[Pkg-sysvinit-devel] Bug#624391: Bug#624391: initscripts: postinst dupes /etc/motd into /etc/motd.tail

[Kel Modderman]

On Thu, 28 Apr 2011 02:44:15 PM Andrew Pollock wrote:
> Package: initscripts
> Version: 2.86.ds1-61
> Severity: minor
> 
> I encountered this bug on Ubuntu 10.04, but the maintainer script in
> question appears unmodified from Debian.
> 
> Basically, the postinst of initscripts appears to copy the contents of
> /etc/motd into /etc/motd.tail, if it doesn't exist.
> 
> This appears to be benign on Debian, but on Ubuntu, which will dynamically
> create an /etc/motd out of shell fragments in /etc/update-motd.d and
> /etc/motd.tail, it has the undesired effect of caused duplicated stale
> content.
> 
> Ubuntu recently pushed an updated initscripts package to 10.04, which
> caused the problem I describe.
> 
> More information in
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/sysvinit/+bug/634387
> 
> In short, I don't think the postinst should be creating an /etc/motd.tail
> if one doesn't exist already.

I do not completely understand this statement. Do you mean: postinst should 
never create /etc/motd.tail at all?

> I also don't think it should go putting anything in it if it does exist.

Tend to agree with this one.

I'd be happy to look at/apply a patch if you could please whip one up?

Thanks, Kel.