[JENKINS-58580] Uninstalling a bundled plugin is possible but doesn’t really work

[timja]

I used LDAP authentication for a while, then changed to a different authentication plugin. Because I was no longer using LDAP, I decided to uninstall the LDAP plugin, which was at, I think, version 1.20 at the time. The Uninstall button was available in the plugin manager. After using it and restarting Jenkins, it turned out that the plugin was not actually uninstalled, it had just reverted to 1.11. In fact even deleting the files from /var/lib/jenkins/plugins and restarting Jenkins didn’t uninstall the plugin; it reappeared after a restart.

Investigation revealed that the LDAP plugin is apparently bundled with Jenkins. IMO one of the following should be true:

• The uninstall button for bundled plugins should actually uninstall the plugin and make it stay uninstalled, or
• The uninstall button should not be present for bundled plugins, or
• The uninstall button should be replaced with a “downgrade to bundled version” button, making it clear that it would not actually uninstall anything.

---

Originally reported by haw777, imported from: Uninstalling a bundled plugin is possible but doesn’t really work

• status: Open
• priority: Minor
• resolution: Unresolved
• imported: 2022/01/10

[timja]

teilo:

what other plugins and their versions do you have installed.

 

it is likely one of those depends on an old version of Jenkins prior to LDAP being unbundled and as such it is getting reinstalled to satisfy that dependency

[timja]

haw777:

ace-editor 1.1 true
active-directory 2.16 true
ant 1.9 true
antisamy-markup-formatter 1.5 true
apache-httpcomponents-client-4-api 4.5.5-3.0 true
authentication-tokens 1.3 true
basic-branch-build-strategies 1.3.2 true
bouncycastle-api 2.17 true
branch-api 2.5.3 true
build-user-vars-plugin 1.5 true
cloudbees-folder 6.9 true
command-launcher 1.3 true
conditional-buildstep 1.3.6 true
copyartifact 1.42.1 true
credentials 2.2.0 true
credentials-binding 1.19 true
display-url-api 2.3.1 true
docker-commons 1.15 true
docker-workflow 1.18 true
durable-task 1.30 true
envinject 2.1.6 true
envinject-api 1.5 true
external-monitor-job 1.7 true
git 3.10.1 true
git-client 2.8.0 true
git-server 1.7 true
gitlab-plugin 1.5.12 true
greenballs 1.15 true
handlebars 1.1.1 true
icon-shim 2.0.3 true
influxdb 1.23 true
jackson2-api 2.9.9.1 true
javadoc 1.5 true
jdk-tool 1.3 true
jquery-detached 1.2.1 true
jsch 0.1.55 true
junit 1.28 true
ldap 1.20 false
lockable-resources 2.5 true
mailer 1.23 true
mapdb-api 1.0.9.0 true
matrix-auth 2.4.2 true
matrix-project 1.14 true
maven-plugin 3.3 true
momentjs 1.1.1 true
pam-auth 1.5.1 true
parameterized-scheduler 0.6.3 true
parameterized-trigger 2.35.2 true
pipeline-build-step 2.9 true
pipeline-graph-analysis 1.10 true
pipeline-input-step 2.10 true
pipeline-milestone-step 1.3.1 true
pipeline-model-api 1.3.9 true
pipeline-model-declarative-agent 1.1.1 true
pipeline-model-definition 1.3.9 true
pipeline-model-extensions 1.3.9 true
pipeline-rest-api 2.11 true
pipeline-stage-step 2.3 true
pipeline-stage-tags-metadata 1.3.9 true
pipeline-stage-view 2.11 true
pipeline-utility-steps 2.3.0 true
plain-credentials 1.5 true
promoted-builds 3.3 true
rebuild 1.31 true
resource-disposer 0.13 true
run-condition 1.2 true
scm-api 2.6.3 true
script-security 1.61 true
sidebar-link 1.11.0 true
ssh-agent 1.17 true
ssh-credentials 1.17.1 true
structs 1.19 true
subversion 2.12.2 true
token-macro 2.8 true
windows-slaves 1.4 true
workflow-aggregator 2.6 true
workflow-api 2.35 true
workflow-basic-steps 2.18 true
workflow-cps 2.72 true
workflow-cps-global-lib 2.14 true
workflow-durable-task-step 2.32 true
workflow-job 2.33 true
workflow-multibranch 2.21 true
workflow-scm-step 2.9 true
workflow-step-api 2.20 true
workflow-support 3.3 true
ws-cleanup 0.37 true

[timja]

haw777:

If that were the case (if another plugin depended on it), then (1) given that I have no other installed-but-disabled plugins, I would expect it not to be disableable, and (2) I would hope (but perhaps that’s the subject of this bug report) that it would be reported as not-uninstallable, like other dependencies are.

[timja]

teilo:

greenballs is the culprit https://plugins.jenkins.io/greenballs

[timja]

teilo:

this behaviour is new as the original issue (which could get you a broken instance) was fixed recently.

 

the bug here is the UI does not take into account implied plugin dependencies (you should not be able to uninstall them)

[timja]

haw777:

Yes, you’re right. Uninstalling green balls allows the other plugins to be uninstalled and they appear to stay gone. I was confused because I thought green balls did not depend on LDAP, because I was able to enable green balls while LDAP was (and remained) disabled. But I guess that is a separate bug (that it is possible to enable a plugin without enabling its dependencies in some cases).