[Pkg-mailman-hackers] Bug#424620: mailman: error.log not re-opened on log rotation

[Sam Morris]

Package: mailman
Version: 1:2.1.9-7
Severity: important

Mailman does not re-open error.log when it gets SIGHUP, causing loss of error messages:

$ lsof +L1
COMMAND     PID     USER   FD   TYPE DEVICE SIZE NLINK  NODE NAME
mailmanct 12578     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12584     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12584     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12585     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12585     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12586     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12586     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12587     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12587     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12588     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12588     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12589     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12589     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12590     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12590     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12591     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12591     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)

$ kill -HUP $(sudo cat /var/run/mailman/mailman.pid)

$ lsof +L1
COMMAND     PID     USER   FD   TYPE DEVICE SIZE NLINK  NODE NAME
mailmanct 12578     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12584     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12584     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12585     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12585     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12586     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12586     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12587     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12587     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12588     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12588     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12589     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12589     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12590     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12590     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12591     list    3u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)
python    12591     list    5u   REG  254,2    0     0 33507 /var/log/mailman/error.1 (deleted)

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 4.0
  APT prefers stable
  APT policy: (540, 'stable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Shell:  /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash
Kernel: Linux 2.6.18-4-686
Locale: LANG=en_GB.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_GB.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)

Versions of packages mailman depends on:
ii  adduser                     3.102        Add and remove users and groups
ii  apache2                     2.2.3-4      Next generation, scalable, extenda
ii  apache2-mpm-worker [httpd]  2.2.3-4      High speed threaded model for Apac
ii  cron                        3.0pl1-100   management of regular background p
ii  debconf [debconf-2.0]       1.5.11       Debian configuration management sy
ii  exim4                       4.63-17      metapackage to ease exim MTA (v4) 
ii  exim4-daemon-heavy [mail-tr 4.63-17      exim MTA (v4) daemon with extended
ii  libc6                       2.3.6.ds1-13 GNU C Library: Shared libraries
ii  logrotate                   3.7.1-3      Log rotation utility
ii  lsb-base                    3.1-23.1     Linux Standard Base 3.1 init scrip
ii  pwgen                       2.05-1       Automatic Password generation
ii  python                      2.4.4-2      An interactive high-level object-o
ii  python-support              0.5.6        automated rebuilding support for p
ii  ucf                         2.0020       Update Configuration File: preserv

mailman recommends no packages.

-- debconf information:
  mailman/queue_files_present:
* mailman/default_server_language: en
  mailman/gate_news: false
* mailman/site_languages: en
* mailman/used_languages: en
* mailman/create_site_list: