maxBuffer of Infinity aborts child_process.execSync

[sam-github]

• Version: see above
• Platform: Linux samtu 4.8.0-30-generic docs: replace all instances of node.js with io.js because trademark. #32-Ubuntu SMP Fri Dec 2 03:43:27 UTC 2016 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
• Subsystem: child_process

w/core % nvm install 4; node --version; node -e "require('child_process').execSync('date', {maxBuffer: Infinity})"
v4.7.2 is already installed.
Now using node v4.7.2 (npm v2.15.11)
v4.7.2
node: ../deps/uv/src/unix/core.c:168: uv_close: Assertion `0' failed.
zsh: abort (core dumped)  node -e 
w/core % nvm install 5; node --version; node -e "require('child_process').execSync('date', {maxBuffer: Infinity})"                                                    
v5.12.0 is already installed.
Now using node v5.12.0 (npm v3.8.6)
v5.12.0
node: ../deps/uv/src/unix/core.c:165: uv_close: Assertion `0' failed.
zsh: abort (core dumped)  node -e 
w/core % nvm install 6; node --version; node -e "require('child_process').execSync('date', {maxBuffer: Infinity})"                                                    
v6.9.4 is already installed.
Now using node v6.9.4 (npm v3.10.10)
v6.9.4
node: ../deps/uv/src/unix/core.c:168: uv_close: Assertion `0' failed.
zsh: abort (core dumped)  node -e 
w/core % nvm install 7; node --version; node -e "require('child_process').execSync('date', {maxBuffer: Infinity})"
v7.4.0 is already installed.
Now using node v7.4.0 (npm v4.0.5)
v7.4.0
node: ../deps/uv/src/unix/core.c:166: uv_close: Assertion `0' failed.
zsh: abort (core dumped)  node -e 
w/core % ./node/node --version; ./node/node -e "require('child_process').execSync('date', {maxBuffer: Infinity})" 
v8.0.0-pre
child_process.js:477
    throw new TypeError('"maxBuffer" must be an unsigned integer');
    ^

TypeError: "maxBuffer" must be an unsigned integer

8.x-pre behaves well.

[evanlucas]

With #10769 being semver-major, should we mark this as wont-fix?

[sam-github]

#10769 is probably semver-major because it added argument validation. That was a nice cleanup, but not necessary to fix this bug, it should be possible to re-express #10769 as a semver-minor and backport it.

@nodejs/lts what do you think of me backporting #10769 to fix this? Worth it?

[gibfahn]

@nodejs/lts what do you think of me backporting #10769 to fix this? Worth it?

@sam-github maybe add it to nodejs/Release#188?

[mgrant0]

Just a reminder to please also fix this in the documentation. I ran across this, found this bug, discovered that I could do var child = exec(cmd, {maxBuffer:Infinity}) and it works, but isn't documented. Thanks.

[Trott]

Removing v7.x label as that release line is no longer supported.

[gireeshpunathil]

I removed v4.x as it is not longer supported and have no intention to fix in that.
#node --version; node -e "require('child_process').execSync('date', {maxBuffer: Infinity})"
v10.0.0

So I guess once this is back ported to v6.x and doc updated, we are good to close this.

/cc @nodejs/release

[gireeshpunathil]

@apapirovski - a one liner rationale for closing please?

[targos]

Looks like this was closed by mistake

[apapirovski]

I closed this because realistically no one will fix it after being open for a year and a half and not getting a fix in place. There are less than 6 months of maintenance support for v6.x. If someone actually wants to handle fixing / backporting then that's a good start rather than just going back and forth on opening and reopening this.