupt the packages or send the
wrong files, or the client is failing to handle a good package and giving the
warning. We need to determine which of these is the problem, ASAP. Who can help?
I'm labeling this a PR blocker (but that may not stick).

Comment 12

[Wolf [:wolf]]

OK, I examined all the packages on update.mozilla.org via script. All of them
return install.rdf data correctly which means they are openable and functional.

Noia 2.75 doesn't specifiy a custom update.rdf, unlike Comment #8/#10 suggests.
Noia 2.75, was pending addition in the update.mozilla.org DB. The webservice saw
the DB record of the pending record, and pointed the client at a non-existant
URL, I believe. Which is the cause of that error. So it's server-side and not
client-side. If this is the cause.
The webservice serving bad URLs of pending XPIs and jars is known. IIRC, Ben
said Vlad is going to fix that today.

CC'ing vlad.

Comment 13

[Seth Kinast]

Successfully updated Linkification from 0.9.15 to 0.9.17.
Failed to update Adblock from .5.d2.39 to .5.2.039

Maybe this will help narrow down the problem by comparing packages like these
and the ones others have reported.

Comment 14

[Dimitrios]

Comment #12 was correct. Today, Noia theme has been succesfully updated to 2.75
via the update extensions option.

Comment 15

[Asaf Romano (gone)]

removing blocking flag, PR has been shiped.

Comment 16

[Dorus Peelen]

I was only able to reproduce this when i installed the pr over 0.9.3, once i
made a fresh install i couln't find any invalid install package anymore.

Comment 17

[Ido Daisuke]

I got this error when my cache is set to 0.

Hope this help

Comment 18

[Bill Gianopoulos [:WG9s]]

I have received this error when UMO is permforming poorly.  It appears that if
it eventually times and without determining that an update exists you get a
reasonable error, but if it detects the package, but gets an error during the
download, it says the package was invalid instead of saying it encountered and
error downloading the package.

Comment 19

[Tristan Miller]

Seems to be a timeout issue to me.  I get the "not a valid package" error when
clicking on a link to a remote .xpi, but if I save the file to disk and then
type the filename in the location bar, it installs just fine.

Comment 20

[Asa Dotzler [:asa]]

I think we've taken care of the majority of our problems here. 

Comment 21

[Tim Meader]

Is anyone still seeing this issue? I haven't encountered it in the past 5 days
or so.

Comment 22

[Mel Reyes]

Got this error with the 10/22 Sweetlou Aviary build on two computers when trying
to install this Mime Types extension, it only happened when I clicked installed,
once I got the error I clicked on download and was prompted to install and then
it worked fine.

<a href="http://gratisdei.com/FF.htm#mtypes">Mime Type Editor 0.2</a>

Comment 23

[Miles Lane]

I have received this error a few times in the last couple of days.  The error
has occured when downloading and installing multiple themes.  I find that simply
attempting to install whichever package failed always works.  This makes it look
like either an intermittent program code failure or an intermittent server
transmission error?

Comment 24

[Ann Roberts]

After my husband harrassed me to switch from IE to Firefox and showed me the
Forecast Fox extension...I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, I haven't
been able to add any extensions because I get the same error. I have tried
reinstalling Firefox. I am on a Windows 2000 machine. I also tried installing
another extension and it didn't work either.

Comment 25

[Mike Chaloner]

I have plain vanilla (no added sidebars / themes / whatevers) firefox ver.
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; rv:1.7.3) Gecko/20040913 Firefox/0.10.1
....running on XP SP2

I used the 'critical upgrades' to try and get Official 1.0
I get the 'invalid install package' error.

Comment 26

[Tristan Miller]

This bug isn't limited to Firefox; also occurs with Mozilla 1.7.x.  Could
someone with the proper authorization change the Product field to "Core"?

Comment 27

[s.despret]

I have this bug too on Thunderbird 1.0 on Solaris 8 
I have this message in my xterm in the same time :
*** getItemProperty failing for lack of an item. This means getResourceForItem 
               failed to locate a resource for aItemID (item ID =
ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/extensions/dictionarysearch/dictionarysearch-0.8-fx+tb.xpidictionarysearch-0.8-fx+tb.xpi,
property = disabled)

.. for me this bug is not a "normal" severity but a "major" !!

Comment 28

[akloss]

Exact same thing happens to me, but I managed to update 2 of the 3 extensions.
Then, I downloaded Firefox 1.0.2, and then Forecastfox, but the installation
package for Forecastfox came back with the same error. Maybe something in
version 1.0.2 is causing this?

Comment 29

[Peter]

After reading comment #17 below, I changed my cache setting from 0 to 100 KB and
had no problems installing extensions I could not previously install.  I don't
think the extensions themselves were the problem as I encountered this error
with a variety of different xpi's.  However I want to set my cache to zero for
privacy reasons, so if this is the problem it should be fixed.  

If you need temporary storage, why not use the system default temp space or the
directory where the user's profiles are kept?

Comment 30

[Benjamin Smedberg]

This seems to be a catchall bug: the cache issue is bug 262854. The network-down
issues could use better UI. There are probably other reasons this dialog could
be displayed, including an actual malformed package. We should probably close
this bug as being too vague, and file bugs on the particular issues.

Comment 31

[Asa Dotzler [:asa]]

Sounds reasonable to me. not particularly userful -> Invalid.