Re: coreutils-6.3: install: basic-1 fails

[Jim Meyering]

Bauke Jan Douma <address@hidden> wrote:
...
>>> $> ls -l /sw/coreutils/coreutils-6.3/tests/install/../../src/dd
>>> -rwx--x--x 1 root staff 45532 Oct  3 18:06 
>>> /sw/coreutils/coreutils-6.3/tests/install/../../src/dd
>> That file is readable only by root.
>> So if you're running tests as some other user, that would
>> explain the failure you saw.
>
> Yes, I am running the tests as root, but apparently the basic-1
> test re-runs itself as user nobody (65534), which explains the
> failure.
>
> Presently though that doesn't explain, to me at least, why
> 'require-non-root' is a show-stopper when I'm running the
> make check as root initially.

The main problem is that building as "root" is generally considered
to be a bad idea, from a security standpoint.  As such, running the
tests that way is rarely tested.

I've fixed it like this:

2006-10-05  Jim Meyering  <address@hidden>

        * tests/install/basic-1: Skip the latter part of this test if the
        just-built dd binary is not readable.  Otherwise, this test would fail
        when binaries were created as root.  Reported by Bauke Jan Douma in
        <http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.gnu.core-utils.bugs/8433>.

Index: tests/install/basic-1
===================================================================
RCS file: /fetish/cu/tests/install/basic-1,v
retrieving revision 1.21
diff -u -r1.21 basic-1
--- tests/install/basic-1       18 Sep 2006 22:09:50 -0000      1.21
+++ tests/install/basic-1       5 Oct 2006 08:30:20 -0000
@@ -58,7 +58,20 @@
 # Make sure strip works.
 dd=dd$EXEEXT
 dd2=dd2$EXEEXT
-cp $pwd/../../src/$dd . || fail=1
+
+just_built_dd=$pwd/../../src/$dd
+
+test -r $just_built_dd || \
+  {
+    cat 1>&2 <<EOF
+$0: WARNING!!!
+Your just-built dd binary, $just_built_dd
+is not readable, so skipping the remaining tests in this file.
+EOF
+    exit 77
+  }
+
+cp $just_built_dd . || fail=1
 cp $dd $dd2 || fail=1

 strip $dd2 || \