[Bug 1953014] Re: Return code for unsolicited arping is 1 instead of 0

[Christian Rohmann]

Thanks Sebastien for getting back to me.

Tools like arping are used as helpers within other tools or scripts. A very important point of integration is the return code. Something returning non-zero is considered to have failed.
It's simply not an option to sell people to add multiple lines of code as workaround for something that is only valid for this version.

Returning the correct return code is just the correct way of handling
this issue.

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu
Foundations Bugs, which is subscribed to iputils in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1953014

Title:
  Return code for unsolicited arping is 1 instead of 0

Status in iputils package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Released
Status in iputils source package in Focal:
  Incomplete

Bug description:
  When running a gratuitous / unsolicited arp via "arping -U" on Ubuntu Focal
  a return code of 1 is given, instead of always 0 (as there is no arp reply expected).

  Focal:
  --- cut ---
  # arping -U -c1 -I eth0 127.0.0.1; echo "ReturnCode: $?"
  ARPING 127.0.0.1 from 127.0.0.1 eth0
  Sent 1 probes (1 broadcast(s))
  Received 0 response(s)
  ReturnCode: 1

  # arping -V
  arping from iputils s20190709
  --- cut ---

  see corresponding source at
  https://github.com/iputils/iputils/blob/13e00847176aa23683d68fce1d17ffb523510946/arping.c#L302.


  On Ubuntu Bionic this worked fine (and also does on Ubuntu Hirsute again BTW):
  --- cut ---
  arping -U -c 1 -I eth0 127.0.0.1; echo "ReturnCode: $?"
  ARPING 127.0.0.1 from 127.0.0.1 eth0
  Sent 1 probes (1 broadcast(s))
  Received 0 response(s)
  ReturnCode: 0

  # arping -V
  arping utility, iputils-s20161105
  --- cut ---

  see corresponding source for that version at
  https://github.com/iputils/iputils/blob/bffc0e957b98d626ab4cea218c89251201425442/arping.c#L329
  or for the version on Hirsute at
  https://github.com/iputils/iputils/blob/cc16da6b574ce6637f3e6e9ab3c1a728663006ff/arping.c#L302


  As you can see by looking at the source arping always statically
  returns a "0" for unsolicited.

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/iputils/+bug/1953014/+subscriptions