[Pkg-shadow-devel] Bug#276419: transition anouncement proposal

[Christian Perrier]

> Introduction
> ============
> As reported in #276419, shadow's su [1] doesn't permit to specify options

I would enhance this is a Debian-only behaviour.."su in the login
Debian package" or similar....

> to the invoked shell and doesn't respect quoted arguments.
> We plan to revert this behavior and follow su's documentation and other
> implementations.
> 
> 
> Short details
> =============
> Packages passing a command in argument to su must use su's -c option
> and must quote the command if it contains a space.
> For example:
>   su - root -c "ls -l /"
> 
> The following commands won't work anymore:
>   su - root -c ls -l /
>   su - root "ls -l /"
>   su - root ls -l /
> 
> There will be no problems for backports. -c can be used and arguments
> quoted, with the past and future versions.
> 
> Needed adaptations
> ==================
> We tried to find the packages that will be affected by this transition.
> We did not audit the full archive, but focused on [2]:
>  * maintainer scripts
>  * packages with an init.d script (based on a sid Contents-i386)
>  * packages with an cron script (based on a sid Contents-i386)
>  * native packages (on sid i386)
> (In general, archives embedded in source packages were not chacked)
> 
> Package needing changes
> -----------------------
> amavisd-new-2.3.3/debian/amavisd-new.cron.daily
> backupninja-0.9.2/handlers/pgsql
> backupninja-0.9.2/handlers/mysql
> backupninja-0.9.2/examples/example.rdiff
> echolot-2.1.8/debian/echolot.init
> gnunet-0.7.0b/contrib/init_gnunet_ubuntu
> yiff-2.14.2/build_and_install
> python-4suite-0.99cvs20051115/debian/python-4suite-server.init.d
> samhain-2.0.10a/init/samhain.start.in
> 
> To be checked
> -------------
> debget-1.5/debget
> 
> maybe
> -----
> cedar-backup2-2.7.2/CedarBackup2/peer.py (depends on executeCommand)
> nut-2.0.2/scripts/HP-UX/nut-drvctl.sh (maybe not used on Debian)
> usermin-1.160/cron/config-aix (maybe not used on Debian)
> courier-0.52.1/courier.lpspec(.in)? (maybe not used on Debian)
> courier-0.52.1/courier.spec(.in)? (maybe not used on Debian)
> murasaki-0.8.11/scripts/printer (su $USER -c $CMD, $CMD may have a space)
> nut-2.0.2/scripts/HP-UX/nut-drvctl.sh (maybe not used on Debian)
> nut-2.0.2/scripts/HP-UX/nut-upsd.sh (maybe not used on Debian)
> usermin-1.160/web-lib-funcs.pl
> usermin-1.160/shell/index.cgi
> usermin-1.160/fetchmail/check.pl
> usermin-1.160/commands/run.cgi
> usermin-1.160/postgresql/postgresql-lib.pl
> webmin-1.230/web-lib-funcs.pl
> webmin-1.230/cron/config-aix
> webmin-1.230/custom/run.cgi
> 
> In comments or documentation
> ----------------------------
> cyrus21-imapd-2.1.18/debian/cyrus21-common.postinst
> lprng-3.8.28/DOCS/LPRng-Reference.html
> lprng-3.8.28/DOCS/LPRng-Reference.sgml
> lprng-3.8.28/DOCS/LPRng-Reference-Multipart/x9198.htm
> remstats-1.0.13a/INSTALL
> remstats-1.0.13a/docs/book.tex (and other formats)
> remstats-1.0.13a/docs/install-user.pod
> remstats-1.0.13a/docs/install.pod
> remstats-1.0.13a/docs/install.txt
> bricolage-1.8.8/bin/bric_ftpd
> dhis-client-5.3/README
> kdenetwork-3.5.0/kopete/protocols/meanwhile/README
> pop-before-smtp-1.36/contrib/README.rootless-install
> sqlrelay-0.36.4/doc/gettingstarted/interbase.html
> debpool-0.2.2/debian/README.User
> 
> Transition plan
> ===============
> Date?

I would say 1 month after the announcement

> 
> environment variable to restore the previous behavior
> 
> conflict with the above packages?

Only the "sure" ones

> Other recommandation

Recommendation


> [1] The su used on Debian, unless for The Hurd (which uses coreutils's su).

s/unless/except

> 
> [2] The rational is that we consider there is a greater chance to find

rationale

>     problems on debian specific packages/scripts since it would have fail

Debian