[Piuparts-devel] Bug#1031086: piupart: fails in many packages for /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/e2scrub_reap.service not owned that is not related to package tested

[Richard Lewis]

On Sun, 27 Aug 2023 16:12:57 -0700 Manphiz <manphiz at gmail.com> wrote:
> I've been dealing with similar spurious error of piuparts when testing
> some packages that it reports that package purging left files on system:
>
> ,----
> | 0m45.6s ERROR: FAIL: Package purging left files on system:
> |   /etc/default/locale -> ../locale.conf  not owned
> |   /etc/vconsole.conf -> default/keyboard         not owned
> |   /root/.ssh/    not owned
> |   /var/cache/private/    not owned
> |   /var/lib/private/      not owned
> |   /var/lib/systemd/coredump/     not owned
> |   /var/lib/systemd/ephemeral-trees/      not owned
> |   /var/lib/systemd/pstore/       not owned
> |   /var/log/private/      not owned
> |
> | 0m45.6s ERROR: FAIL: Installation and purging test.
> `----

> Wondering what is the rational to check not-owned files?

not a maintainer, but id say there's a clear rationale to flag these
-- installing and then purging a package should not usually create
files not owned
(here "not owned" means: not owned by a package, ie stuff that should
have been purged).

>  Is it safe to just ignore them in piuparts?

I think so. You can work round the issue by passing
"--fake-essential-packages=systemd-sysv" to piuparts (if calling from
sbuild use $piuparts_opts in .sbuildrc)
or you can install systemd-sysv in the chroot that it uses (eg
--include argument to mmdebootstrap and --basetargz argument to
piuparts)
(I think this works installing systemd-sysv before the package being
tested, and so these are there when piuparts records the initial state
of the system,
and therefore don't appear to be "created" when it re-checks later.
but i may be wrong. it also makes the test closer to what the user
will see imo)

I believe that most of these (all but the first 2) are made by systemd
(or systemd-tmpfiles?) as part of normal operation -- it's arguably
not a bug in systemd
(but arguably systemd should tell the admin to consider removing such
packages when it is purged? )

I think the first 2 are potentially bugs in whatever makes
/etc/default/locale and /etc/vconsole.conf (shoulnt these be labelled
conffiles / configuration files?)