[bug #61083] [feature request]: make updatedb.findutils more compatible by no longer using `su nobody`

[Yancey Chiew]

URL:
  <https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?61083>

                 Summary: [feature request]: make updatedb.findutils more
compatible by no longer using `su nobody`
                 Project: findutils
            Submitted by: yanceychiw
            Submitted on: Wed 25 Aug 2021 08:28:14 PM UTC
                Category: locate
                Severity: 3 - Normal
              Item Group: None
                  Status: None
                 Privacy: Public
             Assigned to: None
         Originator Name: 
        Originator Email: 
             Open/Closed: Open
                 Release: 4.6.0
         Discussion Lock: Any
           Fixed Release: None

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Details:

There is a locate script in the /etc/cron.daily directory, which calls
/usr/bin/updatedb.findutils to maintain the update of the file index
database.

In the updatedb.findutils script, su is used to switch the user to nobody.
Because the script is actually called by cron, which will cause the login of
the nobody user and it's subsequent exit.

The login and logout of the nobody user are maintained by
systemd-logind.service. Due to the characteristics of logind, after the daily
task of locate is executed, the nobody user will log out, and systemd will
clean up all the IPC files created by the nobody user. The logind's RemoveIPC
option can control that, and it's turned on by default.

Considering that the nobody user is not specifically created by findutils,
other programs in the system may also be executed as it, the IPC files they
create will be cleaned up along with the exit of the user session of nobody,
and causing abnormalities in these programs.

So,if it is necessary to use the identity of nobody to perform the file index
database update task, can *setpriv* or maybe another way without login session
replace su?

https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/findutils.git/tree/locate/updatedb.sh?id=a5659a42fa2db0263ca45b1f1806f32c04505dc8#n296




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