-F <config file> ignored for [Global] options? #1972

APCCV · 2025-02-22T16:56:41Z

APCCV
Feb 22, 2025

Hit a weird issue. Looking for ideas of what may be wrong so I poke around. Tried figuring out what's not working but I've got nothing.

Issue:

I have two OpenWrt devices, two different architectures (kirkwood, ipq806x) running Netatalk v4.1.1 (I know .2 is out) that even though the afp.conf file has appletalk = yes they don't register and show up on an nbplkup.
Those devices can register a printer with papd, or run timelord, or a2boot and that shows up on nbplkup, so the issue is not that AppleTalk is not functional or registration overall is not working.
To further baffle me, I have an identical ipq806x running the same binaries v4.1.1 and that one works. The overall OS configuration is slightly different and that's where I've been focusing on without success, but it's the same version of OpenWrt on all, same version or Netatalk for all, same afp.conf and same atalkd.conf
Configuration files are being read alright, as atalkd is running, and afpd service is available via TCP.
The issue might be in the code parsing afp.conf (although I have no explanation on why one of the ipq806x works and the other doesn't). If I force the code to consider appletalk='yes' with patch below, then everything works as expected.

--- a/libatalk/util/netatalk_conf.c
+++ b/libatalk/util/netatalk_conf.c
@@ -2101,7 +2101,7 @@ int afp_config_parse(AFPObj *AFPObj, char *processname)
         options->passwdbits |= PASSWD_SET;
     if (atalk_iniparser_getboolean(config, INISEC_GLOBAL, "spotlight expr", 1))
         options->flags |= OPTION_SPOTLIGHT_EXPR;
-    if (atalk_iniparser_getboolean(config, INISEC_GLOBAL, "appletalk", 0))
+    if (atalk_iniparser_getboolean(config, INISEC_GLOBAL, "appletalk", 1))
         options->flags |= OPTION_DDP;

     /* figure out options w values */

The question... is there anything at OS level (missing library, ubus config, whatever) that would influence the behaviour of atalk_iniparser_getboolean so it misses the config line?

PS: I can see that v4.2 will use a different config parser... I can wait for that to be out and try it when it's part of a release... but still would like to know why I'm having this issue.

Answered by rdmark

May 7, 2025

For posterity: this bug was properly fixed with #2150

View full answer

APCCV · 2025-02-22T23:42:38Z

APCCV
Feb 22, 2025
Author

What the?

This is how afpd was started (as reported by ps):
/usr/sbin/afpd -d -F /var/netatalk/afp.conf

Configuration for services are stored elsewhere in OpenWrt. That's why apfd is invoked with a custom configuration file in /var which is a volatile location (it is lost on power off or reboot). The file gets recreated from OpenWrt config files on service start.

It doesn't matter if the line appletalk = yes exists in /var/netatalk/afp.conf. It is ignored.

If that line exists in /etc/afp.conf then AppleTalk port registration works.

Why is afpd using /etc/afp.conf if a config file is passed to afpd with the -F option?? Is this by design? Is [Global] only read from /etc/afp.conf? That would explain some other issues I have yet to explore regarding uams, too.

I can confirm afpd is reading /var/netatalk/afp.conf as it is picking up volume definitions from it. So it's opening and parsing both that file and /etc/afp.conf.

Can it be changed so it only uses whatever is passed with the -F option?

10 replies

APCCV Apr 29, 2025
Author

I never got to try the with-pkgconfdir-path option.

As I work on updating the packages to 4.2.2, this bit me again. TBH it's easier for now just to add a comment to state "appletalk = yes" must be added to the /etc/afp.conf fille, once.

I would prefer to figure out why afpd reads /etc/afp.conf if invoked with -F instead of using the workaround. Mind if I create an issue for this to better track it? Took me a while to find these notes.

I think this should impact more than OpenWrt... can try reproducing it on Debian (which is what I have around now) at some point, and poke at it as time allows.

rdmark Apr 29, 2025
Maintainer

Please create an issue ticket. It would be good to try to fix the bug.

I still think that -Dwith-pkgconfdir-path workaround should be effective.

rdmark May 3, 2025
Maintainer

@APCCV this is very confounding situation. From what I can tell, this is not a fundamental problem with the -F parameter and standalone afpd/cnid_metad, but seems isolated to certain options like appletalk = yes. Must be some kind of race condition when the daemons start up.

For instance, if I follow your scenario with f.e. the uam list option in the afp.conf file passed with the -F option it works fine (on Alpine at least.)

Now, I have this change lined up that I think will eliminate this particular issue for you: #2149

Namely, that when netatalk is built with DDP support, we now enable appletalk by default.

rdmark May 7, 2025
Maintainer

For posterity: this bug was properly fixed with #2150

Answer selected by rdmark

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