469857 - firefox doesn't find complete update after forcing a fallback update

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(Release Engineering :: General, defect)

Description

[juan becerra [:juanb]]

While testing software updates from 3.0.4 to 3.0.5 people noticed that the "fallback" updates were not getting downloaded. We usually test that a partial update is found and downloaded and applied correctly, we also test that a failed partial update can then go through a fallback complete update, and this is where we are seeing the problem. It happens across platforms.

Steps:
1. With 3.0.4 check for an update. You will be presented with a partial update.
2. Chose not to apply the update immediately, "later" and close the browser.
3. Edit the update.status file so that its content says "failed" instead of "pending"
4. Restart the browser

Expected: You should be presented with an error saying the partial update could not be downloaded, and you should be given the option to download a complete update.

Actual: You get a dialog saying there is a new "partial" update available. If you choose to download it, it just stays there trying to download the update.

It looks like regular, complete updates do not work either. A complete update from 3.0.3 fails to find the complete update.

I'll attach the update.xml files found after checking for the partial update, and the one after requesting the fallback update.

Comment 1

[juan becerra [:juanb]]

Attachment: updates.xml file after requesting a complete "fallback" update

Comment 2

[juan becerra [:juanb]]

Attachment: updates.xml file after requesting a partial update

Comment 3

[juan becerra [:juanb]]

Attachment: aus ping during partial update using livehttpheaders

Comment 4

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

There is a good chance that this is due to the process you are using to simulate a failed update similar to bug 459417.

Comment 5

[Tracy Walker [:tracy]]

but that doesn't explain why that same process works on beta channel nor why 3.0 -> 3.0.5 fails to connect to the server to download the complete. (no force fail is required there)

Comment 6

[Al Billings [:abillings - ex-MoCo]]

I've noticed that the dialog on the second attempt (after the partial update is forced to fail) is not the same as normal. Normally, it tells you that it could not download the partial update and it is going to download the full update instead. Right now, it gives you the normal, "There is an update available for Firefox" dialog instead of this more specialized dialog. 

Attempts to update from 3.0.3 to 3.0.5 are failing as well.

Looking with Live HTTP Headers and my network firewall monitor show that when I first try to download the partial update for 3.0.4 to 3.0.5, the server is pinged normally for updates. When I force it to fail and Firefox restarts, when it is attempting to download the full update, I am seeing *NO* net traffic whatsoever. It looks like it isn't even pinging the update server for the full update. I've tried this several times and no traffic is sent. The dialog sits there saying that it is attempting to contact the update server and nothing happens.

This has been seen on all supported operating systems using the "releasetest" channel.

If I switch back to the "beta" channel, which is served from our FTP server, updates all happen normally.

Comment 7

[Al Billings [:abillings - ex-MoCo]]

(In reply to comment #5)
> but that doesn't explain why that same process works on beta channel nor why
> 3.0 -> 3.0.5 fails to connect to the server to download the complete. (no force
> fail is required there)

We're using the same process that we've used for at least the last 1 1/2 years and it is working for other channels (like "beta") still.

Comment 8

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

While I am looking into this please simulate a failed update by following these steps:
1. With 3.0.4 check for an update. You will be presented with a partial update.
2. Chose not to apply the update immediately, "later" and close the browser.
3. Edit the update.mar file (remove a couple of lines around line 10)
4. Launch the browser

I just did and was presented with the update dialog to download a full update which was successfully download and applied.

Comment 9

[Al Billings [:abillings - ex-MoCo]]

Well, we could simulate a failed update that way but I'm not comfortable shipping 3.0.5 until we understand the implications of this change from 3.0.4 and before.

Comment 10

[John O'Duinn [:joduinn] (please use "needinfo?" flag)]

per irc with abillings, this problem does not reproduce when updating from FF2.x up to the FF2.0.0.19 release.

Comment 11

[Al Billings [:abillings - ex-MoCo]]

I note that using the steps in comment 8 has the result of the correct dialog being displayed when the initial update fails.

Comment 12

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

Also of note is in bug 459417 comment #2 we found that the partial being offered was actually a complete update... with that fixed (e.g. the partial actually being a partial) and the correct values in ALL of the files that actually needed to be modified app update behaved properly and bug 459417 was found to be invalid.

btw: The test I performed was done with a nightly so I didn't verify whether the update.xml being offered had the same mar for both partial and complete. Please check that and fix if they are indeed the same.

Comment 13

[Samuel Sidler (old account; do not CC)]

This was a bouncer config issue and is now fixed.