Bug 754111 – Openrc complains about "Failed to load pkcs8_key_parser"

• Product: Gentoo Linux
• Status: RESOLVED NEEDINFO

[Description lfs9azh 2020-11-12 07:09:26 UTC]

sys-kernel/gentoo-sources-5.4.72
I've set CONFIG_PKCS8_PRIVATE_KEY_PARSER=y,
But there is a pkcs8.conf in /etc/modules-load.d and /usr/lib/modules-load.d,
It looks like this:


# When distributions use CONFIG_PKCS8_PRIVATE_KEY_PARSER=m kernel option,
# using keyctl(2) will fail for loading PKCS#8 private keys since there is
# no automatic module loading for key type parsers.  This entry ensures
# that the kernel module pkcs8_key_parser.ko is loaded at boot time.
pkcs8_key_parser


This file should be generated when "CONFIG_PKCS8_PRIVATE_KEY_PARSER=m"  according this file.



Is this a bug?

Reproducible: Always

[Comment 1 Jonas Stein 2020-11-12 20:00:54 UTC]

It is sad to read that you have problems with the software. The situation seems to be a bit more complicate and requires some analysis.
We can not help you efficiently via bug tracker. The bug tracker aims rather on specific problems in .ebuilds and less on individual systems. 

I have had very good experience on the gentoo IRC [1] with questions like this. Of course there are also forums and mailing lists [2,3].
I hope you understand, that I will close the bug here therefore and wish you good luck on one of the mentioned channels [4].
Please reopen the ticket in order to provide an indication for an specific error in an ebuild or any gentoo related product.

[1] https://www.gentoo.org/get-involved/irc-channels/
[2] https://forums.gentoo.org/
[3] https://www.gentoo.org/get-involved/mailing-lists/all-lists.html
[4] https://www.gentoo.org/support/

[Comment 2 junkmailnotread 2021-04-25 12:46:59 UTC]

I got the same warning after merging and using the net-wireless/iwd package.

The package manager installed the pkcs8.conf file here:

/usr/lib/modules-load.d/pkcs8.conf

The warning is a reflection of the fact that CONFIG_PKCS8_PRIVATE_KEY_PARSER is built into the kernel (=y) rather than being built as a separate kernel module (=m). Consequently the module cannot be loaded - nor is required - at boot.

To eliminate the warning, comment out the final line of the pkcs8.conf file:

#pkcs8_key_parser

Whether the package manager should have detected the absence of the module, and therefore not installed the pkcs8.conf file in the first place, is a question for someone else.

My feeling is that the package manager should not try to detect the system configuration in that way, because it makes package management less predictable.

[Comment 3 lfs9azh 2021-04-25 13:04:53 UTC]

(In reply to junkmailnotread from comment #2)
> I got the same warning after merging and using the net-wireless/iwd package.
> 
> The package manager installed the pkcs8.conf file here:
> 
> /usr/lib/modules-load.d/pkcs8.conf
> 
> The warning is a reflection of the fact that CONFIG_PKCS8_PRIVATE_KEY_PARSER
> is built into the kernel (=y) rather than being built as a separate kernel
> module (=m). Consequently the module cannot be loaded - nor is required - at
> boot.
> 
> To eliminate the warning, comment out the final line of the pkcs8.conf file:
> 
> #pkcs8_key_parser
> 
> Whether the package manager should have detected the absence of the module,
> and therefore not installed the pkcs8.conf file in the first place, is a
> question for someone else.
> 
> My feeling is that the package manager should not try to detect the system
> configuration in that way, because it makes package management less
> predictable.

The pkcs8.conf file tells everything.
I don't know why Jonas Stein said "a bit more complicate".

[Comment 4 matoro 2021-09-03 01:28:08 UTC]

Should this file not be marked as CONFIG_PROTECT so that commenting it out does not get wiped on subsequent upgrades of net-wireless/iwd?

[Comment 5 lfs9azh 2021-09-05 14:11:43 UTC]

(In reply to matoro from comment #4)
> Should this file not be marked as CONFIG_PROTECT so that commenting it out
> does not get wiped on subsequent upgrades of net-wireless/iwd?

Well,mark as CONFIG_PROTECT should help.