Bug#423944: /usr/bin/inetutils-telnet: Complains about ~/.shishi/tickets and creates ~/.shishi, for all connections

[Josh Triplett]

Package: inetutils-telnet
Version: 2:1.5.dfsg.1-4
Severity: normal
File: /usr/bin/inetutils-telnet

When using telnet for any connection, including those not involving Kerberos
in any way, telnet complains that ~/.shishi/tickets does not exist, and
creates ~/.shishi .

- Josh Triplett

-- System Information:
Debian Release: lenny/sid
APT prefers unstable
APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: i386 (i686)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.22-rc1 (PREEMPT)
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash

Versions of packages inetutils-telnet depends on:
ii libc6 2.5-7 GNU C Library: Shared libraries
ii libncurses5 5.5-5 Shared libraries for terminal hand
ii libshishi0 0.0.30-2 Library for the Shishi Kerberos v5
ii netbase 4.29 Basic TCP/IP networking system

inetutils-telnet recommends no packages.

-- no debconf information

[Guillem Jover]

reassign 423944 libshishi0
thanks

Post by Josh Triplett
Package: inetutils-telnet
Version: 2:1.5.dfsg.1-4
Severity: normal
File: /usr/bin/inetutils-telnet
When using telnet for any connection, including those not involving Kerberos
in any way, telnet complains that ~/.shishi/tickets does not exist, and
creates ~/.shishi .

The dot directory is created from inside libshishi, in
lib/init.c (maybe_install_usercfg), I don't think it should be created
from there. For the warning, that's useful information so that users
can diagnose why shishi is not working if there's missing files, but
probably would make sense to disable the output if not asked for,
like in verbose mode or similar.

regards,
guillem

[Simon Josefsson]

Post by Guillem Jover
reassign 423944 libshishi0
thanks

Post by Josh Triplett
Package: inetutils-telnet
Version: 2:1.5.dfsg.1-4
Severity: normal
File: /usr/bin/inetutils-telnet
When using telnet for any connection, including those not involving Kerberos
in any way, telnet complains that ~/.shishi/tickets does not exist, and
creates ~/.shishi .

The dot directory is created from inside libshishi, in
lib/init.c (maybe_install_usercfg), I don't think it should be created
from there. For the warning, that's useful information so that users
can diagnose why shishi is not working if there's missing files, but
probably would make sense to disable the output if not asked for,
like in verbose mode or similar.

There may be multiple problems, that can have different solutions,
here. For example:

* It seems that 'telnet' might not need to initialize Shishi at all,
unless it will use a Kerberos connection.

* The complaint is printed.

* The directory is created.

I will look into if it is simple to make inetutils defer the call to
shishi_init until Kerberos is definitely needed.

Thoughts on the other problems appreciated.

Maybe the directory should simply be created, with no warning?

/Simon

[Guillem Jover]

Hi,

Post by Simon Josefsson

Post by Guillem Jover

Post by Josh Triplett
When using telnet for any connection, including those not involving
Kerberos in any way, telnet complains that ~/.shishi/tickets does
not exist, and
creates ~/.shishi .

The dot directory is created from inside libshishi, in
lib/init.c (maybe_install_usercfg), I don't think it should be created
from there. For the warning, that's useful information so that users
can diagnose why shishi is not working if there's missing files, but
probably would make sense to disable the output if not asked for,
like in verbose mode or similar.

There may be multiple problems, that can have different solutions,
* It seems that 'telnet' might not need to initialize Shishi at all,
unless it will use a Kerberos connection.

When I poked at the code, it seemed it was initializing all auth
methods and trying them until one succeeded, which make sense having
that in order of strongness.

Post by Simon Josefsson
* The complaint is printed.

As I said, I think this is important information for diagnosing why
shishi might not be working (properly?), but one might not want to
see it by default.

Post by Simon Josefsson
* The directory is created.

But by creating the directory it does not make the wanted file appear,
which is the reason of the warning, and IMO in such case it just
clutters the user home dir.

regards,
guillem

[Josh Triplett]

Post by Simon Josefsson

Post by Guillem Jover
reassign 423944 libshishi0
thanks

Post by Josh Triplett
Package: inetutils-telnet
Version: 2:1.5.dfsg.1-4
Severity: normal
File: /usr/bin/inetutils-telnet
When using telnet for any connection, including those not involving Kerberos
in any way, telnet complains that ~/.shishi/tickets does not exist, and
creates ~/.shishi .

The dot directory is created from inside libshishi, in
lib/init.c (maybe_install_usercfg), I don't think it should be created
from there. For the warning, that's useful information so that users
can diagnose why shishi is not working if there's missing files, but
probably would make sense to disable the output if not asked for,
like in verbose mode or similar.

There may be multiple problems, that can have different solutions,
* It seems that 'telnet' might not need to initialize Shishi at all,
unless it will use a Kerberos connection.
* The complaint is printed.
* The directory is created.

Sounds like an accurate summary of the problems.

Post by Simon Josefsson
I will look into if it is simple to make inetutils defer the call to
shishi_init until Kerberos is definitely needed.

Excellent.

Post by Simon Josefsson
Thoughts on the other problems appreciated.
Maybe the directory should simply be created, with no warning?

That seems fine if shishi_init only gets called when using Kerberos.

- Josh Triplett

[Simon Josefsson]

Post by Guillem Jover

Post by Simon Josefsson
* It seems that 'telnet' might not need to initialize Shishi at all,
unless it will use a Kerberos connection.

When I poked at the code, it seemed it was initializing all auth
methods and trying them until one succeeded, which make sense having
that in order of strongness.

I'm still investigating this part.

Post by Guillem Jover

Post by Simon Josefsson
* The complaint is printed.

As I said, I think this is important information for diagnosing why
shishi might not be working (properly?), but one might not want to
see it by default.

Right, I've changed so that the warning is a verbose messages. It is
not an error to not have a Kerberos ticket.

Post by Guillem Jover

Post by Simon Josefsson
* The directory is created.

But by creating the directory it does not make the wanted file appear,
which is the reason of the warning, and IMO in such case it just
clutters the user home dir.

Creating the directory is required for reading the user configuration
file which will be stored there. When the directory is created, a
sample configuration file is copied there too.

This is open to discussion, but as long as the directory isn't created
unless the user wants to use Kerberos, I don't see a problem in creating
the directory.

/Simon