On Wed, Jun 17, 2020 at 11:55:18AM +0200, Markus wrote: > Dear Mentors, > > While packaging a package for a Virtual Observatory server, I'm > encountering a postinst glitch in the CI that I don't quite > understand. > > This is about [email protected]:debian-astro-team/gavodachs.git, > the gavo branch. > > The idea is that the package creates a user that has all the > necessary permissions to configure the server, run debug copies, and > the like. It is called dachsroot, and the postinst creates if if > necessary: > > # create user "dachsroot" if (s)he is not already there > if ! getent passwd dachsroot ; then
if ! getent passwd dachsroot ; then > adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" --ingroup gavo dachsroot > fi > > This has never resulted in headache over all the years that we have > been distributing the resulting package outside of Debian. But the > CI on salsa gives: > > Adding user `dachsroot' ... > Adding new user `dachsroot' (1011) with group `gavo' ... > Creating home directory `/home/dachsroot' ... > Stopped: Couldn't create home directory `/home/dachsroot': File exists. > > Removing directory `/home/dachsroot' ... > Removing user `dachsroot' ... > > after which the installation duly fails. > > Now... I really cannot see where that home directory might come from > (the full log is on > https://salsa.debian.org/debian-astro-team/gavodachs/-/jobs/798533/raw), > which made me doubt whether a package is allowed to create users with > homes in the first place and what I'm seeing here really is some > adduser extra on the CI. > > However, at least in 9.2 in the Policy I've not seen anything to that > effect. Have I missed it there or anywhere else? > > And if it's legal to create users like this: Why would the adduser in > the postinst fail? Sorry for not answering the questions Untested: if [ ! getent passwd dachsroot && ! -d /home/dachsroot ] ; then adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" --ingroup gavo dachsroot else echo "I: Assumed that user dachsroot exists ..." fi Regards Geert Stappers -- When you assume, you make an ass of u and me
