[Bug 488696] Re: syntax error in nsswitch config near [ syntax error ]

[Brian Murray]

I installed autofs5 from precise-proposed and confirm that there is no
longer a syntax error.

Setting up autofs5 (5.0.6-0ubuntu5.1) ...
invoke-rc.d: policy-rc.d denied execution of start.
(precise-amd64)root at impulse:/home/bdmurray# cat /var/log/syslog 
Jan 22 15:19:39 impulse rsyslogd: rsyslogd's userid changed to 101
Jan 22 15:19:39 impulse rsyslogd-2039: Could not open output pipe '/dev/xconsole' [try http://www.rsyslog.com/e/2039 ]
Jan 22 15:22:37 impulse sudo: pam_ecryptfs: pam_sm_authenticate: /home/bdmurray is already mounted
Jan 22 15:22:46 impulse automount[30849]: syntax error in nsswitch config near [ syntax error ]
Jan 22 15:22:46 impulse automount[30849]: do_mount_autofs_indirect: failed to create autofs directory /misc
Jan 22 15:22:46 impulse automount[30849]: handle_mounts: mount of /misc failed!
Jan 22 15:22:46 impulse automount[30849]: master_do_mount: failed to startup mount
Jan 22 15:24:55 impulse automount[31408]: do_mount_autofs_indirect: failed to create autofs directory /misc
Jan 22 15:24:55 impulse automount[31408]: handle_mounts: mount of /misc failed!
Jan 22 15:24:55 impulse automount[31408]: master_do_mount: failed to startup mount


** Tags removed: verification-needed
** Tags added: verification-done

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/488696

Title:
  syntax error in nsswitch config near [ syntax error ]

Status in “autofs” package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Released
Status in “autofs5” package in Ubuntu:
  Invalid
Status in “base-files” package in Ubuntu:
  Invalid
Status in “autofs5” source package in Precise:
  Fix Committed
Status in “base-files” source package in Precise:
  Invalid
Status in “autofs” source package in Quantal:
  Fix Released
Status in “base-files” source package in Quantal:
  Invalid
Status in “autofs5” package in Debian:
  Fix Released

Bug description:
  [IMPACT]

  By default installed autofs, fails to parse the default/unmodified
  nsswitch.conf and hence does not fall back to files stanza. The parser
  fails if it doesn't find automount stanza in the nsswitch.conf, and by
  default there isn't one on Debian/Ubuntu systems. The fix is to change
  the flex parser to accept nsswitch.conf without an automount stanza as
  a valid configuration file (empty from the autofs point of view) which
  then makes is gracefully fallback to the files stanza as expected.

  [TESTCASE]

   * Install autofs package
   * Notice "syntax erro in nsswitch config new near [ syntax error ]" in syslog
   * Update package
   * Notice that autofs starts, and mounts (if any) configured in /etc/auto.master are mounted.   
   * There is no syntax error from autofs in the syslog
   
  [Regression Potential] 

   * If system administrator configured automoun in the nsswitch.conf, that behaviour is preserved and still supported.
   * Previously expected default fallback behaviour did not work, i.e. mounts defined in auto.master with no changes to nsswitch.conf, but now do. 

  [Other Info]
   
   * A similar patch has been applied in Debian

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