GNU bug report logs - #12954
Differences between 'su' version give different results

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: Eric Blake <eblake <at> redhat.com>
Cc: tracker <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#12954: closed (Differences between 'su' version give
 different results)
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2012 17:08:02 +0000

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Your message dated Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:06:09 -0700
with message-id <50AD0A01.5090004 <at> redhat.com>
and subject line Re: bug#12954: Differences between 'su' version give different results
has caused the debbugs.gnu.org bug report #12954,
regarding Differences between 'su' version give different results
to be marked as done.

(If you believe you have received this mail in error, please contact
help-debbugs <at> gnu.org.)


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12954: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=12954
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From: ybronhei <ybronhei <at> redhat.com>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Cc: Dan Kenigsberg <danken <at> redhat.com>
Subject: Differences between 'su' version give different results
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2012 18:07:22 +0200

Differences between 'su' version give different results in the following 
shell script:

# !/bin/sh

func() {
su user > /dev/null 2>&1 << EOF
echo >> /tmp/b
EOF
}

if func; then
   echo "access"
else
   echo "no access"
fi

over fedora 17 I run - coreutils 8.15-8: if the file is not accessible 
by user the script prints no access, and the other way around.
over rhel 6.3 we run - coreutils 8.4: the result of func is always 
"access" without any dependency of the file permissions.. My first guess 
was that it returns 0 because the 'su' command was succeeded, but with 
strace you see that the script runs differently.

Is it a bug?

Thanks.

-- 
Yaniv Bronhaim.
RedHat, Israel
09-7692289
054-7744187

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From: Eric Blake <eblake <at> redhat.com>
To: ybronhei <ybronhei <at> redhat.com>
Cc: 12954-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Dan Kenigsberg <danken <at> redhat.com>
Subject: Re: bug#12954: Differences between 'su' version give different results
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:06:09 -0700

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tag 12954 notabug
thanks

On 11/21/2012 09:07 AM, ybronhei wrote:
> Differences between 'su' version give different results in the following
> shell script:

> over fedora 17 I run - coreutils 8.15-8: if the file is not accessible
> by user the script prints no access, and the other way around.
> over rhel 6.3 we run - coreutils 8.4: the result of func is always
> "access" without any dependency of the file permissions.. My first guess
> was that it returns 0 because the 'su' command was succeeded, but with
> strace you see that the script runs differently.
> 
> Is it a bug?

Thanks for the report.  Perhaps it is a bug in the older coreutils 8.4
that was fixed for coreutils 8.15, although a quick read through NEWS
didn't find such a mention (only that 8.9 was the point at which
upstream quit building su by default, and therefore Fedora 17 is using a
non-default build in order to get su from coreutils 8.15).  Or it could
be a patch that is applied to Fedora but not to RHEL.  Either way,
upstream coreutils no longer maintains coreutils (newer distros, such as
Fedora 18, use 'su' from util-linux); furthermore, upstream, we only
focus on fixing current bugs, and not on backporting fixes to older
releases.  So your question should be redirected downstream to your
particular distro (that is, please file a support request with Red Hat),
as it is not something we are worried about here.

I'm closing this bug report because there is nothing further to do
upstream; but obviously the issue is real for your setup, and you should
feel free to send further replies if you have more questions and/or file
a downstream bug and want to post the results of that downstream bug
resolution back to this list.

-- 
Eric Blake   eblake <at> redhat.com    +1-919-301-3266
Libvirt virtualization library http://libvirt.org

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