xinetd fails to parse config files with comments when HUPped

[Will Bryant]

Binary package hint: xinetd

xinetd handles comments in service configuration files fine when it is started/restarted. However, when it reloads configuration files (on HUP signal), it fails to parse the same files. For example, given the following (partial) configuration file:

        disable = no
        only_from = 0.0.0.0/0 # recommended to put the IPs that need
                                    # to connect exclusively (security purposes)
}

on reload the following errors would be seen in syslog, and the service in question would be taken offline:

Apr 19 11:47:22 adbmaster xinetd[19231]: Reading included configuration file: /etc/xinetd.d/yourservice [file=/etc/xinetd.d/yourservice] [line=26]
Apr 19 11:47:22 adbmaster xinetd[19231]: failed to parse # [file=/etc/xinetd.d/yourservice] [line=13]
Apr 19 11:47:23 adbmaster xinetd[19231]: failed to parse recommended [file=/etc/xinetd.d/yourservice] [line=13]
Apr 19 11:47:23 adbmaster xinetd[19231]: failed to parse put [file=/etc/xinetd.d/yourservice] [line=13]
Apr 19 11:47:23 adbmaster xinetd[19231]: failed to parse the [file=/etc/xinetd.d/yourservice] [line=13]
Apr 19 11:47:23 adbmaster xinetd[19231]: failed to parse IPs [file=/etc/xinetd.d/yourservice] [line=13]
Apr 19 11:47:23 adbmaster xinetd[19231]: failed to parse that [file=/etc/xinetd.d/yourservice] [line=13]
Apr 19 11:47:23 adbmaster xinetd[19231]: failed to parse need [file=/etc/xinetd.d/yourservice] [line=13]

xinetd should parse configuration files the same way on reload that it does on regular start.

We hit this surprising behavior when we upgraded an unrelated package (postfix) which ran the update-inetd script, causing an xinetd reload.

[Adam Gandelman (gandelman-a)]

Hi Will--

Can you run xinetd manually with the -d flag to verify that it is not failing to parse on startup as well? Trying to reproduce but comments on the same line as a configuration option fail to parse in both instances. It appears xinetd's config parser only looks for '#' comments on new lines (xinetd/parsesup.c:39)

Adam

[Andres Rodriguez (andreserl)]

Hi All,

I'm marking this bug as incomplete until the requested information is provided.

Cheers,

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for xinetd (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]