Page MenuHome GnuPG
Create Task
Maniphest T2936

pubring.kbx to pubring.kbx~
Closed, WontfixPublic
Actions

Description

Hi,

The pubring.kbx~ file is evidently created by moving the existing pubring.kbx to
it and then recreating pubring.kbx. This can be a problem when using the new
gpg-agent forwarding feature. For example, I run my mail client in a FreeBSD
jail that contains my pubring.kbx and an empty private-keys-v1.d directory. In
order to keep pubring.kbx in sync while managing my keyring from the host, I
make pubring.kbx on the host a symlink to the actual pubring.kbx in the jail.
Thus, when the backup is created on the host, it renders my symlink
dysfunctional. I suggest copying pubring.kbx to pubring.kbx~ instead to resolve
this issue.

Thanks,

--Kyle

Details

Version
2.1.16

Event Timeline

amonk added projects: gnupg, Bug Report.Feb 2 2017, 6:07 AM
amonk set Version to 2.1.16.
amonk added a subscriber: amonk.
• werner added a subscriber: • werner.Feb 2 2017, 10:22 AM

Copying pubring.kbx to the backup file is not an option because keyrings tend to
get very large. Several dozen megabytes are quite common.

amonk added a comment.Feb 3 2017, 6:22 AM

That doesn't seem all that large in the modern era, but okay. In any
case, after moving it to the backup file, don't the same number of bytes
need to be written into the new file anyway? And, regardless, how can
something be done to facilitate pubring.kbx sometimes being a symlink then?
Perhaps an option so the choice of move vs. copy can be left to the user?

--Kyle

• werner added a comment.Feb 13 2017, 4:30 PM

Right, but it would double the write time and we won't have an atomic update -
which we need.

marcus closed this task as Wontfix.Jul 27 2017, 3:03 PM
marcus claimed this task.