Bug 1153457

Created attachment 947404 [details]
log from jabberd service starting with "set -x" inserted

Description of problem:
When starting jabberd service, you get the following error messages:
Initializing jabberd processes ...
Starting router: /usr/bin/dirname: extra operand `2>&1'
Try `/usr/bin/dirname --help' for more information.
                                                           [  OK  ]
Starting sm: /usr/bin/dirname: extra operand `2>&1'
Try `/usr/bin/dirname --help' for more information.
                                                           [  OK  ]
Starting c2s: /usr/bin/dirname: extra operand `2>&1'
Try `/usr/bin/dirname --help' for more information.
                                                           [  OK  ]
Starting s2s: /usr/bin/dirname: extra operand `2>&1'
Try `/usr/bin/dirname --help' for more information.
                                                           [  OK  ]



Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
jabberd-2.2.8-22.el6sat.x86_64


How reproducible:
Always.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Stop and restart jabberd service: rhn-setellite restart (*)
2. 
3.

* I guess I could just stop and start, or restart jabberd service alone, but I'm not sure if restarting it alone might disrupt other services. Better safer than sorry.

Actual results:
Initializing jabberd processes ...
Starting router: /usr/bin/dirname: extra operand `2>&1'
Try `/usr/bin/dirname --help' for more information.
                                                           [  OK  ]
Starting sm: /usr/bin/dirname: extra operand `2>&1'
Try `/usr/bin/dirname --help' for more information.
                                                           [  OK  ]
Starting c2s: /usr/bin/dirname: extra operand `2>&1'
Try `/usr/bin/dirname --help' for more information.
                                                           [  OK  ]
Starting s2s: /usr/bin/dirname: extra operand `2>&1'
Try `/usr/bin/dirname --help' for more information.
                                                           [  OK  ]


Expected results:
Initializing jabberd processes ...
Starting router:                                           [  OK  ]
Starting sm:                                               [  OK  ]
Starting c2s:                                              [  OK  ]
Starting s2s:                                              [  OK  ]


Additional info:
I took a look at /etc/rc.d/init.d/jabberd and /etc/rc.d/init.d/function. I conclude that the above errors are generated within __pids_var_run() function (defined in function).

Because jabberd script calls the daemon() with a shell command line "${progsPath}/${prog} ${args} >/dev/null 2>&1 &" instead of a path to the program file, daemon() incorrectly extracts the string "null 2>&1 &" as the basename of the program path.

Then daemon() passes the string to __pids_var_run() where it tries to get the directory part of the supposedly path string with the following command:

dirname null 2>&1 &.pid
        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Because the underlined part is passed as a single string(?), it does not seem to be evaluated by the shell and passed through to dirname which in turn throws the error.

I attached a log that I created by inserting "set -x" at the beginning of /etc/init.d/jabberd so you can see the above sequence of execution.

I'm not entirely sure which to blame; the daemon() in function or jabberd init script's invocation of daemon(), but since daemon()'s usage says "Usage: daemon [+/-nicelevel] {program}", I'm inclined to blame this behavior on jabberd init script.

Note: these errors do not appear to inhibit jabberd services from properly functioning (jabberd services do not use /var/run/*.pid files), so I say this is very low impact and just cosmetic only (hence "low" severity).