[debian-mysql] Bug#1112499: mariadb-server: ExecStartPost fails with "/usr/share/mysql/debian-start.inc.sh: line 87: MARIADB: unbound variable"

[Otto Kekäläinen]

Actually I do see this warning in e.g.
https://salsa.debian.org/mariadb-team/mariadb-server/-/jobs/8130323
and https://salsa.debian.org/mariadb-team/mariadb-server/-/jobs/8130324

However, it is not preventing the service from starting nor does it
emit an exit code. Reproduction:

root at 15f8cbad768d:~# ps faxu
USER         PID %CPU %MEM    VSZ   RSS TTY      STAT START   TIME COMMAND
root           1  0.0  0.0   4068  3040 pts/0    Ss   16:33   0:00
/bin/bash /debcraft-shell.sh
root         123  0.0  0.0   4192  3544 pts/0    S    16:33   0:00 /bin/bash
root        1225  0.0  0.0   8104  3964 pts/0    R+   16:35   0:00  \_ ps faxu

root at 15f8cbad768d:~# /etc/init.d/mariadb start
Starting MariaDB database server: mariadbd.
/usr/share/mysql/debian-start.inc.sh: line 87: MARIADB: unbound variable
root at 15f8cbad768d:~# echo $?
0
root at 15f8cbad768d:~# ps faxu
USER         PID %CPU %MEM    VSZ   RSS TTY      STAT START   TIME COMMAND
root           1  0.0  0.0   4068  3040 pts/0    Ss   16:33   0:00
/bin/bash /debcraft-shell.sh
root         123  0.0  0.0   4192  3544 pts/0    S    16:33   0:00 /bin/bash
root        1423  0.0  0.0   8104  4008 pts/0    R+   16:35   0:00  \_ ps faxu
root        1249  0.0  0.0   2580  1740 pts/0    S    16:35   0:00
/bin/sh /usr/bin/mysqld_safe
mysql       1374  1.0  0.6 1275708 100528 pts/0  Sl   16:35   0:00  \_
/usr/sbin/mariadbd --basedir=/usr --datadir=/var/lib/mysql
--plugin-dir=/usr/lib/mysql/plugin --user=mysql --skip-log-error --p
root        1375  0.0  0.0   5948  1448 pts/0    S    16:35   0:00  \_
logger -t mysqld -p daemon error


In this 10.11 series in Debian the variable to be used is still the
old MYSQL and not MARIADB, and the fix is simply to change the
variable name:

# diff -u /usr/share/mysql/debian-start.inc.sh.orig
/usr/share/mysql/debian-start.inc.sh
--- /usr/share/mysql/debian-start.inc.sh.orig 2025-08-30
16:37:23.998123407 +0000
+++ /usr/share/mysql/debian-start.inc.sh 2025-08-30 16:37:49.177608997 +0000
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@
            JSON_VALUE(priv, '$.plugin') in ('mysql_native_password',
'mysql_old_password', 'parsec') AND
            JSON_VALUE(priv, '$.authentication_string') = '' AND
            JSON_VALUE(priv, '$.password_last_changed') != 0
-     " | $MARIADB --skip-column-names)
+     " | $MYSQL --skip-column-names)
   if [ "$ret" -ne "0" ]
   then
     logger -p daemon.warn -i -t"$0" "WARNING: mysql.user contains
$ret root accounts without password!"


# grep -E "MYSQL|MARIADB" /usr/share/mysql/debian-start.inc.sh
  LC_ALL=C $MYSQL --skip-column-names --batch -e  '
    xargs -i $MYSQL --skip-column-names --silent --batch \
     " | $MYSQL --skip-column-names)

root at 15f8cbad768d:~# /etc/init.d/mariadb restart
Stopping MariaDB database server: mariadbd.
Starting MariaDB database server: mariadbd.
root at 15f8cbad768d:~#
(no warnings)

Regression was from incorrectly cherry-picking
https://salsa.debian.org/mariadb-team/mariadb-server/-/commit/7eb4211a3ac63f73c2733c45f8865ef033d77f28
without modifying the variable name.

Fixed in https://salsa.debian.org/mariadb-team/mariadb-server/-/commit/48ef3c2dcd2fde4e747852f5c3fda1fcc18f0e11

I will proceed to upload this to bookworm-proposed-updates now.