[Zope] ZODB install time error

[Tim Peters]

[P. Nagaraj]
>> [ZODB3-3.4.0]# python test.py
>> Running tests from build/lib.linux-i686-2.3
>> Running unit tests:
>>
>>
>> Error in test testUmask (zdaemon.tests.testzdrun.ZDaemonTests)
>>Traceback (most recent call last):
>>   File "build/lib.linux-i686-2.3/zdaemon/tests/testzdrun.py", line
75, in tearDown
>>     self.assertEqual(self.expect, output)
>>   File "/var/tmp/python2.3-2.3.5-root/usr/lib/python2.3/unittest.py",
line 302, in failUnlessEqual
>>     raise self.failureException, \
>> AssertionError: '' != '\n\nFailure in test testUmask
>> (zdaemon.tests.testzdrun.ZDaemonTests)\nTraceback (most recent call
>> last):\n  File "build/lib.linux-i686-2.3/zdaemon/tests/testzdrun.py", line
>> 260, in testUmask\n    self.assert_(not os.access(path, os.W_OK))\n  File
>> "/var/tmp/python2.3-2.3.5-root/usr/lib/python2.3/unittest.py", line 278,
>> in failUnless\n    if not expr: raise self.failureException,
>> msg\nAssertionError\n\n'

[Dieter Maurer]
> I think you can ignore this failure in the "testUmask" test
> of "zdaemon". Almost surely, you will not need this feature.
>
> For me, the above looks like a broken test (at least I have
> problems to decode the 'AssertionError').

The test asks zdaemon to run the `touch` command with umask 666.
Therefore nobody (except root) should have write access to the file
`touch` creates.  The failing

    self.assert_(not os.access(path, os.W_OK))

asserts that write access is in fact not allowed.

But note the "except root" in the above:  if someone is running as
root, there's no chance this can work.  More recent versions of
zdaemon start the test with this check:

        if os.getuid() == 0 :
            self.fail("""
I am root!
Do not run the tests as root.
Testing proper umask handling cannot be done as root.
Furthermore, it is not a good idea and strongly discouraged to run zope, the
build system (configure, make) or the tests as root.
In general do not run anything as root unless absolutely necessary.
""" )

Good advice :-)