WARNING: $xyz is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).

[Ian Smith]

Re: freebsd-questions Digest, Vol 614, Issue 8, Message: 3
On Sun, 13 Mar 2016 17:22:39 +1100 andrew clarke <mail at ozzmosis.com> wrote:

 > I notice on FreeBSD 10.2-REL (also 10.3-RC2), executing:
 > 
 > service -e
 > 
 > results in the following appended to /var/log/messages:
 > 
 > Mar 13 17:09:57 blizzard ozzmosis: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $growfs_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
 > Mar 13 17:09:57 blizzard ozzmosis: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $ is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
 > Mar 13 17:09:57 blizzard ozzmosis: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $tcsd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
 > Mar 13 17:09:58 blizzard ozzmosis: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $mpd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
 > Mar 13 17:09:58 blizzard ozzmosis: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $poudriered_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
 > Mar 13 17:09:58 blizzard ozzmosis: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $mdnsresponderposix_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
 > Mar 13 17:09:58 blizzard ozzmosis: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $mdnsd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
 > Mar 13 17:09:58 blizzard ozzmosis: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $dbus_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
 > Mar 13 17:09:58 blizzard ozzmosis: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $avahi_daemon_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
 > Mar 13 17:09:58 blizzard ozzmosis: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $cupsd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
 > Mar 13 17:09:58 blizzard ozzmosis: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $avahi_dnsconfd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
 > 
 > "$ is not set properly" looks like a bug, but I'm wondering whether
 > these messages are necessary at all?

Indeed.  Just to check for a regression, I ran the same on stable/9 
(October). Most of these are enabled in /etc/defaults/rc.conf, and
everything specifically enabled in rc.conf is there: (*)

smithi at x200:~/planotes % service -e
/etc/rc.d/hostid
/etc/rc.d/hostid_save
/etc/rc.d/cleanvar
/etc/rc.d/ip6addrctl
/etc/rc.d/devd
/etc/rc.d/newsyslog
/etc/rc.d/syslogd
/etc/rc.d/dmesg
/etc/rc.d/virecover
/etc/rc.d/motd
/etc/rc.d/ntpd			*
/etc/rc.d/powerd		*
/etc/rc.d/rwho			*
/etc/rc.d/moused		*
/usr/local/etc/rc.d/dbus	*
/usr/local/etc/rc.d/hald	*
/etc/rc.d/sshd			*
/etc/rc.d/sendmail
/etc/rc.d/cron
/etc/rc.d/mixer
/etc/rc.d/gptboot
/etc/rc.d/bgfsck

I checked that with % grep '="YES"' /etc/rc.conf /etc/defaults/rc.conf

And a similar surprise here, so this is not new behaviour.  Perhaps you 
were the very first person ever to use service -e AND read messages :)

smithi at x200:~/planotes % tail -24 /var/log/messages
[..]
Mar 12 05:30:33 x200 kernel: acpi_lid0: Lid closed
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $mpd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $uuidd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $webcamd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $svnserve_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $gpsd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $gkrellmd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $smartd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $slpd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $saned_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $rsyncd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $mysql_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $mdnsd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $lircd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $kdm4_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $ffserver1_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $ffserver_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $avahi_daemon_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $avahi_dnsconfd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).

 > For example, I don't have growfs_enable set at all in rc.conf, so I'd
 > have thought that /usr/sbin/service would treat this as the same as
 > growfs_enable="NO".

zero (0) of those above are enabled here, nor are they in defaults, and 
only 2 are installed (but not startup-enabled) gkrellmd and smartd.

Perhaps these are 'just' complaints about the adjudged correctness of 
these scripts, for debugging?

That was run as a (wheel) user; I didn't really expect it to work, 
though -e shouldn't try to DO anything.  So I tried it as root:

Mar 13 23:16:52 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $avahi_dnsconfd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
Mar 14 00:07:04 x200 su: smithi to root on /dev/pts/6
Mar 14 00:07:13 x200 smithi: /usr/sbin/service: WARNING: $mpd_enable is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
[.. same lot again ..]

 > Also, "not set properly" does not have the same meaning as "not set",
 > so at the very least the warning is erroneous.

Nothing in service(8) /-e suggests this behaviour to me at all.

Looks like you've won first prize: a hot date with bugzilla :)

cheers, Ian