bugGPSD - Bugs: bug #39377, Make options 'gpsd_group' and...

 
 

bug #39377: Make options 'gpsd_group' and 'gpsd_user' runtime instead of compile time

Submitted by:  None
Submitted on:  Mon 01 Jul 2013 07:13:12 AM UTC  
 
Category: NoneSeverity: 3 - Normal
Item Group: NoneStatus: Wont Fix
Privacy: PublicAssigned to: None
Open/Closed: Closed

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Tue 02 Jul 2013 12:00:13 AM UTC, comment #2:

I guess it is too easy for a packager to miss this option during configuration because the problem is not really obvious.

At the end of the day it gives end users feeling that gpsd is broken and only a few understand that it is a package to blame. For instance both Debian 7 and Ubuntu 12.04 packagers (didn't check the others) are "too stupid" to add 'gpsd_group=' option when building packages.

Anyway, it looks like unnecessary obstacle in the way of using gpsd, and forces end user to use custom built package/binary for no good reason.

Cheers.

Anonymous
Mon 01 Jul 2013 10:36:39 AM UTC, comment #1:

Marking this Wont Fix, as the runtime option wouldn't solve any problem the config option doesn't. If the packagers are too stupid to use one, they're going to botch the other as well.

Eric S. Raymond <esr>
Project Administrator
Mon 01 Jul 2013 07:13:12 AM UTC, original submission:

When GPSD is started to control a particular device and device is not present in system during gpsd startup it won't be able to open it after device appears. It happens because gpsd drops its uid/gid to nobody:root instead of nobody:group-of-device.

Command line:
/usr/sbin/gpsd -F /var/run/gpsd.sock -P /var/run/gpsd.pid /dev/ttyACM0

syslog:
gpsd[865]: gpsd:ERROR: device open failed: Permission denied - retrying read-only
gpsd[865]: gpsd:ERROR: read-only device open failed: Permission denied
gpsd[865]: gpsd:ERROR: /dev/ttyACM0: device activation failed.

This bug has been fixed long ago by introducing 'gpsd_group' compile time option. The original bug report from Debian: http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=542384

Unfortunately, not all packagers are aware of that and the bug keeps re-appearing:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gpsd/+bug/584936

IMO, it would be good to have similar pair of command line options to specify fallback uid/gid as many other daemons do.
Compile time counterparts can be used to set default values when runtime option is not specified.

For instance:
/usr/sbin/gpsd -F /var/run/gpsd.sock -P /var/run/gpsd.pid --gpsd_group=dialout /dev/ttyACM0

I can contribute a patch if developers agree to use runtime options.

Thanks.

Anonymous

 

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    Follow 2 latest changes.

    Date Changed By Updated Field Previous Value => Replaced By
    Fri 22 Nov 2013 01:45:30 PM UTCesrOpen/ClosedOpen=>Closed
    Mon 01 Jul 2013 10:36:39 AM UTCesrStatusNone=>Wont Fix

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