On Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:26:03 -0400
Aaron Conole <[email protected]> wrote:

> Timothy Redaelli via dev <[email protected]> writes:
> 
> > When systemd socket-activates ovsdb-server, it sets LISTEN_FDNAMES
> > to the socket unit name and passes the listening socket as fd 3.
> > Detect this in do_start_ovsdb() and use --remote=pfd:3 instead of
> > --remote=punix:$DB_SOCK.
> >
> > Validate LISTEN_PID against the current shell's PID, as required by
> > sd_listen_fds(3), to ensure the variables were set for this process
> > and not inherited from a parent.
> >
> > Unset LISTEN_FDS, LISTEN_FDNAMES, and LISTEN_PID after consuming
> > them to prevent propagation to child processes.
> 
> Which child processes gets started when we are under systemd?  I thought
> we don't use the monitor process when run under systemd, so I'm not sure
> why we would need to clear these?  Is it just precaution?

you are right that ovsdb-server runs with --no-monitor under systemd,
so no monitor process is forked. The clearing follows sd_listen_fds(3)
which documents that these variables should be unset so they are "no
longer inherited by child processes" [1].  Even without --monitor, the
daemon --detach forks and the environment would be inherited.  It is
cheap insurance against any child misinterpreting stale values.

> > Co-authored-by: Lubomir Rintel <[email protected]>
> > Signed-off-by: Lubomir Rintel <[email protected]>
> > Signed-off-by: Timothy Redaelli <[email protected]>
> > ---
> >  utilities/ovs-ctl.in | 8 +++++++-
> >  1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/utilities/ovs-ctl.in b/utilities/ovs-ctl.in
> > index c65c76812..dff416f08 100644
> > --- a/utilities/ovs-ctl.in
> > +++ b/utilities/ovs-ctl.in
> > @@ -149,7 +149,13 @@ do_start_ovsdb () {
> >              set "$@" --no-self-confinement
> >          fi
> >          set "$@" -vconsole:emer -vsyslog:err -vfile:info
> > -        set "$@" --remote=punix:"$DB_SOCK"
> > +        if test X"$LISTEN_PID" = X"$$" && \
> > +           test X"$LISTEN_FDNAMES" = X"ovsdb-server.socket"; then
> > +            unset LISTEN_FDS LISTEN_FDNAMES LISTEN_PID
> > +            set "$@" --remote=pfd:3
> 
> I think also LISTEN_PIDFDID should be cleared if we're clearing these,
> right?

good catch, v1 was only clearing 3 of the 4 variables documented in
sd_listen_fds(3). v2 now unsets all four: LISTEN_FDS, LISTEN_FDNAMES,
LISTEN_PID, and LISTEN_PIDFDID.

> > +        else
> > +            set "$@" --remote=punix:"$DB_SOCK"
> > +        fi
> >          set "$@" --private-key=db:Open_vSwitch,SSL,private_key
> >          set "$@" --certificate=db:Open_vSwitch,SSL,certificate
> >          set "$@" --bootstrap-ca-cert=db:Open_vSwitch,SSL,ca_cert
> 

[1] sd_listen_fds(3): "If the unset_environment parameter is
                       non-zero, sd_listen_fds() will unset the
                       $LISTEN_FDS, $LISTEN_PID, $LISTEN_PIDFDID, and
                       $LISTEN_FDNAMES environment variables before
                       returning [...] the variables are no longer
                       inherited by child processes."

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