[tbb-bugs] #20691 [Applications/Tor Browser]: Alpha updates are not getting applied when trying to update to 6.5a4(-hardened)

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#20691: Alpha updates are not getting applied when trying to update to
6.5a4(-hardened)
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 Reporter:  gk                        |          Owner:  tbb-team
     Type:  defect                    |         Status:  new
 Priority:  Immediate                 |      Milestone:
Component:  Applications/Tor Browser  |        Version:
 Severity:  Critical                  |     Resolution:
 Keywords:  TorBrowserTeam201611      |  Actual Points:
Parent ID:                            |         Points:
 Reviewer:                            |        Sponsor:
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Comment (by gk):

 Replying to [comment:2 mcs]:
 > I found signed mar files here:
 https://people.torproject.org/~gk/builds/6.5a4/ and was able to reproduce
 this problem by hosting an incremental mar file on my own server. My last-
 update.log file contained the following:
 > {{{
 > Performing a staged update
 > PATCH DIRECTORY /home/brade/Desktop/tb-
 test/Browser/TorBrowser/UpdateInfo/updates/0
 > INSTALLATION DIRECTORY /home/brade/Desktop/tb-test/Browser
 > WORKING DIRECTORY /home/brade/Desktop/tb-test/Browser/updated
 > ensure_copy: failed to open the file for reading: /home/brade/Desktop
 /tb-test/Browser/TorBrowser/Data/Tor/control.socket, err: 6
 > failed: 6
 > calling QuitProgressUI
 > }}}
 >
 > It seems that the updater code is not smart enough to skip Unix domain
 sockets when copying the installation directory during the staged update
 process. I was able to update successfully on a 64-bit Linux system after
 I used `about:config` to set `app.update.staging.enabled` to false. The
 bad news is that as far as I know we cannot disable staged updates from
 the update manifest (server-side XML). Using the full mar file will result
 in the same problem as gk experienced.
 >
 > I will try to think of a workaround but at the moment I do not have any
 ideas. I will ask Kathy about this problem in the morning.
 >
 > A small bit of good news: I did not do any testing, but this problem
 should not occur on Windows (no Unix domain sockets and no staged updates
 either).

 Thanks for the whole analysis so far! Just to reply to this bit: you are
 right. boklm and I tested updating to 6.5a4 on Windows and it worked both
 by using the partial and the full .mar. We have therefore enabled auto-
 updating for Windows users again.

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/20691#comment:3>
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