[Bug 1898753] Re: Non-existent home directory entry in /etc/passwd

[Patrick Goetz]

** Description changed:

  This bug applies to both Ubuntu 18.04 and Ubuntu 20.04, the two distros
  I've checked.
  
  This is likely a packaging error.  The syslog user appears in
  /etc/passwd as:
  
-   syslog:x:102:106::/home/syslog:/usr/sbin/nologin
+   syslog:x:102:106::/home/syslog:/usr/sbin/nologin
  
  Of course there is no directory /home/syslog.  This appears innocuous,
  but can cause problems for users that have, say autofs mounted home
- directories.  To cite one example, the python virtual envionment
- anaconda trolls through /etc/passw looking for environments in
+ directories.  To cite one example, the python virtual environment
+ anaconda trolls through /etc/passwd looking for environments in
  /home/USER.  This triggers autofs to try and mount /home/syslog, which
- doesn't existing, causing the automounter to hang under certain
+ doesn't exist, causing the automounter to hang under certain
  circumstances.  In, for example, Arch linux, this entry would appear as
  the considerably more sensible
  
-   syslog:x:102:106::/:/usr/sbin/nologin
+   syslog:x:102:106::/:/usr/sbin/nologin
  
  While an edge case in the current compute environment, this is also a
  very easy fix.  Don't reference non-existent directories. Many Ubuntu
  packages make this packaging error when creating local users with non-
  existent home directories; e.g. cups-pk-helper, which I'm filing a bug
  report for next.

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu
Foundations Bugs, which is subscribed to rsyslog in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1898753

Title:
  Non-existent home directory entry in /etc/passwd

Status in rsyslog package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  This bug applies to both Ubuntu 18.04 and Ubuntu 20.04, the two
  distros I've checked.

  This is likely a packaging error.  The syslog user appears in
  /etc/passwd as:

    syslog:x:102:106::/home/syslog:/usr/sbin/nologin

  Of course there is no directory /home/syslog.  This appears innocuous,
  but can cause problems for users that have, say autofs mounted home
  directories.  To cite one example, the python virtual environment
  anaconda trolls through /etc/passwd looking for environments in
  /home/USER.  This triggers autofs to try and mount /home/syslog, which
  doesn't exist, causing the automounter to hang under certain
  circumstances.  In, for example, Arch linux, this entry would appear
  as the considerably more sensible

    syslog:x:102:106::/:/usr/sbin/nologin

  While an edge case in the current compute environment, this is also a
  very easy fix.  Don't reference non-existent directories. Many Ubuntu
  packages make this packaging error when creating local users with non-
  existent home directories; e.g. cups-pk-helper, which I'm filing a bug
  report for next.

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/rsyslog/+bug/1898753/+subscriptions