[Bug 647879] Re: ~/.sudo_as_admin_successful causes NFS hang

[Launchpad Bug Tracker]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

** Changed in: sudo (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => Confirmed

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/647879

Title:
  ~/.sudo_as_admin_successful causes NFS hang

Status in “sudo” package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  Binary package hint: sudo

  Accessing the file ~/.sudo_as_admin_successful can cause sudo to fail
  when an NFS server is down or unreachable.

  Before running the requested command, sudo (1.7.2p1-1ubuntu5.2)
  touches the file .sudo_as_admin_successful in the user's home
  directory.

  In the failure scenario, your home directory is an NFS mount, the
  network has gone down, and you need root access to fix it.  Alas, your
  sudo command hangs, because it is trying to access a network file, and
  thus you cannot fix the network.

  Putting this flag file in /var/lib/sudo/$LOGNAME-as-admin-successful
  would be safer, because /var/lib is more likely to be on a local
  file-system.

  Please consider whether this Ubuntu addition of touching a file is
  justified at all.  It adds to code complexity.  (There has already
  been at least one bug filed (and fixed) against it.)  It adds to the
  Ubuntu patch burden.  And it provides only the modest benefit of
  allowing /etc/bash.bashrc to inform some people when they log in that
  they can use sudo to be root.

  We sometimes need to use sudo in emergencies, when things aren't
  working well.  Thus, sudo should be simple and streamlined, so we can
  count on it working when other things are broken.  Please, be very
  reluctant to add new code to sudo.

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