open-iscsi bound to if-*.d in networking kills iSCSI connections

[jacintka]

OS:
Description: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
Release: 12.04

open-iscsi:
  Installed: 2.0.871-0ubuntu9
  Candidate: 2.0.871-0ubuntu9.12.04.1
  Version table:
     2.0.871-0ubuntu9.12.04.1 0
        500 http://hu.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise-updates/main amd64 Packages
 *** 2.0.871-0ubuntu9 0
        500 http://hu.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Hi,

I have found that open-iscsi puts start/stop links into the if-up.d and if-down.d directories under networking. These are unfiltered and will cause all active iSCSI connections to be torn down as soon as _ANY_ interface (in my case a bridge that became unneeded - completely unrelated to iSCSI connections) is brought down, causing possibly catastrophic failures including data loss in processes (VMs in my case) using those iSCSI connections.

PoC:
1. Install open-iscsi, log into some target
2. Create an interface config in /etc/network/interfaces
3. "ifup" the new interface, observe the start message of open-iscsi (!)
4. "ifdown" the interface, observe that open-iscsi is stopped, and the block-devices backed by the targets are gone

These links need to be removed ASAP as they pose direct danger of data loss by reacting to all events, even from completely unrelated einterfaces, plus doing that in a completely unacceptable manner. Either they will need to be replaced with filtered scripts to only react to interfaces that they are using AND do that in a proper manner instead of shutting down everything; or they could be dropped altogether, path management can be scripted or done elsewhere.

regards,
--
Jacint

[markdv77 (markdv77)]

I just got bit by this, HARD. :(

Why should shutting down a random interface cause sessions totally non-dependant on that interface be disconnected??
This is just plain STUPID!

--
Mark.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Marcus Furlong (furlongm)]

Also just been bitten by this.

[Andrej Ricnik (a-ricnik)]

And another one ... any time someone touches an interface we lose disk-volumes mounted via open-iscsi. Not good. Specifically when they were being written to at the time the only way of getting back to the disks is to reboot the machine because the writing process is blocking and can't be killed. While it's active I can't unmount or remount the disks.

[Andrej Ricnik (a-ricnik)]

Open for 2.5 years .. yay.

This keeps biting us; can someone PLEASE look into this?
Or alternatively explain to me at which point in the init hierarchy I need to dig to make this go away; I have a snippet of code that will determine reliably which interfaces are a) iscsi and b) active, and only need to understand where to put that to make ifup/ifdown destroy my iscsi attached storage.

[Andrej Ricnik (a-ricnik)]

Hello?

Still not even classified?
Seriously? :/

[Andrej Ricnik (a-ricnik)]

And since I'm in a prodding mood ...

Hello?

This is *still* biting us.

Anyone?

[Andrej Ricnik (a-ricnik)]

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