3 files changed, 24 insertions, 17 deletions

diff --git a/include/libbb.h b/include/libbb.h
index 0170085cb..1adac8443 100644
--- a/include/libbb.h
+++ b/include/libbb.h
@@ -260,10 +260,10 @@ DIR *warn_opendir(const char *path);
 
 /* UNUSED: char *xmalloc_realpath(const char *path); */
 char *xmalloc_readlink(const char *path);
-char *xmalloc_readlink_follow(const char *path);
 char *xmalloc_readlink_or_warn(const char *path);
 char *xrealloc_getcwd_or_warn(char *cwd);
 
+char *xmalloc_follow_symlinks(const char *path);
 
 //TODO: signal(sid, f) is the same? then why?
 extern void sig_catch(int,void (*)(int));
diff --git a/libbb/update_passwd.c b/libbb/update_passwd.c
index e99db40c0..d10e863c6 100644
--- a/libbb/update_passwd.c
+++ b/libbb/update_passwd.c
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ int update_passwd(const char *filename, const char *username,
         int cnt = 0;
         int ret = -1; /* failure */
 
-        filename = xmalloc_readlink_follow(filename);
+        filename = xmalloc_follow_symlinks(filename);
         if (filename == NULL)
                 return -1;
 
diff --git a/libbb/xreadlink.c b/libbb/xreadlink.c
index f7948cbf3..a5f7eb8be 100644
--- a/libbb/xreadlink.c
+++ b/libbb/xreadlink.c
@@ -33,13 +33,16 @@ char *xmalloc_readlink(const char *path)
 }
 
 /*
- * this routine is not the same as realpath(), which canonicalizes
- * the given path completely.  this routine only follows trailing
- * symlinks until a real file is reached, and returns its name. 
- * intermediate symlinks are not expanded.  as above, a malloced
- * char* is returned, which must be freed.
+ * this routine is not the same as realpath(), which
+ * canonicalizes the given path completely.  this routine only
+ * follows trailing symlinks until a real file is reached, and
+ * returns its name.  if the path ends in a dangling link, or if
+ * the target doesn't exist, the path is returned in any case. 
+ * intermediate symlinks in the path are not expanded -- only
+ * those at the tail.
+ * a malloced char* is returned, which must be freed by the caller.
  */
-char *xmalloc_readlink_follow(const char *path)
+char *xmalloc_follow_symlinks(const char *path)
 {
         char *buf;
         char *lpc;
@@ -47,23 +50,27 @@ char *xmalloc_readlink_follow(const char *path)
         int bufsize;
         int looping = MAXSYMLINKS + 1;
 
-        linkpath = xstrdup(path);
+        buf = xstrdup(path);
         goto jump_in;
 
         while (1) {
-                if (!--looping) {
-                        free(linkpath);
-                        free(buf);
-                        return NULL;
-                }
+
                 linkpath = xmalloc_readlink(buf);
                 if (!linkpath) {
-                        if (errno == EINVAL) /* not a symlink */
+                        /* not a symlink, or doesn't exist */
+                        if (errno == EINVAL || errno == ENOENT)
                                 return buf;
                         free(buf);
                         return NULL;
                 } 
-                if (linkpath[0] != '/') {
+
+                if (!--looping) {
+                        free(linkpath);
+                        free(buf);
+                        return NULL;
+                }
+
+                if (*linkpath != '/') {
                         bufsize += strlen(linkpath);
                         buf = xrealloc(buf, bufsize);
                         lpc = bb_get_last_path_component_strip(buf);
@@ -71,8 +78,8 @@ char *xmalloc_readlink_follow(const char *path)
                         free(linkpath);
                 } else {
                         free(buf);
- jump_in:
                         buf = linkpath;
+ jump_in:
                         bufsize = strlen(buf) + 1;
                 }
         }