[Pkg-net-snmp-devel] Bug#586722: libsnmp-base: NEWS.Debian confusingly refers to "udp:172.0.0.1:161" vs. "127.0.0.1"

[Kalle Olavi Niemitalo]

Package: libsnmp-base
Version: 5.4.3~dfsg-1
Severity: minor
File: /usr/share/doc/libsnmp-base/NEWS.Debian.gz

When I was upgrading libsnmp-base and libsnmp15 with "apt-get
dist-upgrade", I got the following news to the screen, apparently
From apt-listchanges:

> net-snmp (5.4.3~dfsg-1) unstable; urgency=low
> 
>   As of version 5.4.3, upstream ships a new default configuration in
>   /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf, which only uses SNMPv3 rather than SNMPv1 and
>   SNMPv2c. This new default configuration also binds to udp:172.0.0.1:161
>   by default which conflicts with the former specification of 127.0.0.1
>   in /etc/default/snmpd, so now snmpd must be reconfigured here in order
>   to be exposed to the network. Be sure to check both files after an
>   upgrade.
> 
>  -- Jochen Friedrich <jochen at scram.de>  Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:32:09 +0200

This message is confusing for two reasons:

* It tells me to look in /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf and /etc/default/snmpd,
  but I have neither of those files.  I suppose they would be in the
  snmpd package, which I haven't installed.  Can you make the news
  appear only if that package is installed, or reword it to help
  users understand that it relates only to that package?

* It says udp:172.0.0.1:161 conflicts with 127.0.0.1.  Because
  the first address has a typo in it, I initially got the impression
  that the default address had been changed and I should adjust
  firewalls or something like that, particularly with the news entry
  talking about being "exposed to the network".  Even without the
  typo, I think the news entry doesn't make the nature of the conflict
  (trying to bind to the same address multiple times) clear enough.
  The entry in changelog.Debian.gz is much clearer, even though it too
  has the same typo.

I would suggest changing the news to something like this:

>   As of version 5.4.3, the snmpd package includes a new default
>   configuration in /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf, which only uses SNMPv3
>   rather than SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c. This new default configuration
>   also binds to udp:127.0.0.1:161 by default which conflicts with
>   the former specification of 127.0.0.1 in /etc/default/snmpd.
>   If /etc/default/snmpd is not upgraded, snmpd will fail to start
>   because it tries to bind to the same address twice. Be sure to
>   check both files after an upgrade.

-- System Information:
Debian Release: squeeze/sid
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (500, 'testing')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.32-5-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=fi_FI.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=fi_FI.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash

libsnmp-base depends on no packages.

libsnmp-base recommends no packages.

Versions of packages libsnmp-base suggests:
pn  snmp-mibs-downloader          <none>     (no description available)

-- no debconf information
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