XPost: linux.debian.devel.release
From: vincent.debian@free.fr
--Eel79KRUwFfqeGuO
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Package: release.debian.org
Severity: normal
Tags: trixie
X-Debbugs-Cc: chrony@packages.debian.org
Control: affects -1 + src:chrony
User: release.debian.org@packages.debian.org
Usertags: pu
Hi,
[ Reason ]
A security fix introduced in Linux 6.15¹, and backported to Linux stable
series down to version 5.10, prevents chronyd from starting if
it is set up to use a PHC refclock configured with the 'extpps' option.
[ Impact ]
chronyd would fail to start when configured as aforementioned on a system
featuring a kernel containing that security fix.
More precisely, chronyd would output: "Fatal error : Could not enable external
PHC timestamping"
[ Tests ]
After some required adjustments to 'upstream-simulation-test-suite'
autopkgest, all the tests shipped by chrony pass.
The proposed fix has also been successfully tested by the person who reported
the bug. No regression has been observed.
[ Risks ]
As mentioned above, the proposed update is well tested so I would say
that the risk of regression should be quite low.
[ Checklist ]
[x] *all* changes are documented in the d/changelog
[x] I reviewed all changes and I approve them
[x] attach debdiff against the package in (old)stable
[x] the issue is verified as fixed in unstable
[ Changes ]
- The refclock_phc_open-device-for-writing-with-extpps-option.patch file
is a backport of upstream patch (already available in chrony 4.8) to
open the PHC reference clock with the O_RDWR flag when enabling the
extpps option as recently required by the kernel.
- The second change concerns the 'upstream-simulation-test-suite'
autopkgtest that fails notably due to the patched open() call.
[ Other info ]
I will be filing an issue for bookworm to fix the same problem.
Cheers,
Vincent
¹ https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.
it/commit/?id=97529630d85f910f4e6dfc615f1d111ada9448e3
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diff -Nru chrony-4.6.1/debian/changelog chrony-4.6.1/debian/changelog
--- chrony-4.6.1/debian/changelog 2025-06-03 17:16:37.000000000 +0200
+++ chrony-4.6.1/debian/changelog 2026-02-16 17:34:12.000000000 +0100
@@ -1,3 +1,14 @@
+chrony (4.6.1-3+deb13u1) trixie; urgency=medium
+
+ * debian/patches/:
+ - Add refclock_phc_open-device-for-writing-with-extpps-option.patch.
+ Thanks to Jan Lübbe for the report. (Closes: #1127659)
+
+ * debian/test/upstream-simulation-test-suite:
+ - Prevent simulation test failures.
+
+ -- Vincent Blut Mon, 16 Feb 2026 17:34:12 +0100
+
chrony (4.6.1-3) unstable; urgency=medium
* debian/patches/:
diff -Nru chrony-4.6.1/debian/patches/refclock_phc_open-device-f
r-writing-with-extpps-option.patch chrony-4.6.1/debian/patches/r
fclock_phc_open-device-for-writing-with-extpps-option.patch
--- chrony-4.6.1/debian/patches/refclock_phc_open-device-for-wri
ing-with-extpps-option.patch 1970-01-01 01:00:00.000000000 +0100
+++ chrony-4.6.1/debian/patches/refclock_phc_open-device-for-wri
ing-with-extpps-option.patch 2026-02-16 17:34:12.000000000 +0100
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+Description: Open PHC device for writing with extpps option
+ In version 6.15 the Linux kernel started checking write access on the
+ PHC file descriptor in the PTP_PIN_SETFUNC and PTP_EXTTS_REQUEST ioctls.
+ chronyd opened the PHC device as readonly, which caused the PHC refclock
+ driver configured with the extpps option to fail with the
+ "Could not enable external PHC timestamping" error message.
+
+ To ensure compatibility with new kernel versions, add flags to the
+ SYS_Linux_OpenPHC() function and open the device with the O_RDWR flag
+ when the extpps option is enabled.
+Origin: backport, https://gitlab.com/chrony/chrony/-/commit/f78
4681eff71d941fab3be5ee406d920a155a20
+Bug-Debian: https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1127659
+Last-Update: 2026-02-12
+---
+Index: chrony/ntp_io_linux.c
+===================================================================
+--- chrony.orig/ntp_io_linux.c
++++ chrony/ntp_io_linux.c
+@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ add_interface(CNF_HwTsInterface *conf_if
+
+ SCK_CloseSocket(sock_fd);
+
+- phc_fd = SYS_Linux_OpenPHC(NULL, ts_info.phc_index);
++ phc_fd = SYS_Linux_OpenPHC(NULL, ts_info.phc_index, O_RDONLY);
+ if (phc_fd < 0)
+ return 0;
+
+Index: chrony/refclock_phc.c
+===================================================================
+--- chrony.orig/refclock_phc.c
++++ chrony/refclock_phc.c
+@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ static int phc_initialise(RCL_Instance i
+ {
+ const char *options[] = {"nocrossts", "extpps", "pin", "channel", "clear",
NULL};
+ struct phc_instance *phc;
+- int phc_fd, rising_edge;
++ int rising_edge;
+ struct stat st;
+ char *path, *s;
+
+@@ -74,19 +74,20 @@ static int phc_initialise(RCL_Instance i
+
+ path = RCL_GetDriverParameter(instance);
+
+- phc_fd = SYS_Linux_OpenPHC(path, 0);
+- if (phc_fd < 0)
+- LOG_FATAL("Could not open PHC");
+-
+ phc = MallocNew(struct phc_instance);
+- phc->fd = phc_fd;
+- if (fstat(phc_fd, &st) < 0 || !S_ISCHR(st.st_mode))
+- LOG_FATAL("Could not get PHC index");
+- phc->dev_index = minor(st.st_rdev);
+ phc->mode = 0;
+ phc->nocrossts = RCL_GetDriverOption(instance, "nocrossts") ? 1 : 0;
+ phc->extpps = RCL_GetDriverOption(instance, "extpps") ? 1 : 0;
+ UTI_ZeroTimespec(&phc->last_extts);
++
++ phc->fd = SYS_Linux_OpenPHC(path, 0, phc->extpps ? O_RDWR : O_RDONLY);
++ if (phc->fd < 0)
++ LOG_FATAL("Could not open PHC");
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