Bug#388399: FTBFS problems on alpha, mips[el]: Please help debugging
- To: Frank Küster <frank@kuesterei.ch>
- Cc: 388399@bugs.debian.org, alpha@buildd.debian.org, debian-alpha@lists.debian.org, mipsel@buildd.debian.org, debian-mips@lists.debian.org, mips@buildd.debian.org, Alex Owen <r.alex.owen@gmail.com>, Cyril Bouthors <cyb@debian.org>
- Subject: Bug#388399: FTBFS problems on alpha, mips[el]: Please help debugging
- From: Thiemo Seufer <ths@networkno.de>
- Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 17:05:54 +0100
- Message-id: <[🔎] 20060930160554.GB30302@networkno.de>
- Reply-to: Thiemo Seufer <ths@networkno.de>, 388399@bugs.debian.org
- In-reply-to: <[🔎] 86irj5r999.fsf@alhambra.kuesterei.ch>
- References: <87ac4t2l19.fsf@wide.bouthors.org> <[🔎] handler.s.C.115885939828446.transcript@bugs.debian.org> <[🔎] 86ac4suq4w.fsf@alhambra.kuesterei.ch> <[🔎] 20060923102215.GC8904@thinkpad> <[🔎] 86bqp3f0w5.fsf_-_@alhambra.kuesterei.ch> <86r6xvgiib.fsf@alhambra.kuesterei.ch> <[🔎] 20060929103700.GD21205@mauritius.dodds.net> <[🔎] 86wt7mgb2l.fsf@alhambra.kuesterei.ch> <[🔎] 20060930055438.GG4726@mauritius.dodds.net> <[🔎] 86irj5r999.fsf@alhambra.kuesterei.ch>
Frank Küster wrote:
> [Summary for the buildd people: We still need your help]
>
> Steve Langasek <vorlon@debian.org> wrote:
>
> > But if the package build requires access to $HOME/.texmf-var, that's still a
> > bug that should be fixed;
>
> No it doesn't require that. Only if there is a $HOME directory, and it
> is writable, then it is used. Otherwise /tmp/texfonts is used
> instead.
>
> > Anyway, here's how I *am* able to reproduce the bug:
>
> No, that's not the same bug.
>
> > sudo mkdir -p /tmp/texfonts/source/jknappen/ec
> > sudo mkdir -p /tmp/texfonts/tfm/jknappen/ec
> > make -C docs/psdoc
> >
> > So somewhere, there is a very, very wrong assumption that it's ok to use a
> > fixed, user-invariant path under /tmp for writing out fonts.
>
> I do not think that this is a bug, and anyway it's unrelated to the
> FTBFS problem. Previously fonts were created below /var, but this was
> regarded as a security risk because users would be able to completely
> fill up /var. Now the font cache is in the users' directories, and only
> as a fallback it is in /tmp/texfonts.
So, if I understand that correctly, the bug was fixed by running mktexmf
as non-root, and the change of the cache location is only a collateral.
> This was particularly designed
> for machines like buildds, where $HOME might be nonexistent or
> unwritable. I think it was even discussed on -devel, but maybe not the
> details. Why should it be more wrong to use a user-invariant path in
> /tmp than a user-invariant path in /var?
Because /var isn't a free-for-all scratch space like /tmp.
> Note that we cannot use
> directories created with mktemp or so, because it's not possible to pass
> on the directory name from the process that creates the dir, to the one
> that creates the font and to the one that uses it.
>
> If the admin chooses to create an empty /tmp/texfonts hierarchy without
> write access for users that need the font cache, that's equivalent to
> him creating an empty /var/cache/fonts/... without users having write
> access, in the old setup. You're allowed to shoot yourself into the
> foot.
AFAIU any user on the system could create /tmp/texfonts and break
mktexmf that way.
Thiemo
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