casper misinterprets ipv6.disable=1 on kernel command line

[Bill Nickless]

Binary package hint: casper

In Lucid (casper 1.236), the script /usr/share/initramfs-tools/scripts/casper has a function parse_cmdline. It iterates over the words in /proc/cmdline looking for boot options. Inside that loop is a case statement. Starting in line 43 we see:

            ip*)
                STATICIP=${x#ip=}
                if [ "${STATICIP}" = "" ]; then
                    STATICIP="frommedia"
                fi
                export STATICIP ;;

This usually works great, until ipv6.disable=1 also on the kernel command line. That matches this case, and casper ends up creating an /etc/interfaces file that tries to set the static IP address "ipv6.disable=1". Probably not the desired behavior!

Partial workaround: ensure any ip= options come AFTER the ipv6.disable=1 on the kernel command line. The second match overwrites the original STATICIP variable setting. Of course, this won't work if the goal is to have casper establish an /etc/network/interfaces file even if ipv6 is disabled.

Recommend adjusting the case match from "ip*)" to "ip=*)" on line 43, so that it won't match "ipv6.disable=1".

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

Applied, thanks.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package casper - 1.237

---------------
casper (1.237) maverick; urgency=low

  [ Colin Watson ]
  * Add btrfs support.
  * Make ip=* command-line parsing more precise (thanks, Bill Nickless;
    LP: #586553).
  * Make the USB update-initramfs shim cope with vmlinuz and initrd.img
    being in /boot rather than / (LP: #591207).
  * Depend on file for /etc/init.d/casper (thanks, Alon Swartz;
    LP: #591213).
  * Conflict with live-initramfs, as they overlap and people can pick one or
    the other (LP: #453476).

  [ Martin Pitt ]
  * debian/casper.init: Change shutdown splash message to refer to
    "installation media" instead of "disc"; a lot of installs happen
    from USB sticks these days. Thanks to Debbie Beliveau for the idea.
 -- Colin Watson <email address hidden> Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:53:17 +0100