[Pkg-sysvinit-devel] Bug#438529: Bug#438529: sysvinit: /sbin/runlevel output confused in single-user

[Martin J. Carter]

On Sat, Aug 18, 2007 at 09:22:18AM +0200, Petter Reinholdtsen wrote:
> [Martin J. Carter]
> > But then again, I'm aware changing what runlevel reports may break
> > other things.  Feel free to reassign this to portmap.
> 
> I suspect this is related to the fact that the string returned from
> /bin/runlevel get its value from /var/run/utmp, and it is updated when
> init switches runlevel and is not quite correct the entire rcS.d run
> because it is read-only when the rcS.d starts.  No idea how to avoid
> it.

Local context: /usr/local/bin is on our site NFS-mounted from a
central server to all client systems, the Vulcan nerve pinch is
disabled, and the default runlevel is left at 2.  An inadvertent ^D or
"exit" in single-user mode on a client now means having to push the
hard-reset button.

I've now RTFM on init(8) under etch: not only is /bin/runlevel
performing as advertised, but I've also been stepping into the
blockhole mentioned in the new paragraph in the WARNINGS section.  The
only way round all this I can see would be to special-case S -> 2 as
(S then 1) -> 2 in /etc/init.d/rc, but that way madness lies.

More later, as and when I get time to investigate further.

-- 
Dr Martin J Carter
Computer System Administrator
Astrophysics, University of Oxford
x 73291