Bug#870747: update-rc.d: enabling a default-disabled service fails: "foo Default-Start contains no runlevels, aborting."

[Felipe Sateler]

On Fri, Aug 4, 2017 at 2:32 PM, Daniel Kahn Gillmor
<dkg at fifthhorseman.net> wrote:
> Package: init-system-helpers
> Version: 1.49
> Severity: normal
> Tags: patch
>
> i have a system service that is disabled by default.  the local
> administrator is expected to do some not insignificant configuration
> (often using tools shipped in the package) before the service can be
> enabled.
>
> This service prefers an empty Default-Start: line, and a full
> Default-Stop: line.  The administrator is expected to enable it with
> "update-rc.d foo enable" when they're ready.

These two are incompatible. `update-rc.d foo enable` means "leave
links as per defined in the Default-Start/Stop lines", thus it won't
work because you have all-stop defaults.

I think you are redefining what Default-Start means. My undestanding
is it means: 'To enable this service, create these links'. Your patch
would turn it into something like: 'These links should be created at
package installation time'. These are not the same, and it is entirely
sane to have a package not install the enable links at install time.

I don't think update-rc.d should codify policy, it should be a dumb
mechanism to alter the symlink farm.

I think the correct fix is #857452, plus changing your init script to
have Default-start: 2 3 4 5.

#857452: update-rc.d: please provide a defaults-disabled option

-- 

Saludos,
Felipe Sateler