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Message #02676
[Bug 2113961] Re: [MIR] util-linux
** Summary changed:
- [MIR] liblastlog2-2
+ [MIR] util-linux
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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2113961
Title:
[MIR] util-linux
Status in util-linux package in Ubuntu:
New
Bug description:
[Availability]
The package src:util-linux is already in Ubuntu main.
The package src:util-linux build for the architectures it is designed to work on.
It currently builds and works for architectures: amd64, arm64, armhf, i386, ppc64el, riscv64, s390x
Link to package https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/util-linux
[Rationale]
See previous rational below for what actually sparked this MIR.
Now that `bin:liblastlog2-2` has been promoted and everything is unblocked, the
rationale becomes as simple as an ask for a re-review for one of the `Essential`
packages, shipping, among other things, a few `suid` binaries in absolutely
every form Ubuntu can take.
https://canonical-ubuntu-project.readthedocs-hosted.com/MIR/mir-rereview/#opt-in-re-review
Original rationale:
Okay, it seems the MIR template doesn't apply well for this use-case, because
it more or less assumes that the MIR is about a source package that is currently
in universe. In the current situation, only an existing binary package needs to be
promoted, from a source package already in main. I'll do my best to adapt the
template and provide a good rational.
- bin:liblastlog2-2 is provided by src:util-linux, and was already there in
plucky/universe.
- The package src:util-linux is generally useful for a large part of
our user base: it provides the bin:util-linux package, that is even flagged as
`Essential: yes`.
This is the package providing, among many other things, the `su`, `fsck`,
`flock`, or `mkswap` binaries, all mostly essential to any system (random
selection of important commands to give a quick example).
- The package bin:liblastlog2-2 is a new runtime dependency of package
bin:util-linux that we already support.
- The binary packages liblastlog2-2 needs to be in main to have the latest merge
of util-linux migrate from questing-proposed to questing.
- All other binary packages currently in universe built by src:util-linux should
remain in universe.
- The package bin:liblastlog2-2 is required in Ubuntu main no later than
somewhere in July due to some partners requiring patches to be SRU'd to Noble,
and thus needing the package to migrate from -proposed (even though it's not a
hard block from the SRU team, according to what I've red on Matrix recently).
[Security]
- Obviously, util-linux has had some security issues in the past (although not
that much):
- https://ubuntu.com/security/cves?package=util-linux
- https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/source-package/util-linux
- Those issues seems to be handled correctly in both Ubuntu and Debian:
- https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2024-28085
- https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2024-28085
- https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2021-37600
- There are countless binaries in sbin, but I'm fairly confident taking them out
is a big plan of its own to still have a working system.
- There are just a couple systemd units:
- fstrim.{service,timer}: Discard unused filesystem blocks once a week
- lastlog2-import.service: Import lastlog data into lastlog2 database - run
only once in some particular situations to handle a data migration
- About common isolation/risk-mitigation:
- I'm not sure anything in util-linux is opening privileged ports.
- I know some binaries are dropping privileges.
- Going much further on that topic would be a full audit, for which I
unfortunately don't really have time and competency for. I hope that's okay.
- Packages does not contain extensions to security-sensitive software
(filters, scanners, plugins, UI skins, ...)
[Quality assurance - function/usage]
- The package works well right after install
[Quality assurance - maintenance]
- The package is maintained well in Debian/Ubuntu/Upstream and does
not have too many, long-term & critical, open bugs
- Ubuntu https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/util-linux/+bugs?orderby=-importance&start=0
- Debian https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?src=util-linux
- Upstream https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/issues
- Obviously this package has tons of bugs opened, but at the same time, it has
a lot of activity, and is well maintained upstream, in Debian, and in
Ubuntu, just because of its central position in any Linux system.
- The package does not deal with exotic hardware we cannot support
[Quality assurance - testing]
- The package runs a test suite on build time, if it fails
it makes the build fail, link to build log TBD
- The package runs an autopkgtest, and is currently passing on
all architectures but i386: https://autopkgtest.ubuntu.com/packages/util-linux
- The package does have not failing autopkgtests right now
[Quality assurance - packaging]
- debian/watch is present and works
- debian/control defines a correct Maintainer field
- This package does not yield massive lintian Warnings, Errors
- Recent build: https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/util-linux/2.41-4ubuntu2/+build/30908305
- Lintian overrides are present, but ok because most are well commented, and the rest is pretty obvious, like highly privileged binaries.
- This package does not rely on obsolete or about to be demoted
packages.
- The package will be installed by default, but does not ask debconf
questions higher than medium
- Packaging is quite complex, but I'm not sure how much of a choice we have.
Good thing is that this package is equally important in Debian, so it will very
likely keep being maintained.
[UI standards]
- Application is end-user facing, Translation is present, via standard
intltool/gettext. See `configure` for `libintl` and `gettext`.
- End-user applications without desktop file, not needed because it only ships
CLI tools.
[Dependencies]
- No further depends or recommends dependencies that are not yet in main
[Standards compliance]
- This package correctly follows FHS and Debian Policy.
[Maintenance/Owner]
- The owning team will be debcrafters-packages and I have their acknowledgement for
that commitment
- The future owning team is already subscribed to the package.
- This does not use static builds.
- This does not use vendored code
- This package is not rust based
- The package has been built within the last 3 months in the archive
- Build link on launchpad: https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/util-linux/2.41-4ubuntu2
[Background information]
The Package description explains the package well
Upstream Name is `util-linux`
Link to upstream project: https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/
This package has been in main since the very early beginning of Ubuntu, so never
got the chance to get a proper MIR.
This was sparked when the `bin:util-linux` has started to depend on
`bin:liblastlog2-2`, which was in Universe. `liblastlog2-2` was nicely
handled by @paelzer under the "Renamed or re-organized sources" condition.
This MIR still makes sense to me, given that `util-linux` provides many
very important binaries, among which many of them are `suid`, and is one the
`Essential` packages shipped in absolutely every form Ubuntu can take.
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References