In summary: I think the root cause is that the lxc container is not set up the way sbuild expects.
The named directory becomes $self->get('Location') within sbuild; it's a dummy value used when (as in this case) the chroot provider does not have a way to access the within-chroot filesystem from outside it. It is used in relatively few places. Searching for more of the error message found a use in basesetup (in ChrootSetup.pm). It seems to try to use it only if the `sbuild' group is not found in the chroot. Looking at the code, sbuild expects various other preparatory things to have been done to the chroot. It expects a /build directory, and /var/lib/sbuild, and so on. I can't find any of this documented anywhere. Hopefully the following, observed in an schroot of mine, is helpful: $ id sbuild uid=120(sbuild) gid=124(sbuild) groups=124(sbuild) $ find /build/ /var/lib/sbuild/ -ls 606209 4 drwxrws--- 2 sbuild sbuild 4096 Jun 3 2016 /build/ 344285 4 drwxrws--- 3 sbuild sbuild 4096 Jun 3 2016 /var/lib/sbuild/ 344838 4 -rw-rw-r-- 1 root sbuild 1417 Jun 3 2016 /var/lib/sbuild/package-checklist 344355 4 drwxrws--- 2 sbuild sbuild 4096 Jun 3 2016 /var/lib/sbuild/srcdep-lock 344721 4 -rw------- 1 root sbuild 117 Jun 3 2016 /var/lib/sbuild/apt.conf $ Is there a script that someone could run in an existing vm/container/whatever, to prepare it appropriately, before snapshotting ? Also, the error message seems poor. I suggest the following approach: * Break out the relevant bits of sbuild-createchroot into an advertised script that can be run as root within the master image (what schroot calls the source chroot). * Replace calls to ->get('Location') with ->get_location($reason) and make the latter fail if the access is not supported. $reason will be an explanation of what schroot was trying to do. So it will say something like E: filesystem access to chroot not supported (wanted because: trying to add sbuild group) * In the longer term, the virt servers should have a way to edit the master image. Then you could say sbuild --setup-the-thing --autopkgtest-etc. Thanks, Ian. -- Ian Jackson <ijack...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> These opinions are my own. If I emailed you from an address @fyvzl.net or @evade.org.uk, that is a private address which bypasses my fierce spamfilter.