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classification
Title: subprocess with redirection fails after FreeConsole
Type: behavior Stage: resolved
Components: Library (Lib), Windows Versions: Python 3.6, Python 3.4, Python 3.5, Python 2.7
process
Status: closed Resolution: duplicate
Dependencies: Superseder: subprocess failing in GUI applications on Windows
View: 3905
Assigned To: Nosy List: George Prekas, eryksun, paul.moore, steve.dower, tim.golden, zach.ware
Priority: normal Keywords:

Created on 2015-10-27 15:33 by George Prekas, last changed 2022-04-11 14:58 by admin. This issue is now closed.

Files
File name Uploaded Description Edit
testcase.py George Prekas, 2015-10-27 15:33 test case
Messages (3)
msg253547 - (view) Author: George Prekas (George Prekas) Date: 2015-10-27 15:33
Under Windows, if I do FreeConsole and then subprocess.call with redirected stdin or stdout or stderr, then subprocess.call fails. The only solution is either DO NOT redirect any handle OR to redirect ALL of them. The problem lies in function _get_handles at subprocess.py:810 (Python 2.7.10), which does:
* GetStdHandle
* DuplicateHandle via _make_inheritable.

DuplicateHandle fails if called on stdin, stdout or stderr after FreeConsole.

$ cygstart /mnt/c/utils/Python35/python.exe testcase.py fails
$ cygstart /mnt/c/utils/Python35/python.exe testcase.py works1
$ cygstart /mnt/c/utils/Python35/python.exe testcase.py works2
$ cygstart /mnt/c/utils/Python35/python.exe testcase.py works3
msg253573 - (view) Author: Eryk Sun (eryksun) * (Python triager) Date: 2015-10-28 00:09
For me, fails() lives up to its name in Windows 7, but it doesn't fail in Windows 10. It shouldn't fail in Windows 8, either. 

In Windows 8+ the console interface is implemented using a kernel device. Console handles reference virtual files on the ConDrv device, such as Connect, Input, and Output. The example doesn't fail because the I/O handles (Input and Output) are valid even if the main console handle (Connect) has been closed by calling FreeConsole. 

OTOH, prior to Windows 8, console I/O handles don't reference kernel objects. You may have noticed that the old API tags the values by setting the lower 2 bits (e.g. 3, 7, 11). This enables redirecting actions on console I/O handles to functions in the console host process (i.e. conhost.exe in Win 7, and csrss.exe in XP/Vista). For example, for a regular kernel object, the DuplicateHandle API is serviced by the system call NtDuplicateObject. But for a console handle, Windows instead sends the request to the console LPC port, to be dispatched to SrvDuplicateHandle in the console. Obviously this can't work after the client has called FreeConsole. 

Prior to Windows 8, this invalid-handle error can also be the result of running pythonw.exe from a console application such as python.exe or cmd.exe. See issue 3905. In this case Windows is copying the values of the parent's standard handles into the pythonw.exe process parameters, but they're meaningless values since pythonw.exe doesn't attach to a console automatically. (You could of course manually call AllocConsole or AttachConsole.) The new implementation in Windows 8 and 10 is smart enough to initialize the standard handles to 0 in this case. Thus in Windows 10 Terry's example in msg220218 doesn't raise and exception, and p.stdout.read() == b'32\r\n'.

A workaround for Python 3.4+ on older Windows versions would be to check os.get_handle_inheritable, which calls WinAPI GetHandleInformation [1]:

    ERROR_INVALID_HANDLE = 0x0006

    if stdin is None:
        p2cread = _winapi.GetStdHandle(_winapi.STD_INPUT_HANDLE)
        try:
            os.get_handle_inheritable(p2cread)
        except OSError as e:
            if e.winerror != ERROR_INVALID_HANDLE:
                raise
            p2cread = None
        if p2cread is None:
            p2cread, _ = _winapi.CreatePipe(None, 0)
            p2cread = Handle(p2cread)
            _winapi.CloseHandle(_)

For 2.7, GetHandleInformation could be added to _subprocess. But then it may as well be added to Python 3's _winapi as well. 

[1]: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms724329
msg253574 - (view) Author: Eryk Sun (eryksun) * (Python triager) Date: 2015-10-28 00:15
I forgot to first check whether p2cread is None:

    ERROR_INVALID_HANDLE = 0x0006
    
    if stdin is None:
        p2cread = _winapi.GetStdHandle(_winapi.STD_INPUT_HANDLE)
        if p2cread is not None:
            try:
                os.get_handle_inheritable(p2cread)
            except OSError as e:
                if e.winerror != ERROR_INVALID_HANDLE:
                    raise
                p2cread = None
        if p2cread is None:
            p2cread, _ = _winapi.CreatePipe(None, 0)
            p2cread = Handle(p2cread)
            _winapi.CloseHandle(_)
History
Date User Action Args
2022-04-11 14:58:23adminsetgithub: 69678
2015-12-05 19:43:17eryksunsetstatus: open -> closed
superseder: subprocess failing in GUI applications on Windows
resolution: duplicate
stage: resolved
2015-10-28 00:15:29eryksunsetmessages: + msg253574
2015-10-28 00:09:07eryksunsetmessages: + msg253573
versions: + Python 3.4, Python 3.6
2015-10-27 17:33:32zach.waresetnosy: + eryksun, paul.moore, tim.golden, zach.ware, steve.dower
components: + Windows
2015-10-27 15:33:14George Prekascreate