Ubuntu
open-vm-tools package

vgauth should use the -s option for logging

Bug #1804060 reported by Oliver Kurth
6
This bug affects 1 person
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
open-vm-tools (Debian)
New
Unknown
open-vm-tools (Ubuntu)
Incomplete
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

I see this in version 2:10.3.0-0ubuntu1~18.04.3, but I think it affects older versions too:

$ cat /lib/systemd/system/vgauth.service
[Unit]
Description=Authentication service for virtual machines hosted on VMware
Documentation=http://github.com/vmware/open-vm-tools
ConditionVirtualization=vmware
PartOf=open-vm-tools.service

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/bin/VGAuthService # <------
TimeoutStopSec=5

[Install]
RequiredBy=open-vm-tools.service

vgauth should be started with the -s option, so logs go to /var/log/vmware-vgauthsvc.log.* as is expected. Note that vmtoolsd logs to files in /var/log as well, so this would make it consistent.

This is also Debian bug #856429.

Revision history for this message
Oliver Kurth (okurth-1) wrote :

The Debian bug I referred to is at https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=856429 . Launchpad shouldn't be so egocentric and assume all bug numbers are launchpad bug numbers ;-).

Revision history for this message
Christian Ehrhardt  (paelzer) wrote :

Hehe, ego LP
I added the bug to the tasks.

Revision history for this message
Christian Ehrhardt  (paelzer) wrote :

Hi Oliver,
I agree with Bernd on https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=856429#10
With sysV init being even "less meant to be considered" on Ubuntu than on Debian (and even there it is not more a big thing).

If:
$ journalctl -u vgauth.service
gives you the right output then all is fine.

I'd not want to touch sysV files these days anymore - nobody uses and nobody should use them anymore.

For systemd services are supposed to not daemonize to be more under control by systemd.
So adding -s which is defined as:
   printf("\t-s\tRun in daemon mode.\n");
is wrong IMHO.

I see and agree the argument of vmtoolsd having a local log file and that consistency would be nice.
But IMHO a solution to that would be more towards making vmtoolsd to log to journal one or another way. Is vmtoolsd currently logging.

If you or people "need" an extra log file I think something like an rsyslog rule in /etc/rsyslog.d/ might be appropriate.
One could map event sources to a file they are logged.
But since that is double-logging that usually needs a good reason.

Are there complains that the logs through journalctl are not accessible that would make this wanted?

Marking incomplete until clarified in a discussion if/what we would want to change.

Changed in open-vm-tools (Ubuntu):
status: New → Incomplete
Bug Watch Updater (bug-watch-updater)
Changed in open-vm-tools (Debian):
status: Unknown → New
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