Bug 275321 - xargs generates too long argument lists
Summary: xargs generates too long argument lists
Keywords:
Status: CLOSED RAWHIDE
Alias: None
Product: Fedora
Classification: Fedora
Component: findutils
Version: rawhide
Hardware: i386
OS: All
medium
medium
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Vitezslav Crhonek
QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance
URL:
Whiteboard:
: 366481 (view as bug list)
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2007-09-03 16:15 UTC by Horst H. von Brand
Modified: 2008-04-23 09:51 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

Fixed In Version:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed: 2008-04-23 09:51:24 UTC
Type: ---
Embargoed:


Attachments (Terms of Use)

Description Horst H. von Brand 2007-09-03 16:15:33 UTC
Description of problem:
E.g. when building git-1.5.3.1 from the shipped SRPM, I get:

   + /usr/lib/rpm/check-rpaths /usr/lib/rpm/check-buildroot
   xargs: /usr/lib/rpm/check-rpaths-worker: Argument list too long
   error: Bad exit status from /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.31449 (%install)

I get similar errors when I try to clean up my MH folders (delete all junk
starting with ',', I've got some 11000 of those right now), in my $HOME:

   $ find Mail -name ',*' | xargs rm -f
   xargs: rm: Argument list too long

Same annoyance when cleaning a kernel source for building, etc.

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
findutils-4.2.31-2.fc8

How reproducible:
Very often (makes it almost useless)

Steps to Reproduce:
Sorry, I seem not to be able to create a synthetic testcase where it fails. In
any case, a "make clean" in a built kernel tree is a reliable way to trigger it
here.
  
Actual results:


Expected results:


Additional info:

Comment 1 Vitezslav Crhonek 2007-11-07 08:18:38 UTC
*** Bug 366481 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 2 Horst H. von Brand 2008-01-02 19:11:41 UTC
Still the same... on x86_64 this doesn't show. BTW, this is a dual-core i686.

Strange thing is that this shows up all over the place, e.g. today when trying
to build a new nmh RPM I got:

  + /usr/lib/rpm/check-rpaths /usr/lib/rpm/check-buildroot
  xargs: /usr/lib/rpm/check-rpaths-worker: Argument list too long
  error: Bad exit status from /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.39544 (%install)

Comment 3 Horst H. von Brand 2008-01-14 12:07:44 UTC
I just can't understand how you people can build new packages when /every/
package build fails here...

Comment 4 Eric Paris 2008-01-14 19:00:39 UTC
maybe it is, maybe it isn't, the solution to this bug, but if you are not trying
to collect execve argument auditing with the audit system (auditctl -l shows
nothing) feel free to up /proc/sys/kernel/audit_argv_kb.  If this solves the
problem a real solution will be in 2.6.25 kernel.

that has nothing to do with the huge lists that you are seeing, maybe them being
so big is a bug, maybe not, but at least this might help you get work done.

Comment 5 Horst H. von Brand 2008-01-14 20:37:54 UTC
I haven't touched auditctl(8) at all, first time I hear about this...

  # auditctl -l
  LIST_RULES: exit,always syscall=chroot
  LIST_RULES: exit,always obj_type=dhclient_t (0xa) syscall=chdir
  LIST_RULES: exit,always obj_type=sendmail_t (0xa) syscall=chdir
  LIST_RULES: exit,always obj_type=mcstransd_t (0xb) syscall=chdir
  LIST_RULES: exit,always obj_type=sshd_t (0x6) syscall=chdir
  LIST_RULES: exit,always obj_type=ntpd_t (0x6) syscall=chdir
  LIST_RULES: exit,always obj_type=samba_t (0x7) syscall=chdir
  LIST_RULES: exit,always obj_type=named_t (0x7) syscall=chdir
  LIST_RULES: exit,always obj_type=klogd_t (0x7) syscall=chdir
  LIST_RULES: exit,always obj_type=crond_t (0x7) syscall=chdir
  LIST_RULES: exit,always obj_type=httpd_t (0x7) syscall=chdir
  LIST_RULES: exit,always obj_type=auditd_t (0x8) syscall=chdir
  LIST_RULES: exit,always obj_type=portmap_t (0x9) syscall=chdir
  LIST_RULES: exit,always obj_type=syslogd_t (0x9) syscall=chdir

sysstat(rpm) is up, in any case.

/proc/sys/kernel/audit_argv_kb is 32 (Is this that ARGV <= 32KiB?!). If so,
there is something very wrong... isn't it supposed that xargs(1) (and its ilk)
gets the maximal size of ARGV form the kernel?

What would a reasonable value be here?

Comment 6 Horst H. von Brand 2008-01-14 20:40:19 UTC
After "echo 128 > /proc/sys/kernel/audit_argv_kb" a "make clean" in the kernel
goes through.

Comment 7 Penelope Fudd 2008-02-03 23:49:15 UTC
Hey, yeah, that solves my problems too.  I had a directory containing ~5000
files, and had to move all those ending with 'png' to a new directory:
  mv *.png newdir   : /bin/mv: Argument list too long.
echo 128 > /proc/sys/kernel/audit_argv_kb
  mv *.png newdir   : success!

Who messed up the audit_argv_kb parameter?  :-)


Comment 8 Vitezslav Crhonek 2008-04-23 09:51:24 UTC
I'm not able to reproduce it, I think this is not problem anymore. Closing it.
If I'm wrong, please reopen and update.


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