Public bug reported:
Package: tzdata
Version: 2025b-3ubuntu1
Ubuntu Release: [your version]
The tzdata package fails to configure properly, blocking 235+ package
updates.
SYMPTOMS:
During apt upgrade, tzdata configuration fails with:
"date: invalid date 'Fri Oct 31 18:54:01 UTC 2025'"
ROOT CAUSE:
The postinst script at /var/lib/dpkg/info/tzdata.postinst has a bug on line ~40:
Current (broken) code:
UTdate=$(LC_ALL=C TZ=UTC0 date)
TZdate=$(unset TZ ; LANG=C date -d "$UTdate")
The script generates a date string with TZ=UTC0, but then tries to parse it
with TZ unset.
`date -d` cannot parse strings containing "UTC" without TZ being set.
REPRODUCTION:
1. Set system date to any date in 2025
2. Run: date -d "Fri Oct 31 18:58:58 UTC 2025" # FAILS
3. Run: TZ=UTC0 date -d "Fri Oct 31 18:58:58 UTC 2025" # WORKS
FIX:
Change line ~40 in postinst script from:
TZdate=$(unset TZ ; LANG=C date -d "$UTdate")
To:
TZdate=$(TZ=UTC0 LANG=C date -d "$UTdate")
IMPACT:
This bug prevents any system from updating packages, as tzdata is a core
dependency.
WORKAROUND:
Users can manually edit /var/lib/dpkg/info/tzdata.postinst and add TZ=UTC0 to
the date -d command.
ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 25.10
Package: tzdata 2025b-3ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 6.17.0-6.6-generic 6.17.1
Uname: Linux 6.17.0-6-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.33.1-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Fri Oct 31 12:01:45 2025
InstallationDate: Installed on 2025-06-01 (152 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 25.04 "Plucky Puffin" - Release amd64 (20250415.3)
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
LANG=en_US.UTF-8
PATH=(custom, no user)
SHELL=/bin/bash
TERM=xterm-256color
XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
SourcePackage: tzdata
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to questing on 2025-10-31 (0 days ago)
** Affects: tzdata (Ubuntu)
Importance: Undecided
Status: New
** Tags: amd64 apport-bug questing wayland-session
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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2130455
Title:
The tzdata package fails to configure properly, blocking 235+ package
updates.
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