set_variable_values_ini() with 3.18.2

[Bob]

I am using community version 3.18.2 on both Debian 10 and Debian 11. When I upgraded from 3.15.1 I started getting these errors:

 verbose: P:    Stack path: /default/main/methods/'Local policies in no specified order'/default/sitemain/files/'/etc/xrdp/sesman.ini'/default/set_variable_values_ini/field_edits/'.+\s:AlwaysGroupCheck\s:=.:'[1]
 verbose: Additional promise info: version 'CFEngine Promises.cf 3.18.2' source
path '/var/cfengine/inputs/lib/files.cf' at line 446
   error: No matched line to edit fields of for pattern '#+\s*AlwaysGroupCheck\s*=.*' in '/etc/xrdp/sesman.ini'
   error: Errors encountered when actuating fields_edit promise '#+\s*AlwaysGroupCheck\s*=.*'

Background: I set up a variable to edit the /etc/xrdp/sessman.ini file as follows:

vars:

    "sesman_ini[Security][AllowRootLogin]" string => "false";
    "sesman_ini[Security][TerminalServerUsers]" string => "xrdp";
    "sesman_ini[Security][AlwaysGroupCheck]" string => "true";

files:

    "/etc/xrdp/sesman.ini"
    comment       => "Custom sesman.ini settings for xrdp",
    edit_line     => set_variable_values_ini("siteg.sesman_ini", "Security"),
    classes       => if_repaired("restart_xrdp");

The good news is the edits I need are happening, but the errors are getting logged. Anyway to get rid of these errors?

[Vratislav Podzimek]

On Wed, 2022-08-10 at 14:25 -0700, Bob wrote:
> I am using community version 3.18.2 on both Debian 10 and Debian 11. When I upgraded from 3.15.1 I
> started getting these errors:
>
>  verbose: P:    Stack path: /default/main/methods/'Local policies in no specified
> order'/default/sitemain/files/'/etc/xrdp/sesman.ini'/default/set_variable_values_ini/field_edits/'
> .+\s:AlwaysGroupCheck\s:=.:'[1]
>  verbose: Additional promise info: version 'CFEngine Promises.cf 3.18.2' source
> path '/var/cfengine/inputs/lib/files.cf' at line 446
>    error: No matched line to edit fields of for pattern '#+\s*AlwaysGroupCheck\s*=.*' in
> '/etc/xrdp/sesman.ini'
>    error: Errors encountered when actuating fields_edit promise '#+\s*AlwaysGroupCheck\s*=.*'

Hi Bob,
these errors are a result of a change [1] in the edit_line implementation to better inform users
what is happening (the referenced private ticket has a title "Make sure all files and packages
promises inform about all changes they make"). But since you are using the 'set_variable_values_ini'
edit_line bundle, there's no way for you to fix this in your policy. It is actually a bug in the
'set_variable_values_ini' bundle. Feel free to report it. [2]

[1] https://github.com/cfengine/core/commit/9f114044d2530c20797d0c1cac51d2892b476b5f
[2] https://tracker.mender.io

--
Vratislav

[mosc...@metalabs.de]

Hi everyone,

this issue still persists, right?

 

Regards,

Moritz

[Nick Anderson]

Is there a ticket?

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[Nick Anderson]

Quickly reviewed the full thread, I don't think an issue was opened. Sounds like it could be an easy fix, but we need a ticket, reproduction information, ideally standalone policy to reproduce, better if it's in the form of an actual pr adding test. 

I'm traveling, will try to remember to follow up but no promises.

[t.d...@servicemusic.org.uk]

Is there any progress on this, please?  It is somewhat of an irritant to us and our logging!

Thanks.

-- David Lee

[Nick Anderson]

"t.d...@servicemusic.org.uk" <t.d...@servicemusic.org.uk> writes:

> Is there any progress on this, please? It is somewhat of an irritant to us and our logging!
>
> Thanks.

Hi David


I didn't see a ticket in this thread to check status on, probably
no work has been done.

PRs are great if you know how to fix, but at least having a standalone
policy file that reproduces the issue is necessary.

If you can make sure there is a ticket that at least contains a
reproducer then there is better chance of something happening.


--
Nick Anderson | Doer of Things | (+1) 785-550-1767 | https://northern.tech

[t.d...@servicemusic.org.uk]

I had lost track of the fact you still needed me to provide a test case.

Here it is.  It is extracted from a real part of our policy, setting a key=value in RH8 "/etc/dnf/automatic.conf" (I've slightly tweaked it to make it standalone and using a safe target file).

Run it at least twice (or as often as you like).  You'll see that although the target file successfully converges, CFE persists in (falsely) reporting errors.

Please could you take it forward from this?

=================================================================

#
# Demonstrate CFEngine "edit_line" bug:
#

body file control
{
      inputs => { "/var/cfengine/inputs/lib/files.cf" };
}

bundle agent __main__
{    
  vars:
    any::
      #"fname" string => "/etc/dnf/automatic.conf";
      "fname" string => "/tmp/automatic.conf";

      "tab[commands][apply_updates]" string => "no";

  files:
    any::
      "$(fname)"
        edit_line => set_variable_values_ini("$(this.bundle).tab", "commands");

}
=================================================================

Thanks.

-- David Lee

[t.d...@servicemusic.org.uk]

Any news on this, please?

Thanks.

-- David Lee

-- Diamond Light Source

[Nick Anderson]

I took that snippet and created a ticket. https://northerntech.atlassian.net/browse/ENT-12503

[t.d...@servicemusic.org.uk]

Thanks, Nick.

While I don't seem to have access to:

    https://northerntech.atlassian.net/browse/ENT-12503

I can successfully see:

    https://northerntech.atlassian.net/browse/CFE-4459

So the latter should be fine.

-- David Lee

[t.d...@servicemusic.org.uk]

Is there any progress report on this bug, please?

Thanks.

-- David Lee

-- Diamond Light Source

[Nick Anderson]

No, I don't see any changes to either ticket recently.

[Greg Matthews]

can we at least stop it polluting our logs?

[craig.c...@northern.tech]

The tickets show no activity. At this point it will have to rise to the top of our backlog or have a community member step up to make a fix.

As Vratistlav mentioned a while ago in this thread:

> these errors are a result of a change [1] in the edit_line implementation to better inform users
what is happening (the referenced private ticket has a title "Make sure all files and packages
promises inform about all changes they make"). But since you are using the 'set_variable_values_ini'
edit_line bundle, there's no way for you to fix this in your policy. It is actually a bug in the
'set_variable_values_ini' bundle.

[1] https://github.com/cfengine/core/commit/9f114044d2530c20797d0c1cac51d2892b476b5f

So it would seem the most likely place to fix is in masterfiles in lib/files.cf: https://github.com/cfengine/masterfiles/blob/master/lib/files.cf#L421

The ticket is open here: https://northerntech.atlassian.net/browse/CFE-4459

Other related bugs are

- https://northerntech.atlassian.net/browse/CFE-2663 - Problems selecting INI regions

- https://northerntech.atlassian.net/browse/CFE-3988 - edit_line doesn't insert after the last matched line when selecting a region where the end delimiter is included

Sorry it hasn't been resolved yet. I will check if we can bump it up in priority.

-Craig