#1028267 initscripts: runs fsck unconditionally but does not depends on e2fsprogs

Package:
initscripts
Source:
initscripts
Submitter:
Lorenzo Puliti
Date:
2025-03-20 13:18:01 UTC
Severity:
normal
#1028267#5
Date:
2023-01-08 23:32:58 UTC
From:
To:
Hi all,

there are 2 scripts that run fsck without testing if the command
is available in the system: checkroot.sh and checkfs.sh
This package "only" recommands e2fsprogs, so I think it should just
print a warning and go ahead if fsck is not available.
The current behaviour can fail to boot in some cases
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1028181

Lorenzo
#1028267#10
Date:
2023-01-08 23:57:53 UTC
From:
To:
fsck is util-linux, not e2fsprogs.

bye,
//mirabilos
#1028267#13
Date:
2023-01-09 07:47:45 UTC
From:
To:
Yes, but fsck.ext4 is e2fsprogs and that is what is missing in #1028181.

A clean way of handling missing filesystem-specific fsck isn't immediately
apparent to me. fsck doesn't distinguish a missing filesystem-specific checker
from other operational errors.

Mark
#1028267#18
Date:
2023-01-09 13:55:59 UTC
From:
To:
But that’s ⓐ the user’s problem and ⓑ not necessarily an error
as there exist filesystems for which no fsck binary exists.

(If the user has set pass to ≠0 in fstab(5) it’s their own fault
of course.)

bye,
//mirabilos
#1028267#23
Date:
2023-01-09 16:34:26 UTC
From:
To:
Thorsten,

Thanks for this.

Yes, although I think the default fstab has pass=1 for root.

In #1028181, Holger says

If that is true (and I have no particular reason to doubt him) maybe the default
fstab should be changed now the default fs is ext4. But it doesn't look like
something to insert special handling for in initscripts.

Mark
#1028267#28
Date:
2023-01-09 16:44:44 UTC
From:
To:
Nope. The default fstab is precisely this:

The person-or-thing which enters a line with pass ≠ 0 is
responsible for ensuring (first!) that the fsck utility
is installed.

This is… I don’t even know. Want. Arrgh. No.

bye,
//mirabilos
#1028267#33
Date:
2023-01-09 17:11:59 UTC
From:
To:
Yes, That is the debootstrap one. However on a new installation, partconf then
fills in the entries for the newly partitioned system[1]

Mark

[1]  https://sources.debian.org/src/partconf/1.52/mkfstab.c/#L300
#1028267#38
Date:
2023-01-09 17:22:25 UTC
From:
To:
Then you’ve identified which tool is responsible for ensuring that
either the respective fsck is installed or the passno is 0.

bye,
//mirabilos
#1028267#41
Date:
2025-03-17 10:34:45 UTC
From:
To:
Control: reassign -1 partconf
Control: forcemerge 220282 -1

Therefore this is a duplicate of #220282.

Reassigning and merging.

Mark
#1028267#54
Date:
2025-03-20 13:15:39 UTC
From:
To:
AFAICS, partconf udeb does not exist any more and was replaced with
partman ages ago. partman-basicfilesystems and partman-ext3 queue
e2fsprogs for installation when ext2/3/4 partitions are used.