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`docker run --init` fails on any container whose rootfs has no glibc loader:
exec /sbin/docker-init: no such file or directory
/sbin/docker-init is not a host path. It is the hardcoded in-container
destination (inContainerInitPath in moby daemon/oci_linux.go); the daemon
resolves the host binary via LookupInitPath() and bind-mounts it there, then
execs it as PID 1 inside the container. Because /usr/bin/docker-init is a
dynamic PIE, the kernel must load /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 from the
*container's* rootfs. Alpine/musl, scratch and distroless images do not have
it, and execve reports the missing interpreter as ENOENT - which surfaces as
"no such file or directory" for a file that plainly exists.
This regressed in 27.3.1-5 (commit b3da2fa, "tini: Initial commit / Also
seperate out tini from docker spec"). Before it, docker.spec built tini itself
and installed a statically linked binary:
make tini-static
cp tini-static "$GOPATH/bin/docker-init"
after it, docker-init became a symlink to the dynamically linked /usr/bin/tini
from the new standalone tini package, whose spec builds tini-static and then
discards it with %exclude.
Upstream moby links docker-init statically on purpose
(hack/dockerfile/install/tini.installer runs `make tini-static`, and the
Dockerfile asserts it with `xx-verify --static`). Fedora does the same: its
tini package ships a tini-static subpackage that moby-engine depends on.
photon master/dev/4.0 are unaffected, they still build it statically.
Changes:
tini: package tini-static in a new subpackage instead of excluding it. The
binary is already built and installed into the buildroot by %cmake_build /
%cmake_install - the %exclude only existed to stop RPM's unpackaged-files
check from failing the build.
tini: restore tini-disable-git.patch, dropped by b3da2fa. tini's
CMakeLists.txt overwrites tini_VERSION_GIT and git_version_check_ret from
execute_process(), clobbering the -D values the spec passes. An RPM builds
from a tarball with no .git, so the git call fails and the version suffix is
silently dropped. moby parses `docker-init --version` expecting
"tini version X.Y.Z - git.COMMIT", so `docker info` showed an empty
"init version:". With the patch both binaries report
"tini version 0.19.0 - git.de40ad0" again.
docker: 5.0 gates docker by subrelease, so both copies are fixed -
SPECS/docker/docker.spec (photon_subrelease >= 91) and
SPECS/90/docker/docker.spec (photon_subrelease <= 90). SPECS/tini/tini.spec
is not gated, so the tini-static subpackage covers every subrelease.
Both point docker-init at tini-static, and add a versioned
Requires: tini-static >= 0.19.0-3 to docker-engine, which is the subpackage
that actually ships /usr/bin/docker-init. The version is required: an
unversioned dependency could be satisfied by an older tini that has no
tini-static, leaving the symlink dangling and reproducing the identical
error message.
Verified on Photon 5.0 with docker-29.5.3-1.ph5 / tini-0.19.0-2.ph5:
before: docker run --init nginx:1-alpine -> exec /sbin/docker-init: ...
docker run --init debian:12 -> works (glibc image)
after: both work, and `ps` in the container shows PID 1 = docker-init
Change-Id: I0b08ef69c111b299fad06874c7fb1e306a040622
Signed-off-by: Daniel Casota <dcasota@gmail.com>
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Problem
docker run --init(and composeinit: true) fails on any container whose rootfs has no glibc loader:/sbin/docker-initis not a host path. It is the hardcoded in-container destination. From mobydaemon/oci_linux.go:LookupInitPath()searches the libexec dirs and then$PATH, finds/usr/bin/docker-init, and bind-mounts it (the symlink is resolved by the mount) into the container, which then execs it as PID 1./usr/bin/docker-initis a symlink to/usr/bin/tini, a dynamic PIE, so the kernel must load/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2from the container's rootfs. Alpine only ships/lib/ld-musl-x86_64.so.1.execvereports a missing ELF interpreter asENOENT, which surfaces as "no such file or directory" for a file that is plainly present.Reproduced on Photon OS 5.0 with
docker-29.5.3-1.ph5/tini-0.19.0-2.ph5:debian:12succeeding is the control: a wrong host path would break every image, not only those without a glibc loader.The regression comes from commit b3da2fa ("tini: Initial commit / Also seperate out tini from docker spec"), released as
docker-27.3.1-5.ph5. Before it,docker.specbuilt tini itself and installed a statically linked binary:After it,
docker-initis a symlink to the dynamically linked/usr/bin/tini, andSPECS/tini/tini.specbuildstini-staticonly to discard it with%exclude %{_bindir}/tini-static.master,devand4.0are unaffected; they still builddocker-initstatically.Upstream moby links
docker-initstatically on purpose:hack/dockerfile/install/tini.installerrunsmake tini-static, and the Dockerfile asserts it withxx-verify --static. Fedora does the same, shipping atini-staticsubpackage thatmoby-enginedepends on.The same commit also dropped
tini-disable-git.patch. tini'sCMakeLists.txtoverwritestini_VERSION_GITandgit_version_check_retviaexecute_process(), clobbering the-Dvalues the spec passes. An RPM builds from a tarball with no.git, so the git call fails and the version suffix is silently dropped. moby parsesdocker-init --versionexpectingtini version X.Y.Z - git.COMMIT, sodocker inforeports an emptyinit version:.Change
SPECS/tini/tini.spec(0.19.0-2 -> 0.19.0-3; not gated by subrelease, so it serves every subrelease)tini-staticin a new subpackage instead of excluding it. The binary is already built and installed into the buildroot by%cmake_build/%cmake_install; the%excludeexisted only to stop RPM's unpackaged-files check from failing the build.tini-disable-git.patchas Patch0.SPECS/docker/docker.spec(29.8.0-1 -> 29.8.0-2, subreleases 91 and later) andSPECS/90/docker/docker.spec(28.2.2-7.4.1 -> 28.2.2-7.4.2, subreleases 90 and earlier), identically:docker-initattini-static.Requires: tini-static >= 0.19.0-3todocker-engine, the subpackage that ships/usr/bin/docker-init. The version bound is deliberate: ifdocker-enginelands while an oldertiniwithouttini-staticis installed, the dangling symlink gives the identical error message, so an unversioned dependency would leave that window open.Requires: tinistays on thedockermetapackage.dockeris the only package requiringtini, so removing it would orphan/usr/bin/tinitotdnf autoremove; that is out of scope here.Testing
rpmspec -P(x86_64 and aarch64) andcheck_spec.py --mainline 93:SPECS/tiniat subreleases 90 and 92,SPECS/dockerat 92,SPECS/90/dockerat 90: all pass.🤖 Generated with Claude Code