Enhance support.reap_children() (#3036)

* reap_children() now sets environment_altered to True to detect bugs
  using python3 -m test --fail-env-changed
* Replace bare "except:" with "except OSError:" in reap_children()
* Write an unit test for reap_children() using a timeout of 60
  seconds

Lib/test/support/__init__.py

@@ -2073,26 +2073,35 @@ def decorator(*args):
             threading_cleanup(*key)
     return decorator
 
+
 def reap_children():
     """Use this function at the end of test_main() whenever sub-processes
     are started.  This will help ensure that no extra children (zombies)
     stick around to hog resources and create problems when looking
     for refleaks.
     """
+    global environment_altered
+
+    # Need os.waitpid(-1, os.WNOHANG): Windows is not supported
+    if not (hasattr(os, 'waitpid') and hasattr(os, 'WNOHANG')):
+        return
+
     # Reap all our dead child processes so we don't leave zombies around.
     # These hog resources and might be causing some of the buildbots to die.
-    if hasattr(os, 'waitpid'):
-        any_process = -1
-        while True:
-            try:
-                # This will raise an exception on Windows.  That's ok.
-                pid, status = os.waitpid(any_process, os.WNOHANG)
-                if pid == 0:
-                    break
-                print("Warning -- reap_children() reaped child process %s"
-                      % pid, file=sys.stderr)
-            except:
-                break
+    while True:
+        try:
+            # Read the exit status of any child process which already completed
+            pid, status = os.waitpid(-1, os.WNOHANG)
+        except OSError:
+            break
+
+        if pid == 0:
+            break
+
+        print("Warning -- reap_children() reaped child process %s"
+              % pid, file=sys.stderr)
+        environment_altered = True
+
 
 @contextlib.contextmanager
 def start_threads(threads, unlock=None):

Lib/test/test_support.py

@@ -1,12 +1,15 @@
+import contextlib
+import errno
 import importlib
+import io
+import os
 import shutil
+import socket
 import stat
 import sys
-import os
-import unittest
-import socket
 import tempfile
-import errno
+import time
+import unittest
 from test import support
 
 TESTFN = support.TESTFN
@@ -378,6 +381,51 @@ def test_check__all__(self):
 
         self.assertRaises(AssertionError, support.check__all__, self, unittest)
 
+    @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(os, 'waitpid') and hasattr(os, 'WNOHANG'),
+                         'need os.waitpid() and os.WNOHANG')
+    def test_reap_children(self):
+        # Make sure that there is no other pending child process
+        support.reap_children()
+
+        # Create a child process
+        pid = os.fork()
+        if pid == 0:
+            # child process: do nothing, just exit
+            os._exit(0)
+
+        t0 = time.monotonic()
+        deadline = time.monotonic() + 60.0
+
+        was_altered = support.environment_altered
+        try:
+            support.environment_altered = False
+            stderr = io.StringIO()
+
+            while True:
+                if time.monotonic() > deadline:
+                    self.fail("timeout")
+
+                with contextlib.redirect_stderr(stderr):
+                    support.reap_children()
+
+                # Use environment_altered to check if reap_children() found
+                # the child process
+                if support.environment_altered:
+                    break
+
+                # loop until the child process completed
+                time.sleep(0.100)
+
+            msg = "Warning -- reap_children() reaped child process %s" % pid
+            self.assertIn(msg, stderr.getvalue())
+            self.assertTrue(support.environment_altered)
+        finally:
+            support.environment_altered = was_altered
+
+        # Just in case, check again that there is no other
+        # pending child process
+        support.reap_children()
+
     # XXX -follows a list of untested API
     # make_legacy_pyc
     # is_resource_enabled
@@ -398,7 +446,6 @@ def test_check__all__(self):
     # run_doctest
     # threading_cleanup
     # reap_threads
-    # reap_children
     # strip_python_stderr
     # args_from_interpreter_flags
     # can_symlink