Re: Require packages to build without any configured DNS
On 9/6/21 4:39 PM, Mattia Rizzolo wrote:
> Hi,
>
> during the year, a src:dnspython change made it so that any software
> importing that library now requires a valid /etc/resolv.conf with at
> least one nameserver configured.
>
> This also made it so that something between 50-100 packages now fail to
> build if the build system doesn't have any working /etc/resolv.conf. I
> venture to say that this is a very reasonable configuration to have in a
> build system that tries to be network-disabled.
>
> It must be noted that no actual network operation happen, so this
> doesn't fall into the "no network activity" bucket.
>
>
> This is the bug that was filed against dnspython: https://bugs.debian.org/989171
>
>
> Do anybody on the list have any opinion on where is the bug, on
> dnspython, or on the build environment?
>
>
> As the pbuilder maintainer, I've been asked to make it serve a
> non-working /etc/resolv.conf just to make that bug above moot, so I'm
> quite biased on the matter myself :)
I already stated this during discussions on IRC, but I will reiterate
here to feed the discussion.
The only place where dnspython needs a working /etc/resolv.conf is
testing. Mandating a non-working /etc/resolv.conf will only result in
having less tests in that package, which will potentially lower the
package quality insurance, rather than improving Debian. When addressing
this problem, we should ask ourselves: what is it that we're actually
trying to fix. IMO: not much here... There's nothing broken.
Therefore, I am in the opinion that we should let the package run its
test as much as possible, especially considering that it's not doing
actual network outbound connections.
Cheers,
Thomas Goirand (zigo)
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