Bug reporting etiquette

Thank you for reading this article. This will guide you on how best to present your bug report so that it gets addressed as soon as possible. Here are a few guiding principles that lead to success in getting bugs fixed:

Before filing any hardware related reports on Launchpad, please update your BIOS, and hardware firmware (CF card readers, SSDs, USB 3.0 controllers, DVD/CD drives, etc.) to the newest available from your vendor. Outdated and buggy BIOS and firmware is a common cause of a variety of hardware issues (ex. intermittent wireless, suspend not working, certain keys on keyboard not working correctly, card readers not working, and kernel panics after plugging USB drive in).

Please do not quote Wikipedia and other non-primary resource information as fact on Launchpad.

Many Linux package, hardware, and other non-user space bugs are hardware dependent on both the hardware itself, and what other hardware the problematic hardware is connected to. The rule of thumb is one report, per person, per hardware combination, per bug. For more on this please see here, and further below in this article. Please note not following this can delay your problem being addressed as quickly as possible.

Please do not solicit non-original reporters to post comments, attachments, etc.

Please do not post comments such as "Me too!", "+1", "bump", "Same here", etc. as it is largely unhelpful, produces spammy E-Mail traffic to everyone subscribed to the report, and quite often turns out not to be the same root cause. Instead, please follow the below mentioned procedures.

Please do not stack multiple issues into one report. For example, jamming suspend and hibernate into one report, reporting multiple hotkey problems into one report (ex. Fn+F3 doesn't turn off my laptop WiFi, Fn+Right doesn't turn the brightness on my backlight down, my brightness settings are not remembered after reboot, etc.). Please make one report for each individual problem.

Please do not complain about how long it takes to fix a bug, the severity of your bug is high so it should be fixed immediately, "I cannot believe it's not fixed...", XYZ person(s) do not care about fixing bugs, etc. Especially, if you have not followed the directions mentioned in this article, let alone contributed code upstream. This type of behavior is unconstructive, irritating to others who read your E-Mail, and spammy. We all want to see every bug fixed as soon as possible! Naturally, bugs being fixed is limited to reproducibility and clarity of the bug report, the actual impact the bug has on the community, and available developer resources.

Please keep the bug objective as possible. It is desired for you to provide a fact based, technical impact statement on you, your environment, and the potential or actual impact on the community at large.

Please provide all relevant information from https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingProcedures when you first report your bug. This is one of the top reasons why bugs do not get marked Triaged, as the minimum requirements for dealing with the problem by a developer are not provided.

If a triager or developer asks you to provide information, please avoid arguing with them. Just provide the information as requested. If you have a strong disagreement with what a triager or developer is asking of you, please resolve it with them via personal message, instead of turning a bug development report into a "let's talk about talking about the problem" report. The Ubuntu community takes a favor to objective, technical discourse.

Many of the triagers and developers who are providing support to you, are volunteers doing so out of altruism. Please keep this in mind when making your comments.

In general, please do not report bugs about software in PPAs on Launchpad. This is because software in PPAs are not provided by the official Ubuntu repositories. Instead, the PPA homepage would have a contact point and preference of the PPA provider.

How to report bugs

Ubuntu uses Launchpad to keep track of bugs and their fixes. This page will guide you through the steps required to file a good and detailed report.

Create a Launchpad account

If you don't already have one - you need to create a Launchpad account. This will allow you to file new bugs and comment on existing ones.

Determine if the bug is really a bug

You should not file a bug if you are:

• Requesting new software: you should follow the guidelines at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuDevelopment/NewPackages

• Requesting support: there are a multitude of ways you can get help using Ubuntu, such as the Launchpad answer tracker, the Ask Ubuntu site, the Ubuntu forums, the #ubuntu channel on the Freenode IRC server, and the ubuntu-users mailing list.

• Discussing features and existing policy: this belongs to the ubuntu-devel-discuss mailing list.

• Proposing features and ideas: you should submit your idea to Ubuntu Brainstorm or to the ubuntu-devel-discuss mailing list.

• Filing a bug against a program not provided by an Ubuntu package: You should file a bug in that program's bug tracking interface. Instructions are generally available on the program's web site.

If you want to file a translation or misspelling bug, follow the instructions here.

Make sure the bug hasn't already been reported

First, check the release notes for your version of Ubuntu:

• Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron)

• Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx)

• Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot)

• Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin)

• Ubuntu 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal)

Hardware driver bugs (e.g. Sound, Linux kernel, X.Org, and Nvidia / AMD proprietary drivers)

• For hardware driver bugs you are welcome to check for duplicates. However, depending on if you are the original reporter or not, determines what to do next. The following is a list of hardware packages:

  • For sound bugs please see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingSoundProblems.

  • Linux kernel (e.g. suspend, hibernate, and other potential kernel issues).

  • xorg and xorg-server

  • xserver-xorg-input-synaptics (e.g. certain Touchpad issues).

  • xserver-xorg-video-intel and other xserver-xorg-video-* like nouveau, radeon, ati, openchrome, geode, etc.

  • Nvidia proprietary driver software: nvidia-graphics-drivers , graphics-drivers-173 , nvidia-settings , and nvidia-graphics-drivers-180 .

  • AMD proprietary drivers: fglrx-installer and fglrx-installer-updates.

You are not the original report

* Please open a new report instead of adding debugging information, attachments, apport-collect'ing, or "Me too!" comments on what may appear to be a similar bug. Chances are that your hardware does not match the existing bug's hardware, so your bug and comments will not be addressed. As well, unless asked of you by a developer or triager, please do not mark your bug a duplicate of another reporter's bug.

• Please do not assume because you have the same desktop or laptop model line as another original reporter's bug report, that your problem is the same. Frequently, computer vendors use different parts under the hood within the same model line.
• Regarding peripherals, please do not assume because you have the same peripheral, and similar problems, it is the same bug. Please file a new bug report.

You are the original reporter

If you are the original reporter, here are the ways to maximize the speed with which your bug is fixed:

• Check for the problem in the earliest release that works for your hardware and the latest. Report your testing results in the report.

• Test for this problem in the mainline kernel following https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/MainlineBuilds . Report your mainline testing results in the report.

• If your bug is a regression, bisect it following https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/KernelBisection . Report your bisect results in the report.

Desktop Applications

For desktop applications , please make sure it has not already been reported by searching through existing bugs. If you find an already reported bug that is exactly like the problem you have, please feel free to add this information to the existing report, rather than opening a new one. However, if you have any doubt as to it being the same or not, please file a separate report.

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Reporting a Bug

Reporting an application crash

Please report an application crash via the methods outlined below and at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingProgramCrash.

Development release

If an application crashes, and you're using a development release, Apport will start automatically, raising an appropriate bug report for you to complete in Launchpad. This report is subsequently processed by Apport Retracing Service, in order to provide developers with debugging information that make it easier to fix the problem.

Stable release

Apport may come disabled by default. To enable it, edit the file:

/etc/default/apport

and change:

enabled=0

to:

enabled=1

Even when enabled, apport will not upload crash reports to Launchpad for a stable release. For more on this please see bug #994921. Instead, crash reports are uploaded to http://errors.ubuntu.com. To have a bug report filed on Launchpad anyways, one may open the following file via a command line:

gksudo gedit /etc/apport/crashdb.conf

and change:

'problem_types': ['Bug', 'Package'],

to:

# 'problem_types': ['Bug', 'Package'],

Save, close, and try to file the crash report again via:

ubuntu-bug /var/crash/_my_crash_report.crash

apport will appear to upload a crash report, but only actually does so if whoopsie is installed. Whoopsie is installed by default for users of ubuntu-desktop, but for users of alternative desktops, or for server users, whoopsie has to be installed manually with apt-get install whoopsie. See bug #1001630 for details.

System crash

If your system lockups up, freezes, logs you out, etc., then this is not an application crash, but a system crash. Please see below, and consult the following article for these types of problems https://help.ubuntu.com/community/DebuggingSystemCrash.

Non-crash hardware and desktop application bugs

The method for reporting bugs in Ubuntu is by using the tool "ubuntu-bug", otherwise known as Apport. When reporting a bug, you must tell Apport which program or package is at fault.

Collecting information from a specific package

Press Alt+F2 to open the "Run Application" window:

Then, type ubuntu-bug <package name> and click Run. If you're not sure which package has the problem, refer to the instructions for finding the right package.

Collecting information about a program with a window open

If you want to file a bug about an application but you don't know what that application's package name is, if it has an open window you are in luck.

In a terminal execute the command 'ubuntu-bug -w'.

After you close the dialog the next window that you click on will have a problem report created for the package that created the window.

Collecting information from a currently running program

To file a bug against a program that is currently running, go to System > Administration > System Monitor, and find the ID of the process.

Then type "ubuntu-bug " followed by the process ID into the "Run Application" window.

Filing a general bug against no particular package

If you're not sure which package is affected by the bug, type ubuntu-bug in the "Run Application" window and click Run. This will guide you through a series of questions to gather more information about the bug.

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Complete the bug report filing process

After running one of the above commands, Apport (the Ubuntu bug reporter) will gather information about the bug.

A window will then pop up, asking you if you want to report the bug. Click "Send Report" if you wish to proceed, or click "Content of the report" if you want to review the information Apport collected.

Apport will then upload the problem information to Launchpad, and a new browser window will then open to inform you that the bug report is being processed.

After the bug report data has been processed, a new page will open that will ask you for the bug report's title. The bug title will appear in all bug listings so make sure it represents the bug well. When you're done, click "Next".

A search will then occur based on the title you gave to the bug report, and will show potentially similar ones. If one of these seems to be the exact bug you're reporting, click its title, then "Yes, this is the bug I'm trying to report". If not, click "No, I need to report a new bug".

Launchpad will then ask you for further information. It's important that you specify three things:

1. What you expected to happen
2. What actually happened
3. If possible, a minimal series of steps necessary to make it happen, where step 1 is "start the program"

Fill in the description field with as much information as you can, it is better to have too much information in the description than not enough.

At then bottom of the page, there are some extra options you can use to make your bug report more complete:

• This bug is a security vulnerability: Please check this only if your bug report describes a behaviour that could be exploited to compromise your security or safety, as well as cause issues such as identity theft or "hi-jacking".

• Tags: You can add here tags that pertain to your bug report. The predefined values should be left alone.

• Include an attachment: Using this option, you can add supporting attachments to explain or help others reproduce the bug. This might include a screenshot, a video capture of the problem or a sample document that triggers the fault. If necessary, additional attachments can be added after the bug is reported via Add a comment/attachment at the bottom of the page. Please check https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingProcedures for anything further information to provide. It is vital for developers to get this information, as it contains the minimum requirement information necessary for a developer to begin working on your bug.

  • Please note that if one files a bug against the linux kernel package, you do not need to add as an attachment the terminal command:

lspci -vvnn
lspci -vnvn

This is due to how Launchpad automatically generates this as an additional attachment.

When you're done, click "Submit bug report".

Tips and tricks

Filing bugs when off-line

In the event that you have an issue with your Internet connection or want to file a bug for another system you can still do this using apport.

First, gather the information about the target system in a file:

• For a bug report about a system crash:
  apport-cli -p <package name> --save bug.crash

• For a bug report about any other issue:
  apport-cli -f -p <package name> --save bug.apport

You will need to answer a few questions, which will vary depending on which package the bug report is about. Relevant system information, including the package name, is then saved on the target system, in the current directory. The extension indicates if it is a crash report or another kind of report. If you decide to rename the report file, please keep the .apport or .crash extension.

After copying it to a different system you can file that report using the following command:
ubuntu-bug -c <apport_file.extension> (note: this does not work for crash reports from stable Ubuntu releases, see bug #997283 crash reports "do not get filed to Launchpad any more... we don't want crash reports for the non-development version on Launchpad.")

If this is to be added to an existing bug report, also use the -u option:
ubuntu-bug -c <apport_file.extension> -u <bug number>

You will need to answer a few questions, and a web browser will be launched to complete the bug report. Please do not attach the .apport or .crash file to the report, as this is not the same as performing the above mentioned steps.

Filing bugs at Launchpad.net

If for some reason you cannot file a bug using the Apport tool you can file one via Launchpad's own bug report form. When doing so it is best if you have determined which package it should be filed against. Read 'finding the right package' for guidance or use Launchpad's package search feature. We don't recommend this method for most bug reports because they will likely be missing crucial information, use ubuntu-bug if you can!

To file a bug against a specific package you can also use a URL like the following:

• http://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/PACKAGENAME/+filebug?no-redirect

where PACKAGENAME is the name of the source package about which you want to file the bug report.

In the event that you want to request a piece of software be packaged for Ubuntu please follow the instructions in the wiki.

Using the help menu in the affected application (development releases only)

If you want to report a bug on an application that is running and responding, use the application's help menu: Help -> Report a problem.

This method is preferable to filing a bug at the Launchpad website - it will automatically attach relevant information, which helps analyze the problem.

If an application crashes, and you're using a version of Ubuntu which is actively under development, Apport will start automatically, raising an appropriate bug report for you to complete in Launchpad. This provides developers with rich debugging information that will make it easier to fix the problem.

Adding apport-collect information to an existing Launchpad bug

First, please do not run apport-collect more than once per release tested. For example, if you originally reported a bug about Precise via Apport, and then could reproduce it in Quantal, only run apport-collect once in Quantal. This minimizes unnecessary E-Mail traffic to those subscribed to your report and keeps the report efficient. If your problem is in the linux package, and you are not the original reporter, please do not apport-collect to a bug report unless specifically asked of you by a developer or triager. Running apport-collect when not asked creates spammy E-Mail traffic for those subscribed, clutters up the bug report with undesired attachments, and hinders the bug getting addressed quickly. As well, your attachments are subject to deletion at the discretion of developers and triagers. Instead, please open a new report via ubuntu-bug. Otherwise, if you have already reported a bug directly via Launchpad, but want to add additional debugging information via Apport to the bug report, you can do this by running the command:

apport-collect bug_number

via "Run Application" or terminal window.

Please note that attempting to run:

apport-collect bug_number

against a linux package bug report, while booted into a mainline linux kernel will not work. This is due to how Ubuntu does not provide support for mainline kernels. For more on this, please see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/MainlineBuilds#Kernel.2BAC8-FAQ.2BAC8-DebuggingMainlineBuildsSupport.Does_the_kernel_team_support_the_mainline_kernel_builds.3F.

Error: The launchpadlib Python module is not installed

If one gets the following error while trying to perform apport-collect:

ERROR: The launchpadlib Python module is not installed. This functionality
is not available.

please install the following package:

sudo apt-get -y install python-launchpadlib

Package libreoffice not installed and no hook available, ignoring

If one attempts to apport-collect and gets the error message:

Package libreoffice not installed and no hook available, ignoring

one has to install the following package:

sudo apt-get -y install libreoffice

Adding attachments to an existing Launchpad bug

Please ensure you do not use URL links to external posting sites (ex. pastebin.com, paste.ubuntu.com, dropbox.com, etc.) or post external hyperlinks for your attachments. Instead, if as per below you should add an attachment to a report, please post it directly to your bug report. As well, please do not compress attachments (.gz, .zip, etc.) or group mulitiple attachments together (.tar.gz). Attach one uncompressed file at a time.

Linux package bugs

If your problem is in the linux package, and you are not the original reporter, please do not add attachments to a bug report unless specifically asked of you by a developer or triager. Adding undesired attachments when not asked creates spammy E-Mail traffic for those subscribed, clutters up the bug report with undesired attachments, and hinders the bug getting addressed quickly. As well, your attachments are subject to deletion at the discretion of developers and triagers. Instead, please open a new report via a terminal:

ubuntu-bug linux

Crash reports

If your attachment is a crash report (ex. found in directory /var/crash), please do not attach it to an existing report. Instead, file a new report via a terminal so that Apport Retracing Service may process it:

ubuntu-bug my_crash_report.crash

Non-crash userspace bugs

Sometimes it is useful to take a picture (with a camera or via PrtSc button), or screencast of the problem to demonstrate how you reproduced it, what the bug specifically shows, and the impact it has.

Filing a translation bug

You should file a translation bug if you are experiencing one of the following issues:

• Wrong translations or spelling mistakes for languages other than English in applications
• Errors in spellcheckers or language support

• A string from an application not available for translation in Launchpad Translations

• An application from the Ubuntu main repository not available for translation in Launchpad Translations

• A translation made in Launchpad Translations and not updated in the Ubuntu language packs

• A duplicate translation template (the same application can be translated in two different places) in Launchpad Translations

• A template/translation no longer used in Ubuntu and that should be disabled from Launchpad Translations

In case of doubt, you can always contact the Translations team.

All translation issues should be filed against the Ubuntu Translations project. From there the bugs will be triaged and assigned to the right person and package.

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Getting advice

Still have doubts about the bug report filing process? You can ask someone on #ubuntu-bugs on the Freenode IRC server or on the bugsquad mailing list.

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Other languages

• Español

• Русский

• 中文（中国）－－ 建设中

• Italiano

• Deutsch

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See Also

• If you use Kubuntu, you are welcome to view the Kubuntu variant of this page here.

• A screencast on using these tools by Jono Bacon

• How to Report Bugs Effectively, by Simon Tatham

• Debugging Procedures