*This is the original working grep behaviour - it found text inside files that were symlinks:-* (Note the output: "*./folder/testfile1:this is my test file*")
[root@ir2 ~]# grep --version grep (GNU grep) 2.5.1 Copyright 1988, 1992-1999, 2000, 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc. This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. [root@ir2 ~]# mkdir bugdemo [root@ir2 ~]# cd bugdemo [root@ir2 bugdemo]# echo "this is my test file" > testfile1 [root@ir2 bugdemo]# echo "this is my test file" > testfile2 [root@ir2 bugdemo]# mkdir folder [root@ir2 bugdemo]# cd folder [root@ir2 folder]# echo "this is my test file" > testfile3 [root@ir2 folder]# ln -s ../testfile1 [root@ir2 folder]# cd .. [root@ir2 bugdemo]# unalias grep [root@ir2 bugdemo]# grep -r test . ./testfile2:this is my test file ./folder/testfile1:this is my test file ./folder/testfile3:this is my test file ./testfile1:this is my test file [root@ir2 bugdemo]# *This is the now-broken current non-working grep behaviour - it fails to find text inside files that were symlinks:-* (Note the *missing* output: "*./folder/testfile1:this is my test file*") [root@ir3 ~]# grep --version grep (GNU grep) 3.1 Copyright (C) 2017 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html >. This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. Written by Mike Haertel and others, see < http://git.sv.gnu.org/cgit/grep.git/tree/AUTHORS>. [root@ir3 ~]# mkdir bugdemo [root@ir3 ~]# cd bugdemo [root@ir3 bugdemo]# echo "this is my test file" > testfile1 [root@ir3 bugdemo]# echo "this is my test file" > testfile2 [root@ir3 bugdemo]# mkdir folder [root@ir3 bugdemo]# cd folder [root@ir3 folder]# echo "this is my test file" > testfile3 [root@ir3 folder]# ln -s ../testfile1 [root@ir3 folder]# cd .. [root@ir3 bugdemo]# unalias grep [root@ir3 bugdemo]# grep -r test . ./testfile1:this is my test file ./testfile2:this is my test file ./folder/testfile3:this is my test file [root@ir3 bugdemo]# It looks like processing exists to not recursively follow symlinks, and someone has messed with that which has caused files to no longer be searched by mistake.
