Bug#1095490: util-linux: new optional package to interrogate utmp-format files

[Andrew Bower]

Source: util-linux
Severity: wishlist
X-Debbugs-Cc: sysvinit at 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