Re: runit not collecting zombies

[Mike Buland <mike@geekgene.com>]

Hello,

On Wednesday 12 September 2007 11:04:50 am Alex Efros wrote:
> Yeah, I've one server which don't have this issue. His admin made a
> mistake many months ago - he installed too new gcc (which isn't support
> hardened patches yet - SSP and PIE), and afraid to disgrade it on
> production server. He wait until hardened patches will be released for
> that gcc version to come back to hardened land. This is only noticeable
> difference between our servers.

I'm just curious, but doesn't it sound like this is the first place to look 
for the trouble?  Unfortunately, as you point out, there are two differences 
between the two systems, the one that works isn't using two of the hardened 
patches, and is using a newer gcc.  Have you reported these facts to the 
maintainers of the hardened patches (I'm sure they know they don't work with 
gcc 4.1.1, but not-reaping zombies is an issue).  Also, anyone who could hope 
to fix this in runit should have these patches applied and be using an older 
gcc.

Obviously these patches don't completely ruin the kernel/libc's ability to 
reap zombies, or this would have been found before now, but it does seem to 
affect it.  I think debugging efforts should probably be focused on these 
modifications to the system, and not general runit (I've never seen this 
problem on any of my machines).

I'd be happy to build out a gentoo system and hack around with all this...in 
october : ).  Before then...I can only offer observation.

Good luck.

P.S.  Doing some quick scans through the patches for references to 
wait-related changes could be a good, first clue...maybe?  It could be where 
I'd start, that or gdb :)