Source: util-linux Severity: wishlist X-Debbugs-Cc: sysvi...@packages.debian.org Control: block 1086559 by -1
Dear Maintainers of util-linux and sysvinit source packages, Since util-linux 2.40.2-12 dropped utmpdump, there are no tools in the archive capable of interrogating log files in the utmp(5) format. I appreciate that the utmp-capable tooling has been removed from default installations to avoid users being misled that they are appropriate for administering current systems since the move to wtmpdb. However, I don't think that is a reason why they should not be available in the archive at all. I suspect there will be significant unsatisfied demand for tools in the next stable release that are capable of reading log files previously populated with information in utmp format. Both the util-linux and sysvinit source packages are capable of supplying the last, lastb and utmpdump tools. Could I suggest that between the two groups of maintainers it be arranged that a new optional binary package be added that supplies these tools, suitably caveated in the package description? They could be named something like: - util-linux-utmp - sysvinit-utmp-utils As the util-linux version of the tools has been road-tested in Debian for a long time, this might be a sounder choice for users but if sysvinit is chosen, I have prepared a PoC of the proposed new package: https://salsa.debian.org/debian/sysvinit/-/merge_requests/14 Thanks, Andrew
