Bug#704089: tzdata config script prevents non-interactive (re)configuration
On 2019-01-17 11:14, Adam Bolte wrote: > On Wed, Jan 16, 2019 at 11:43:57AM +0100, Aurelien Jarno wrote: > > I don't think the patch is correct. Debconf is not a registry, the > > canonical location for the configuration is the configuration files, not > > the debconf database. Quoting debconf-devel(7): > > > > "The issue to watch out for here is that debconf is not intended to be, > > and must not be used as a registry." > > > > I think it also applies when DEBCONF_RECONFIGURE is set. > > That's interesting, but also very confusing. If your assumption is > correct, what is the point of being able to run dpkg-reconfigure in > non-interactive mode? Re-execute the postinst script with the new configuration. In the case of postinst, it would mean for example: $ echo Europe/London > /etc/timezone $ dpkg-reconfigure -fnoninteractive tzdata This ensures that the /etc/localtime symlink is correctly configured. If you look a bit on a search engine, it looks like a very common method to configure the timezone. > You can only reconfigure a package that is already installed, so (as I > understand it) if the debconf registry is supposed to be clobbered by > whatever the actual system configuration is before use, that would > mean `dpkg-reconfigure -fnoninteractive ` is a completely > useless and pointless command. > > Let's look at the dash package > > $ sudo debconf-get-selections | grep dash > # Use dash as the default system shell (/bin/sh)? > dash dash/sh boolean true > $ ls -l /bin/sh > lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 Jan 24 2017 /bin/sh -> dash > $ echo dash dash/sh boolean false | sudo debconf-set-selections > $ sudo debconf-get-selections | grep dash > # Use dash as the default system shell (/bin/sh)? > dash dash/sh boolean false > $ sudo dpkg-reconfigure -fnoninteractive dash > Removing 'diversion of /bin/sh to /bin/sh.distrib by dash' > Adding 'diversion of /bin/sh to /bin/sh.distrib by bash' > Removing 'diversion of /usr/share/man/man1/sh.1.gz to > /usr/share/man/man1/sh.distrib.1.gz by dash' > Adding 'diversion of /usr/share/man/man1/sh.1.gz to > /usr/share/man/man1/sh.distrib.1.gz by bash' > $ ls -l /bin/sh > lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 Jan 17 10:55 /bin/sh -> bash > $ > > The dash package reconfiguration has no issues modifying the system > configuration based on debconf. I would expect tzdata to behave in a > consistent manner with other packages. Let's look at another example, the locales package prefers debconf to the file configuration, just like to ask for tzdata. People consider that as a bug, see for example bug #793368. It doesn't seem to be possible to support both reconfiguration from preseed and from a config file at the same time. It seems some people expect one to work the other expect the other. I therefore prefer to not change the current behavior and keep the status quo. Also the current behavior implemented in tzdata seems to more or less match the "debconf ... must not be used as a registry". Aurelien -- Aurelien Jarno GPG: 4096R/1DDD8C9B aurel...@aurel32.net http://www.aurel32.net signature.asc Description: PGP signature
Bug#704089: tzdata config script prevents non-interactive (re)configuration
On Wed, Jan 16, 2019 at 11:43:57AM +0100, Aurelien Jarno wrote: > I don't think the patch is correct. Debconf is not a registry, the > canonical location for the configuration is the configuration files, not > the debconf database. Quoting debconf-devel(7): > > "The issue to watch out for here is that debconf is not intended to be, > and must not be used as a registry." > > I think it also applies when DEBCONF_RECONFIGURE is set. That's interesting, but also very confusing. If your assumption is correct, what is the point of being able to run dpkg-reconfigure in non-interactive mode? You can only reconfigure a package that is already installed, so (as I understand it) if the debconf registry is supposed to be clobbered by whatever the actual system configuration is before use, that would mean `dpkg-reconfigure -fnoninteractive ` is a completely useless and pointless command. Let's look at the dash package $ sudo debconf-get-selections | grep dash # Use dash as the default system shell (/bin/sh)? dashdash/sh boolean true $ ls -l /bin/sh lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 Jan 24 2017 /bin/sh -> dash $ echo dash dash/sh boolean false | sudo debconf-set-selections $ sudo debconf-get-selections | grep dash # Use dash as the default system shell (/bin/sh)? dashdash/sh boolean false $ sudo dpkg-reconfigure -fnoninteractive dash Removing 'diversion of /bin/sh to /bin/sh.distrib by dash' Adding 'diversion of /bin/sh to /bin/sh.distrib by bash' Removing 'diversion of /usr/share/man/man1/sh.1.gz to /usr/share/man/man1/sh.distrib.1.gz by dash' Adding 'diversion of /usr/share/man/man1/sh.1.gz to /usr/share/man/man1/sh.distrib.1.gz by bash' $ ls -l /bin/sh lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 Jan 17 10:55 /bin/sh -> bash $ The dash package reconfiguration has no issues modifying the system configuration based on debconf. I would expect tzdata to behave in a consistent manner with other packages. Regards, Adam signature.asc Description: PGP signature
Bug#704089: tzdata config script prevents non-interactive (re)configuration
On 2019-01-15 12:40, Adam Bolte wrote: > Package: tzdata > Version: 2018i-0+deb9u1 > Followup-For: Bug #704089 > > Dear Maintainer, > > This is still a problem 4 years later, and I unexpectedly found myself > spending time to track it down when doing configuration > management. Can we please get the above patch applied *before* the > Buster soft-freeze on 2019-02-12 (just over a month away)? I don't think the patch is correct. Debconf is not a registry, the canonical location for the configuration is the configuration files, not the debconf database. Quoting debconf-devel(7): "The issue to watch out for here is that debconf is not intended to be, and must not be used as a registry." I think it also applies when DEBCONF_RECONFIGURE is set. -- Aurelien Jarno GPG: 4096R/1DDD8C9B aurel...@aurel32.net http://www.aurel32.net signature.asc Description: PGP signature
Bug#704089: tzdata config script prevents non-interactive (re)configuration
Package: tzdata Version: 2018i-0+deb9u1 Followup-For: Bug #704089 Dear Maintainer, This is still a problem 4 years later, and I unexpectedly found myself spending time to track it down when doing configuration management. Can we please get the above patch applied *before* the Buster soft-freeze on 2019-02-12 (just over a month away)? It seems the only work-around for now (aside from patching tzdata.config before executing dpkg-reconfigure in non-interactive mode) is to delete /etc/timezone first. As discussed in #516755, that has the effect of causing a race condition that can lead to things like log files showing wrong timestamps. Not great. Thanks, Adam -- System Information: Debian Release: 9.6 APT prefers stable-updates APT policy: (500, 'stable-updates'), (500, 'stable'), (400, 'proposed-updates'), (50, 'unstable') Architecture: amd64 (x86_64) Foreign Architectures: i386 Kernel: Linux 4.18.0-0.bpo.1-amd64 (SMP w/8 CPU cores) Locale: LANG=en_AU.utf8, LC_CTYPE=en_AU.utf8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE=en:ja (charmap=UTF-8) Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system) Versions of packages tzdata depends on: ii debconf [debconf-2.0] 1.5.61 tzdata recommends no packages. tzdata suggests no packages. -- debconf-show failed signature.asc Description: PGP signature
Bug#704089: tzdata config script prevents non-interactive (re)configuration
Control: found -1 2013i-0wheezy1 Control: tags -1 patch Dear Sébastien and Debian folks, Am Mittwoch, den 27.03.2013, 18:41 + schrieb Sébastien Bocahu: Package: tzdata Version: 2012j-1 The configuration script of the tzdata package, wich uses debconf, prevents non-interactive (re)configuration of the package. To reproduce: - feed debconf with new values for tzdata keys (ex. debconf-set-selections) - run 'dpkg-reconfigure -fnoninteractive tzdata' - configuration is unchanged I propose the following change which makes non-interactive reconfiguration possible: --- /var/lib/dpkg/info/tzdata.config.orig 2013-03-27 18:58:53.0 +0100 +++ /var/lib/dpkg/info/tzdata.config2013-03-27 18:35:53.0 +0100 @@ -370,8 +370,10 @@ # Initializes debconf default values from the ones found in # configuration files -db_set tzdata/Areas $AREA -db_set tzdata/Zones/$AREA $ZONE +if [ -z $DEBCONF_RECONFIGURE ]; then + db_set tzdata/Areas $AREA + db_set tzdata/Zones/$AREA $ZONE +fi STATE=1 while [ $STATE -ge 0 ]; do Note: the comment could make us believe that keys are initialized with the current values of the debconf database, but it is not the case. These values are computed from /etc/timezone. thank you for your report and patch. I am able to reproduce this on Debian Wheezy. It would be great if the patch could be applied to make non-interactive installations easier. Thanks, Paul signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part
Bug#704089: tzdata config script prevents non-interactive (re)configuration
Package: tzdata Version: 2012j-1 The configuration script of the tzdata package, wich uses debconf, prevents non-interactive (re)configuration of the package. To reproduce: - feed debconf with new values for tzdata keys (ex. debconf-set-selections) - run 'dpkg-reconfigure -fnoninteractive tzdata' - configuration is unchanged I propose the following change which makes non-interactive reconfiguration possible: --- /var/lib/dpkg/info/tzdata.config.orig 2013-03-27 18:58:53.0 +0100 +++ /var/lib/dpkg/info/tzdata.config2013-03-27 18:35:53.0 +0100 @@ -370,8 +370,10 @@ # Initializes debconf default values from the ones found in # configuration files -db_set tzdata/Areas $AREA -db_set tzdata/Zones/$AREA $ZONE +if [ -z $DEBCONF_RECONFIGURE ]; then + db_set tzdata/Areas $AREA + db_set tzdata/Zones/$AREA $ZONE +fi STATE=1 while [ $STATE -ge 0 ]; do Note: the comment could make us believe that keys are initialized with the current values of the debconf database, but it is not the case. These values are computed from /etc/timezone. Thanks, -- Sebastien Bocahu -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-bugs-dist-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
