[pkg-cryptsetup-devel] Bug#783297: Bug#783297: breaks initramfs if BUSYBOX=n

[Ben Hutchings]

On Fri, 2015-12-25 at 14:46 +0100, Jonas Meurer wrote:
[...]
> 
> > /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hooks/busybox will see the BUSYBOX=y setting
> > and copy the busybox binary.
> > 
> > /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hooks/zz-busybox sources
> > /etc/initramfs-tools/initramfs.conf, therefor BUSYBOX=n will be set
> > again, and the symlinks are not created.
> 
> Honestly, this looks like a bug in busybox to me. What's the reason for
> the two busybox initramfs hook scripts at all?
> 
> *) /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hooks/busybox copies bin/busybox to the
>    initramfs and links /bin/sh to it without sourcing initramfs.conf.

This is part of initramfs-tools.

> *) /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hooks/zz-busybox-initramfs sources
>    initramfs.conf, removes busybox binary from initramfs if existent,
>    and copies bin/busybox to initramfs and links all aliases provided
>    by busybox to it.

This is actually called zz-busybox, and is part of busybox.  Somehow I
failed to notice this exists. :-/

> I don't understand the following:
> 
> What's the purpose of /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hooks/busybox at all,
> if changes are reverted by
> /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hooks/zz-busybox-initramfs later on anyway
> and redone in a slightly different fashion?

Yes, this is stupid.  We should arrange to properly hand over
responsibility for installing busybox, and adjust package dependencies
accordingly.

> Why does /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hooks/zz-busybox-initramfs source
> initramfs.conf? The BUSYBOY variable is exported by mkinitramfs anyway.
> 
> The simplest fix to this bug would be to stop sourcing initramfs.conf in
> hooks/zz-busybox-initramfs.

It should certainly stop doing that.

[...]
> > b/ /usr/share/initramfs-tools/conf-hooks.d/cryptsetup drops the
> > BUSYBOX=y line. And if this is not an option, because cryptsetup
> > requires busybox, then this should be reflected in the package
> > dependencies accordingly by making the Recommends a Depends.
> 
> Do you think that the cryptsetup packages should depend on
> initramfs-tools and busybox despite the fact that they're usable without?

No, they should only recommend them.   The busybox hook script is
changed in initramfs-tools 0.121~rc2 to hard fail if busybox is wanted
but not installed.  If it's dropped in favour of the zz-busybox hook
script, then I can move that check into mkinitramfs.

Ben.

-- 
Ben Hutchings
Power corrupts.  Absolute power is kind of neat.
                           - John Lehman, Secretary of the US Navy 1981-1987
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