Re: [PATCH] tests: adjust PATH to include /usr/sbin for filefrag-using tests

[Bernhard Voelker]

On 11/23/2011 10:17 AM, Jim Meyering wrote:
> Bernhard Voelker wrote:
>> Although my OpenSuSE system has e2fsprogs installed, the test
>> fiemap-perf cannot use it, because /usr/sbin is missing in
>> my (non-root) user's PATH:
>>
>>   fiemap-perf: skipped test: the `filefrag` utility is missing
>>   SKIP: cp/fiemap-perf
>>
>> This is similar to the matter in commit
>> 5eeaca942ab8fc090cd6b0ae2fede698dc9a6f5d.
>>
>> The attached patch fixing it (although I feel that we may
>> need a more generic function require_sbin_tool_).
> 
> I have reservations about this, like I had for the other
> commit you mention.  IMHO, that your sudo does not include /sbin
> or /usr/sbin in PATH is a bug.
> 
> My first reaction is that every application should not be trying to work
> around that bug.  That would be, in a way, condoning the bug.
> The real way to work around it is on a system-wide basis.
> 
> Other opinions?

Actually, I copied the "sudo" notice from the previous commit
message - which you added ;-)

I'm not using sudo, I just login to my PC as user "berny",
then start an xterm, cd to the coreutils directory, and
"make check".
I wonder if other distributions include /usr/sbin and /sbin
in a non-root user's PATH.

Therefore I don't think it's a problem of the system, but
more the behavior of coreutils tests to use administrative
tools (those usually used by root and therefore in [/usr]/sbin).
As a result, I think the test should either be run as root
only (which is of course often not required) or care about
having /usr/sbin and /sbin in the PATH when it's using such
tools.

Berny