Re: Is prctl(PR_SET_CHILD_SUBREAPER) going to break my code whichchecks getppid == 1?

From: Oleg Nesterov
Date: Fri Mar 30 2012 - 09:10:37 EST


On 03/29, Karl Pickett wrote:
>
> Re: http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel/1236479
>
> I'm wondering if this is going to break code that checks getppid() == 1?
>
> I have a TCL/TK GUI app that spawns ssh. I want the ssh to die
> immediately if the GUI process crashes, so ssh is launched with a wrapper
> c program that does:
>
> prctl(PR_SET_PDEATHSIG, SIGHUP);
> if (getppid() == 1) /* parent died already? */
> return 0;

Yes, this won't work if the parent of this app does PR_SET_CHILD_SUBREAPER.

> So what is getppid() going to return for some user using this new
> 'session manager reaper'?

The new parent's pid ;)

Perhaps you can do something like

ppid_for_child = getpid();

if (!fork()) {
// Child
prctl(PR_SET_PDEATHSIG);
if (getppid() != ppid_for_child)
return;
...
}

Just in case, I do not know how PR_SET_CHILD_SUBREAPER will be really used.
I do not know if systemd will run the "normal" user applications under
PR_SET_CHILD_SUBREAPER. Probably yes, but this is the question to Kay.

Oleg.

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