Bug#770517: autopkgtest: installs an init script with inconsistent dependencies/sequencing

[smcv@debian.org (Simon McVittie)]

Package: autopkgtest
Version: 3.8
Severity: normal

While investigating systemd jobs with cyclic dependencies, I did
a codesearch.debian.net search for problems similar to one that was
reported involving vmware-tools. This is not a mass bug filing,
autopkgtest was the only one I found.

My search indicated that autopkgtest can install an init script
(on VMs) with:

# X-Start-Before:    $network
# Default-Start:     2 3 4 5

Under sysvinit, that just doesn't work; $network is provided by
/etc/init.d/networking which runs in rcS, so by the time sysvinit
even thinks about rc2, the opportunity to run /etc/init.d/autopkgtest
has passed.

Under systemd, which puts all init scripts and systemd units into one
large dependency graph, it's a potential cyclic dependency:
autopkgtest.service is Before network.target, which is Before
rpcbind.service/nfs-common.service (if installed), which are Before
basic.target (the systemd equivalent of rcS), which is Before
everything with DefaultDependencies, including LSB init scripts
that don't start in rcS.

Is there any reason for this script not to start earlier, in rcS?
That would solve this, and it doesn't look as though it needs
anything from later runlevels.

    S