[Python-Dev] cpython (3.2): Issue #11956: Skip test_import.test_unwritable_directory on FreeBSD when run as (original) (raw)

Charles-François Natali neologix at free.fr
Thu Oct 6 09:29:53 CEST 2011

I'd have expect this test to fail on any UNIX system if run as root. Root's allowed to write to stuff! Any stuff! About the only permission with any effect on root is the eXecute bit for the exec call, to prevent blindly running random data files.

You're right, here's another test on Linux (I must have screwed up when I tested this on my box):

mkdir /tmp/foo

chmod -w /tmp/foo

touch /tmp/foo/bar

ls /tmp/foo

bar

You can still set the directory immutable if you really want to deny write to root:

chattr +i /tmp/foo

touch /tmp/foo/spam

touch: cannot touch `/tmp/foo/spam': Permission denied

Equally, why on earth are you running tests as root!?!?!?!?! Madness. It's as bad as compiling stuff as root etc etc. A bad idea all around, securitywise.

Agreed, I would personally never run a buildbot as root. I just changed this because I was tired of seeing the same buildbots always red (thus masking real failures).

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