#1140676 proftpd-dfsg: please make the build reproducible

Package:
src:proftpd-dfsg
Source:
src:proftpd-dfsg
Submitter:
Jochen Sprickerhof
Date:
2026-06-27 05:39:01 UTC
Severity:
normal
Tags:
#1140676#5
Date:
2026-06-24 12:47:12 UTC
From:
To:
Hi,

proftpd-dfsg is currently not reproducible on reproduce.debian.net:

https://reproduce.debian.net/excuses.html?source_name=proftpd-dfsg

The problem is that it uses Rules-Requires-Root: binary-targets and with
that fakeroot and that influences the build result. As the fakeroot
package is not recorded in the buildinfo file, we can't use it during
the rebuild and the generated binaries differ. The attached patch makes
it possible to build without fakeroot and makes the package reproducible
for me. Please consider applying the attached patch and uploading a new
version.

Thanks!

Jochen
#1140676#10
Date:
2026-06-24 12:55:22 UTC
From:
To:
Am 24.06.2026 um 14:47 schrieb Jochen Sprickerhof:

Hello Jochen,

You failed to attach the patch. Thanks! You may also send me a merge
request on salsa.

Hilmar
#1140676#15
Date:
2026-06-24 13:29:42 UTC
From:
To:
Hi Hilmar,

* Preuße, Hilmar <hille42@web.de> [2026-06-24 14:55]:

Huh, I can see the patch here:

https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1140676#5

Anyway, also send an MR:

https://salsa.debian.org/debian-proftpd-team/proftpd/-/merge_requests/13

Thanks for the fast reply!

Jochen
#1140676#20
Date:
2026-06-26 21:58:38 UTC
From:
To:
Am 24.06.2026 um 15:29 schrieb Jochen Sprickerhof:

Hello,

It wasn't in the mail and also not in the mail in the ML [1]. Weird.
I've merged the commit, run a test build and tested using diffoscope.
The most striking difference is that /usr/include/proftpd/Make.rules now
lists the user, which called sbuild:

INSTALL_USER=hille
INSTALL_GROUP=hille

I guess the official builders would list nobody/nogroup here. For the
Debian packages this does not matter, as we use a customised Make.rules
file. For others, let's see.

H.

[1]
https://alioth-lists.debian.net/pipermail/pkg-proftpd-maintainers/2026-June/005773.html
#1140676#25
Date:
2026-06-26 22:01:57 UTC
From:
To:
#1140676#32
Date:
2026-06-26 22:50:01 UTC
From:
To:
Am 24.06.2026 um 14:47 schrieb Jochen Sprickerhof:

Hello,
 >

Does it make sense to figure out, why it is not in the buildinfo...or
eventually hard code the BD on fakeroot? Should an "Rules-Requires-Root:
binary-targets" automatically trigger installation of fakeroot?

H.
#1140676#37
Date:
2026-06-27 05:37:20 UTC
From:
To:
Hi Hilmar,

* Preuße, Hilmar <hille42@web.de> [2026-06-26 23:58]:

Sorry, I forgot to mention and it will be sbuild/sbuild.

That was also my conclusion.


* Preuße, Hilmar <hille42@web.de> [2026-06-27 00:50]:

Not really, see my explanation in:

https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1140645#15

Note that we reproduced over 98% of testing already and up to now only
found three packages that have fakeroot problem (proftpd-dfsg, procmail
and debian-installer (fixed in git)).

Cheers Jochen