linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH RFC] Fix "/usr/bin/xargs: rm: Argument list too long" during make distclean

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Message-ID: <502A4A90.3070901@koe-americas.com>
Date:	Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:54:41 +0000
From:	David Cullen <David.Cullen@...-americas.com>
To:	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>
CC:	Michal Marek <mmarek@...e.cz>,
	"linux-kbuild@...r.kernel.org" <linux-kbuild@...r.kernel.org>,
	"linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH RFC] Fix "/usr/bin/xargs: rm: Argument list too long"
 during make distclean

On 8/13/2012 5:01 PM, H. Peter Anvin wrote:
> On 08/13/2012 01:56 PM, David Cullen wrote:
>>>
>>> That sounds like a bug in xargs...
>>>
>>
>> In my specific case, qemu-arm-static calls xargs (In fact, in my
>> cross chroot, qemu-arm-static is used to run every user mode process).
>>
>> Do you mean that qemu-arm-static is exposing a latent defect in xargs?
>>
>> Does qemu-arm-static steal some of the command line space that would
>> normally be available for xargs? If so, how would xargs figure out
>> this was happening and handle the problem?
>>
> 
> I have no idea.  Perhaps strace can help you see what is happening, I
> don't know.  More likely it is qemu-arm-static that is broken and it is
> trying to enforce the old 128K limit that we used to have before 2.6.23.
>  This could cause a mismatch between what sysconf(_SC_ARG_MAX) returns
> and what the actual limit is.
> 
> Anyway, even more so the reason to reject this patch.


I submitted a bug report on xargs:

    http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/index.php?37093

I also submitted a bug report on QEMU:

    https://bugs.launchpad.net/qemu/+bug/1036645