[Bug 2052722] [NEW] systemd should package libnss-myhostname

[Andrew Lutomirski]

Public bug reported:

Ubuntu generally decided not to use libnss-myhostname in 2014, due to:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/libnss-
myhostname/+bug/1162478/comments/6

which says "I don't agree that libnss-myhostname is a technically sound
approach, *period*; it works at cross-purposes to the existing Debian
handling of the hostname being resolved to 127.0.1.1 via /etc/hosts.
There should be a plan for aligning these, across *all* systems, not
just desktop systems."

While this may well have made sense in 2014, I think it's no longer the
right decision in light of widespread adoption of containers.  Container
managers (Docker, Podman, systemd-nspawm, etc) generally set the
container's hostname from _outside_ the container, either by bind-
mounting over /etc/hostname or by simply not having /etc/hostname.  In
either case, the hostname of the container cannot be reliably predicted
based on the contents of the container image, and editing /etc/hosts
inside the container to make the hostname resolvable is fragile at best.

While other solutions exist (arranging for the container manager to make
sure that the container's hostname is resolvable from inside the
container), libnss-myhostname offers users a straightforward way to
allow the container's hostname to be resolved.

Please reconsider packaging it.  Debian packages libnss-myhostname.

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

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2052722

Title:
  systemd should package libnss-myhostname

Status in systemd package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Ubuntu generally decided not to use libnss-myhostname in 2014, due to:

  https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/libnss-
  myhostname/+bug/1162478/comments/6

  which says "I don't agree that libnss-myhostname is a technically
  sound approach, *period*; it works at cross-purposes to the existing
  Debian handling of the hostname being resolved to 127.0.1.1 via
  /etc/hosts. There should be a plan for aligning these, across *all*
  systems, not just desktop systems."

  While this may well have made sense in 2014, I think it's no longer
  the right decision in light of widespread adoption of containers.
  Container managers (Docker, Podman, systemd-nspawm, etc) generally set
  the container's hostname from _outside_ the container, either by bind-
  mounting over /etc/hostname or by simply not having /etc/hostname.  In
  either case, the hostname of the container cannot be reliably
  predicted based on the contents of the container image, and editing
  /etc/hosts inside the container to make the hostname resolvable is
  fragile at best.

  While other solutions exist (arranging for the container manager to
  make sure that the container's hostname is resolvable from inside the
  container), libnss-myhostname offers users a straightforward way to
  allow the container's hostname to be resolved.

  Please reconsider packaging it.  Debian packages libnss-myhostname.

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