[grsec] Re: Fwd: Re: Bug#336461: debhelper: dh_fixperms - xargs: chown: Argument list too long

[Andreas Metzler]

 <pageexec at ...> writes:
> On 9 Nov 2005 at 3:49, Bernd Zeimetz wrote:
[...]
> > From the source of xargs:
> >   /* IEE Std 1003.1, 2003 specifies that the combined argument and
> >    * environment list shall not exceed {ARG_MAX}-2048 bytes.  It also
> >    * specifies that it shall be at least LINE_MAX.
> >    */
[...] 
> interesting, where exactly does that quote come from?
[...]

Hello,
It is part of the xargs-specific chapter in Shell and Utilities volume (XCU).
The rationale says:

| The requirement that xargs never produces command lines such that
| invocation of utility is within 2048 bytes of hitting the POSIX exec
| {ARG_MAX} limitations is intended to guarantee that the invoked utility
| has room to modify its environment variables and command line arguments
| and still be able to invoke another utility. [...]

            hth, cu andreas