K3s does not respect data-dir set via config file drop-in, or via env var

[brandond]

1. The multicall wrapper script does not honor config file drop-ins for the --data-dir flag. The flag will be found if set in the CLI args, or in /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml, but not if it is set in any file in /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml.d (or the equivalent drop-in dir if the --config flag is used to change the path to config.yaml).

2. The K3S_DATA_DIR env var does not map to the --data-dir CLI flag. It probably should. The multicall wrapper sets the K3S_DATA_DIR env var when it runs wrapped commands, but it appears that this is no longer used for anything - as there are no references to it anywhere else in the code base:
   

   k3s/cmd/k3s/main.go

   Line 196 in 59e0761

   if err := os.Setenv(version.ProgramUpper+"_DATA_DIR", dir); err != nil {

To reproduce:

• Install k3s with mkdir -p /etc/rancher/k3s; echo "data-dir: /k8s" >> /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml; curl -sL get.k3s.io | sh -s - server
  • note that data-dir is used
• Install k3s with curl -sL get.k3s.io | sh -s - server --data-dir=/k8s
  • note that data-dir is used
• Install k3s with mkdir -p /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml.d; echo "data-dir: /k8s" >> /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml.d/99-data-dir.yaml; curl -sL get.k3s.io | sh -s - server
  • note that data-dir is NOT used
• Install k3s with curl -sL get.k3s.io | K3S_DATA_DIR=/k8s sh -s - server
  • note that data-dir is NOT used

Note that for the case where data-dir is set in /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml.d/, the value is PARTIALLY respected. The stage 2 k3s server command honors the setting, but the binaries and packaged manifests are extracted out to the default path by the stage 1 multicall wrapper.

[brandond]

It looks like K3S_DATA_DIR was used by the strongswan ipsec flannel backend to pass through the bin dir to the

• Initial encrypted network support #719

This has been gone for quite some time so there is no need for this to be set any longer:

• Investigate alternatives for StrongSwan #6027
• Bump k3s root to v0.12.0 and remove strongswan binaries #6400
• https://github.com/k3s-io/k3s/releases/tag/v1.25.5%2Bk3s1

  The embedded swanctl and charon binaries have been removed. If you are using the ipsec flannel backend, please ensure that the strongswan swanctl and charon packages are installed on your node before upgrading k3s.

[ShylajaDevadiga]

Closing this issue as validated
#10592 (comment)