Re: lib/46661: libpthread shouldn't provide __res_state()

[christos%zoulas.com@localhost (Christos Zoulas)]

The following reply was made to PR lib/46661; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: christos%zoulas.com@localhost (Christos Zoulas)
To: River Tarnell <river%RT.UK.EU.ORG@localhost>, 
gnats-bugs%NetBSD.org@localhost
Cc: lib-bug-people%netbsd.org@localhost, gnats-admin%netbsd.org@localhost, 
        netbsd-bugs%netbsd.org@localhost
Subject: Re: lib/46661: libpthread shouldn't provide __res_state()
Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2012 13:42:30 -0400

 On Jul 5,  5:08pm, river%RT.UK.EU.ORG@localhost (River Tarnell) wrote:
 -- Subject: Re: lib/46661: libpthread shouldn't provide __res_state()
 
 | So because a program *may* use _res wrongly, *all* programs that use 
 | _res (and libpthread) are broken, even those that use it correctly?
 
 Define correctly. If a program is linked against -lpthread, nothing
 prevents other things that it is linked with to use threads and/or
 the resolver functions.
 
 | Postfix is broken in the sense that it doesn't work (e.g. pkg/44656).
 | 
 | The problem is that it's not clear whose fault it is.  Postfix is the 
 | one calling _res, but it's entirely single-threaded, so there's nothing 
 | wrong with that.  It links against the PostgreSQL client library, libpq.  
 | libpq does not use _res (it uses the MP-safe resolv interface), but it 
 | is MP-safe itself, and pulls in libpthread.  As a result, Postfix 
 | doesn't work.
 | 
 | >  This is similar to the issue with have
 | >  with mutexes: requiring pthread_mutex_init() before using them;
 | >  other OS's don't and people claim NetBSD is broken.
 | 
 | The pthread API requires that pthread_mutex_init() be called, doesn't 
 | it?  So, a program not doing so is clearly wrong.
 
 Correct.
 
 | >  If programs want to play with _res from a threaded context, they are
 | >  broken and should be fixed.
 | 
 | But the program is single-threaded; it just happens to link against 
 | libpthread.  Why shouldn't that work?
 
 Because it cannot possibly know what other things it calls that use pthreads
 are doing. Anyway, the I just fixed postfix, and it will probably get fixed
 upstream too.
 
 christos