Thanks; I installed the following slightly-altered (and I hope improved :-)
change.
2006-06-04 Stepan Kasal <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
* doc/autoconf.texi (Limitations of Usual Tools): Correct
information about race-free implementations of mkdir.
--- autoconf.texi 4 Jun 2006 19:56:27 -0000 1.1037
+++ autoconf.texi 4 Jun 2006 20:22:48 -0000 1.1038
@@ -3535,7 +3535,7 @@ This macro uses the @samp{mkdir -p} comm
falls back on invoking @command{install-sh} with the @option{-d} option,
so your package should
contain @file{install-sh} as described under @code{AC_PROG_INSTALL}.
-A @file{install-sh} file that predates Autoconf 2.60 or Automake 1.10
+An @file{install-sh} file that predates Autoconf 2.60 or Automake 1.10
is vulnerable to race conditions, so if you want to support parallel
installs from
different packages into the same directory you need to make sure you
@@ -13233,13 +13233,13 @@ Traditional @code{mkdir -p} implementati
For example, if you invoke @code{mkdir -p a/b} and @code{mkdir -p a/c}
at the same time, both processes might detect that @file{a} is missing,
one might create @file{a}, then the other might try to create @file{a}
-and fail with a @code{File exists} diagnostic. At least Solaris 10,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 1.6, and [EMAIL PROTECTED] 3.4 are vulnerable to race
-conditions. The @acronym{GNU} Core Utilities
-(since @samp{fileutils}
-version 4.1), [EMAIL PROTECTED] 5.0, and [EMAIL PROTECTED] are
-known to have a
-race-free @code{mkdir -p}. This possible race is harmful in parallel
+and fail with a @code{File exists} diagnostic. The @acronym{GNU} Core
+Utilities (@samp{fileutils} version 4.1), [EMAIL PROTECTED] 5.0,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 2.0.2, and [EMAIL PROTECTED] 2.4 are known to be
+race-free when two processes invoke @code{mkdir -p} simultaneously, but
+earlier versions are vulnerable. Solaris @command{mkdir} is still
+vulnerable as of Solaris 10, and other traditional Unix systems are
+probably vulnerable too. This possible race is harmful in parallel
builds when several @file{Makefile} rules call @code{mkdir -p} to
construct directories. You may use
@code{install-sh -d} as a safe replacement, provided this script is
@@ -18597,7 +18597,7 @@ introduced in this document.
@c LocalWords: CDPATH DUALCASE LINENO prepass Subshells lineno NULLCMD cmp wc
@c LocalWords: MAILPATH scanset arg NetBSD Almquist printf expr cp
@c LocalWords: Oliva awk Aaaaarg cmd regex xfoo GNV OpenVMS unwriteable te VM
[EMAIL PROTECTED] LocalWords: coreutils sparc Proulx SysV nbar nfoo maxdepth
acdilrtu TWG mc
[EMAIL PROTECTED] LocalWords: sparc Proulx SysV nbar nfoo maxdepth acdilrtu
TWG mc
@c LocalWords: mkdir exe uname OpenBSD Fileutils mktemp umask TMPDIR guid os
@c LocalWords: fooXXXXXX Unicos parenthesization utimes hpux hppa unescaped
@c LocalWords: pmake DOS's gmake ifoo DESTDIR autoconfiscated pc coff mips gg
