* [su] New su utility messes with my PATH
@ 2012-09-15 13:17 Thomas Bächler
2012-09-15 14:43 ` Pádraig Brady
0 siblings, 1 reply; 6+ messages in thread
From: Thomas Bächler @ 2012-09-15 13:17 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: util-linux; +Cc: Dave Reisner, Tobias Powalowski
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I found what I think is absolutely unexpected behaviour in the new su
utility. It seems to have been introduced by commit a6fdd3f8.
It is about /sbin and /usr/sbin being in the path: Whenever you switch
to a non-root user, they are removed from the path, and when you switch
to root, they are added. I find it completely unexpected that su (when
not running with -l) messes with my environment at all.
Commands like
PATH=... su -c "cmd" user
do not work as expected.
In my opinion, when you wish your path (or anything in the environment)
to change you should a) use -l to start a login shell or b) configure
your scripts to take care of it.
I propose to revert the mentioned patch. Opinions?
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^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 6+ messages in thread
* Re: [su] New su utility messes with my PATH
2012-09-15 13:17 [su] New su utility messes with my PATH Thomas Bächler
@ 2012-09-15 14:43 ` Pádraig Brady
2012-09-20 9:47 ` Karel Zak
0 siblings, 1 reply; 6+ messages in thread
From: Pádraig Brady @ 2012-09-15 14:43 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Thomas Bächler; +Cc: util-linux, Dave Reisner, Tobias Powalowski
On 09/15/2012 02:17 PM, Thomas Bächler wrote:
> I found what I think is absolutely unexpected behaviour in the new su
> utility. It seems to have been introduced by commit a6fdd3f8.
>
> It is about /sbin and /usr/sbin being in the path: Whenever you switch
> to a non-root user, they are removed from the path, and when you switch
> to root, they are added. I find it completely unexpected that su (when
> not running with -l) messes with my environment at all.
>
> Commands like
> PATH=... su -c "cmd" user
> do not work as expected.
>
> In my opinion, when you wish your path (or anything in the environment)
> to change you should a) use -l to start a login shell or b) configure
> your scripts to take care of it.
>
> I propose to revert the mentioned patch. Opinions?
Ouch, I agree.
su shouldn't be messing with PATH at all IMHO.
cheers,
Pádraig.
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 6+ messages in thread
* Re: [su] New su utility messes with my PATH
2012-09-15 14:43 ` Pádraig Brady
@ 2012-09-20 9:47 ` Karel Zak
2012-09-21 7:54 ` Ludwig Nussel
2012-10-02 8:17 ` Karel Zak
0 siblings, 2 replies; 6+ messages in thread
From: Karel Zak @ 2012-09-20 9:47 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Pádraig Brady, Werner Fink, Ludwig Nussel
Cc: Thomas Bächler, util-linux, Dave Reisner, Tobias Powalowski
On Sat, Sep 15, 2012 at 03:43:29PM +0100, Pádraig Brady wrote:
> On 09/15/2012 02:17 PM, Thomas Bächler wrote:
> >I found what I think is absolutely unexpected behaviour in the new su
> >utility. It seems to have been introduced by commit a6fdd3f8.
> >
> >It is about /sbin and /usr/sbin being in the path: Whenever you switch
> >to a non-root user, they are removed from the path, and when you switch
> >to root, they are added. I find it completely unexpected that su (when
> >not running with -l) messes with my environment at all.
> >
> >Commands like
> > PATH=... su -c "cmd" user
> >do not work as expected.
> >
> >In my opinion, when you wish your path (or anything in the environment)
> >to change you should a) use -l to start a login shell or b) configure
> >your scripts to take care of it.
> >
> >I propose to revert the mentioned patch. Opinions?
>
> Ouch, I agree.
> su shouldn't be messing with PATH at all IMHO.
It's Suse patch, I guess there is/was any reason for the patch
commit a6fdd3f8125be23930d955c2bc6b7a46cdaf8a12
Author: Werner Fink <werner@suse.de>
Date: Tue Aug 17 09:09:55 2010 +0200
make sure /sbin resp /usr/sbin are in PATH
Werner, Ludwig? What about to revert the patch?
Karel
--
Karel Zak <kzak@redhat.com>
http://karelzak.blogspot.com
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 6+ messages in thread
* Re: [su] New su utility messes with my PATH
2012-09-20 9:47 ` Karel Zak
@ 2012-09-21 7:54 ` Ludwig Nussel
2012-10-02 8:17 ` Karel Zak
1 sibling, 0 replies; 6+ messages in thread
From: Ludwig Nussel @ 2012-09-21 7:54 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Karel Zak
Cc: Pádraig Brady, Werner Fink, Thomas Bächler, util-linux,
Dave Reisner, Tobias Powalowski
Karel Zak wrote:
> On Sat, Sep 15, 2012 at 03:43:29PM +0100, Pádraig Brady wrote:
>> On 09/15/2012 02:17 PM, Thomas Bächler wrote:
>>> I found what I think is absolutely unexpected behaviour in the new su
>>> utility. It seems to have been introduced by commit a6fdd3f8.
>>>
>>> It is about /sbin and /usr/sbin being in the path: Whenever you switch
>>> to a non-root user, they are removed from the path, and when you switch
>>> to root, they are added. I find it completely unexpected that su (when
>>> not running with -l) messes with my environment at all.
>>>
>>> Commands like
>>> PATH=... su -c "cmd" user
>>> do not work as expected.
>>>
>>> In my opinion, when you wish your path (or anything in the environment)
>>> to change you should a) use -l to start a login shell or b) configure
>>> your scripts to take care of it.
>>>
>>> I propose to revert the mentioned patch. Opinions?
>>
>> Ouch, I agree.
>> su shouldn't be messing with PATH at all IMHO.
Well, su is such a mess that you better not make any assumptions about
it. Avoid su if you can.
> It's Suse patch, I guess there is/was any reason for the patch
>
> commit a6fdd3f8125be23930d955c2bc6b7a46cdaf8a12
> Author: Werner Fink <werner@suse.de>
> Date: Tue Aug 17 09:09:55 2010 +0200
>
> make sure /sbin resp /usr/sbin are in PATH
>
>
> Werner, Ludwig? What about to revert the patch?
Personally I don't really mind. I don't know the background of the patch
though. IMO using 'su' instead of 'su -' is broken anyways so making the
former less convenient may help teaching people to use 'su -' instead.
cu
Ludwig
--
(o_ Ludwig Nussel
//\
V_/_ http://www.suse.de/
SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, GF: Jeff Hawn, Jennifer Guild, Felix Imendörffer, HRB 16746 (AG Nürnberg)
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 6+ messages in thread
* Re: [su] New su utility messes with my PATH
2012-09-20 9:47 ` Karel Zak
2012-09-21 7:54 ` Ludwig Nussel
@ 2012-10-02 8:17 ` Karel Zak
2012-10-02 8:23 ` Thomas Bächler
1 sibling, 1 reply; 6+ messages in thread
From: Karel Zak @ 2012-10-02 8:17 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Pádraig Brady, Werner Fink, Ludwig Nussel
Cc: Thomas Bächler, util-linux, Dave Reisner, Tobias Powalowski
On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 11:47:04AM +0200, Karel Zak wrote:
> commit a6fdd3f8125be23930d955c2bc6b7a46cdaf8a12
> Author: Werner Fink <werner@suse.de>
> Date: Tue Aug 17 09:09:55 2010 +0200
>
> make sure /sbin resp /usr/sbin are in PATH
>
>
> Werner, Ludwig? What about to revert the patch?
Reverted.
Karel
--
Karel Zak <kzak@redhat.com>
http://karelzak.blogspot.com
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 6+ messages in thread
* Re: [su] New su utility messes with my PATH
2012-10-02 8:17 ` Karel Zak
@ 2012-10-02 8:23 ` Thomas Bächler
0 siblings, 0 replies; 6+ messages in thread
From: Thomas Bächler @ 2012-10-02 8:23 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Karel Zak
Cc: Pádraig Brady, Werner Fink, Ludwig Nussel, util-linux,
Dave Reisner, Tobias Powalowski
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Am 02.10.2012 10:17, schrieb Karel Zak:
> On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 11:47:04AM +0200, Karel Zak wrote:
>> commit a6fdd3f8125be23930d955c2bc6b7a46cdaf8a12
>> Author: Werner Fink <werner@suse.de>
>> Date: Tue Aug 17 09:09:55 2010 +0200
>>
>> make sure /sbin resp /usr/sbin are in PATH
>>
>>
>> Werner, Ludwig? What about to revert the patch?
>
> Reverted.
>
> Karel
Thank you, much appreciated.
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^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 6+ messages in thread
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2012-09-15 13:17 [su] New su utility messes with my PATH Thomas Bächler
2012-09-15 14:43 ` Pádraig Brady
2012-09-20 9:47 ` Karel Zak
2012-09-21 7:54 ` Ludwig Nussel
2012-10-02 8:17 ` Karel Zak
2012-10-02 8:23 ` Thomas Bächler
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