[Bug 1576409] [NEW] calling init.d script with "status" invokes pager

[Martin Pitt]

Public bug reported:

Running e. g. "/etc/init.d/networking status" runs a pager (less by
default). This is unexpected from an init.d script, and potentially
breaks scripts or CLI programs that do this operation, as this then
hangs eternally in the interactive pager process until the user quits
it. This reportedly happens with "vagrant up" (see original Debian bug
https://bugs.debian.org/765175).

SRU INFORMATION:
Test case:
 Run "/etc/init.d/networking status". In current xenial this invokes less which you need to quit. With the proposed fix this should return to the shell immediately without a pager.

Regression potential:  very low. The main visible change is the
interactive usage of "/etc/init.d/foo status", but nothing in Ubuntu
(nor hopefully anywhere else) *relies* on the fact that systemctl
invokes a pager, particularly as this is not always done (it depends on
whether stdout is a terminal and how many lines are written).

** Affects: systemd (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: Fix Committed

** Affects: systemd (Ubuntu Xenial)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

** Affects: systemd (Debian)
     Importance: Unknown
         Status: Unknown

** Also affects: systemd (Ubuntu Xenial)
   Importance: Undecided
       Status: New

** Bug watch added: Debian Bug tracker #765175
   http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=765175

** Also affects: systemd (Debian) via
   http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=765175
   Importance: Unknown
       Status: Unknown

** Changed in: systemd (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => In Progress

** Changed in: systemd (Ubuntu)
     Assignee: (unassigned) => Martin Pitt (pitti)

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1576409

Title:
  calling init.d script with "status" invokes pager

Status in systemd package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Committed
Status in systemd source package in Xenial:
  New
Status in systemd package in Debian:
  Unknown

Bug description:
  Running e. g. "/etc/init.d/networking status" runs a pager (less by
  default). This is unexpected from an init.d script, and potentially
  breaks scripts or CLI programs that do this operation, as this then
  hangs eternally in the interactive pager process until the user quits
  it. This reportedly happens with "vagrant up" (see original Debian bug
  https://bugs.debian.org/765175).

  SRU INFORMATION:
  Test case:
   Run "/etc/init.d/networking status". In current xenial this invokes less which you need to quit. With the proposed fix this should return to the shell immediately without a pager.

  Regression potential:  very low. The main visible change is the
  interactive usage of "/etc/init.d/foo status", but nothing in Ubuntu
  (nor hopefully anywhere else) *relies* on the fact that systemctl
  invokes a pager, particularly as this is not always done (it depends
  on whether stdout is a terminal and how many lines are written).

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