Debian Bug report logs - #859021
dd: document that bs overrides ibs and obs

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Package: coreutils; Maintainer for coreutils is Michael Stone <[email protected]>; Source for coreutils is src:coreutils (PTS, buildd, popcon).

Reported by: Chris Davies <[email protected]>

Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2017 16:09:02 UTC

Severity: minor

Found in version coreutils/8.25-2

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Report forwarded to [email protected], [email protected], Michael Stone <[email protected]>:
Bug#859021; Package coreutils. (Wed, 29 Mar 2017 16:09:04 GMT) (full text, mbox, link).


Acknowledgement sent to Chris Davies <[email protected]>:
New Bug report received and forwarded. Copy sent to [email protected], Michael Stone <[email protected]>. (Wed, 29 Mar 2017 16:09:04 GMT) (full text, mbox, link).


Message #5 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Chris Davies <[email protected]>
To: Debian Bug Tracking System <[email protected]>
Subject: dd: document that bs overrides ibs and obs
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2017 17:04:06 +0100
Package: coreutils
Version: 8.25-2+b1
Severity: minor

Dear Maintainer,

The man page for dd does not define an interaction between bs and its more
specific ibs and obs options. POSIX does mandate that bs, if specified,
shall override ibs and obs. Empirically I have determined that coreutils
dd implements POSIX behaviour, so I should like to suggest the man page
is updated to state that bs overrides ibs and/or obs.


POSIX man page at http://www.unix.com/man-page/posix/1posix/dd/ defines
the three options bs, ibs, and obs as follows:

    ibs=expr
	Specify the input block size, in bytes, by expr (default is 512).

    obs=expr
	Specify the output block size, in bytes, by expr (default is 512).

    bs=expr
	Set  both input and output block sizes to expr bytes, superseding
	ibs= and obs=. If no conversion other than sync, noerror, and
	notrunc is specified, each input  block shall be copied to the
	output as a single block without aggregating short blocks.


Extracts from the current coreutils man page read as follows:

    bs=BYTES
	read and write up to BYTES bytes at a time

    ibs=BYTES
	read up to BYTES bytes at a time (default: 512)

    obs=BYTES
	write BYTES bytes at a time (default: 512)


I would like to suggest that the explanation is amended as follows:

    bs=BYTES
	read and write up to BYTES bytes at a time (default:
	512); overrides ibs and obs



-- System Information:
Debian Release: stretch/sid
  APT prefers stable
  APT policy: (900, 'stable'), (800, 'testing'), (300, 'unstable')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 4.8.0-2-amd64 (SMP w/1 CPU core)
Locale: LANG=en_GB.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_GB.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)

Versions of packages coreutils depends on:
ii  libacl1      2.2.52-3
ii  libattr1     1:2.4.47-2
ii  libc6        2.24-8
ii  libselinux1  2.6-3

coreutils recommends no packages.

coreutils suggests no packages.

-- no debconf information



Information forwarded to [email protected], Michael Stone <[email protected]>:
Bug#859021; Package coreutils. (Thu, 30 Mar 2017 02:18:03 GMT) (full text, mbox, link).


Acknowledgement sent to Pádraig Brady <[email protected]>:
Extra info received and forwarded to list. Copy sent to Michael Stone <[email protected]>. (Thu, 30 Mar 2017 02:18:03 GMT) (full text, mbox, link).


Message #10 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Pádraig Brady <[email protected]>
To: Chris Davies <[email protected]>, [email protected]
Subject: Re: Bug#859021: dd: document that bs overrides ibs and obs
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2017 19:06:46 -0700
On 29/03/17 09:04, Chris Davies wrote:
> Package: coreutils
> Version: 8.25-2+b1
> Severity: minor
> 
> Dear Maintainer,
> 
> The man page for dd does not define an interaction between bs and its more
> specific ibs and obs options. POSIX does mandate that bs, if specified,
> shall override ibs and obs. Empirically I have determined that coreutils
> dd implements POSIX behaviour, so I should like to suggest the man page
> is updated to state that bs overrides ibs and/or obs.
> 
> 
> POSIX man page at http://www.unix.com/man-page/posix/1posix/dd/ defines
> the three options bs, ibs, and obs as follows:
> 
>     ibs=expr
> 	Specify the input block size, in bytes, by expr (default is 512).
> 
>     obs=expr
> 	Specify the output block size, in bytes, by expr (default is 512).
> 
>     bs=expr
> 	Set  both input and output block sizes to expr bytes, superseding
> 	ibs= and obs=. If no conversion other than sync, noerror, and
> 	notrunc is specified, each input  block shall be copied to the
> 	output as a single block without aggregating short blocks.
> 
> 
> Extracts from the current coreutils man page read as follows:
> 
>     bs=BYTES
> 	read and write up to BYTES bytes at a time
> 
>     ibs=BYTES
> 	read up to BYTES bytes at a time (default: 512)
> 
>     obs=BYTES
> 	write BYTES bytes at a time (default: 512)
> 
> 
> I would like to suggest that the explanation is amended as follows:
> 
>     bs=BYTES
> 	read and write up to BYTES bytes at a time (default:
> 	512); overrides ibs and obs

Done in your name upstream at:
http://git.sv.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=coreutils.git;a=commitdiff;h=v8.27-15-gc1c558e




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