Bug#1136545: openssh uses pidof but does not depend on procps

Gioele Barabucci <[email protected]> Thu, 14 May 2026 01:30:11 +0200
Newsgroups gmane.linux.debian.devel.ssh
Message-ID <a488fa00ea000bf9795a3ce74de4df71__33338.4147424781$1778715130$gmane$org@debian.org>
Source: openssh
Version: 1:10.0p1-7+deb13u1
Usertags: pidof-without-procps

Dear maintainer(s) of openssh,

it appears that openssh uses `pidof` in its testsuite, or that
at least one of its binary packages uses `pidof` at runtime.
Historically, `pidof` was provided by the Essential package
`sysvinit-tools`, making an explicit dependency unnecessary. However
`pidof` will soon be moved to `procps` and will no longer be part of
the Essential set.

Please add an explicit dependency on `procps`:

* via the `Depends:` field of all binary packages of openssh
  that use `pidof` at runtime;
* via the `Build-Depends:` field of openssh, if `pidof` is
  used in tests run at build-time;
* via the `Depends:` field of `debian/control/tests`, if `pidof` is
  used in autopkgtests.

To prevent any disruption for users of openssh, please add
this dependency now, before `pidof` is moved from `sysvinit-utils` to
`procps`. Alternatively, you could remove all uses of `pidof`.

It is believed that openssh uses `pidof` due to the following
code snippets:

```
path: openssh_1:10.2p1-5/debian/tests/regress
	sudo systemctl start haveged || true
	STARTED_HAVEGED=:
elif ! pidof haveged >/dev/null; then
	sudo start-stop-daemon --start --quiet \
		--pidfile "$AUTOPKGTEST_TMP/haveged.pid" \
```

Feel free to close this issue if this is a false positive (for example
if this code is in an unreachable code path).

Regards,