Return pillar data if not external pillar data

[semarie]

Pillar data should be returned if there is no external pillar data.

The ext_pillar function merge pillar and external-pillar data if any.
So, if there is no external-pillar data (or errors), the function should return pillar.

Fixes #16210.

[ghost]

Test Failed.

If the failures are unrelated to your code, don't stress, a core developer will know these apart.
In the future, if possible, please branch off a passing commit to avoid false positives.
Refer to this link for build results: http://jenkins.saltstack.com/job/salt-pr-build/8593/

[wwentland]

Thank you for your report and PR.

[basepi]

@semarie It is likely we will not have any more 2014.1 releases. Could you open this pull request against 2014.7 instead?

[wwentland]

@basepi That is a pity because it means that users won't be able to use the just released .11 if they require this functionality. Might be worth considering including this patch in the packages instead of cutting a new release though.

[basepi]

@BABILEN Including in the .11 packages is not an option at this point -- it's already been packaged and all the packages have been tested for all major operating systems. We'll be announcing the release in the next day or two.

Since this is masterless pillar only, I don't think it will be a huge issue. We will be recommending that those who need this functionality either stay on 2014.1.10 or install from the 2014.1 branch, since we will be merging this pull request, so 2014.1 branch will work.

I don't want to downplay the fact that this is probably a pretty big issue for you, @semarie, but I'm still not sure it justifies cutting a release we will only support for a week or two before abandoning it when 2014.7 is released.

[krak3n]

@basepi releasing a broken piece of software is unacceptable imo, especially when people rely on such features. Thats just short sighted and ultimately makes people not trust that Salt releases stable products.

[basepi]

@krak3n We are working on a new release with these fixes. We always strive to make our releases more stable, but sometimes things slip through.

Check out #16428 for the continued discussion.