Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 23:16:25 -0400 From: Coranth Gryphon <gryphon@healer.com> To: gryphon@healer.com, terry@lambert.org Cc: freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG, freebsd-ports@freebs.org, kelly@fsl.noaa.gov Subject: Re: ports startup scripts Message-ID: <199509260316.XAA14582@healer.com>
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From: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org>
> +> In which case, you've set up a very unique configuration, where
> +> you cannot change "motd", cannot edit password files, change mail
> +> aliases, add new hosts to DNS, ...
> DNS server/caching databases should be in var. A client DNS configuration
> is not subject to change by the client.
Unless you happen to be running as your domain primary, which a LOT of
people do. But then again, why bother keeping track of any data,
just let each machine announce itself and configure everything dynamically,
seems to work for MS-Windows.
> The motd should be in var.
> Local passwords not in the NIS database or user IDs needed for boot
> should be in var.
> Mail aliases should be handled by the mail exchanger host; those that
> are local to the local machine should be in the users' personal alias
> database. or they should be in var.
Ok, so you want to rewrite the entire BSD configuration system, and
take anything that might change out of /etc.
Fine. I give up. You want to change everything, go ahead.
It's not worth trying to fine a compromise when you want a read-only
system configuration.
> +> These types of changes are at least as common, if not a lot more so,
> +> than adding packages.
> Only because we have local system information in the wrong damn place,
> which is why we don't have the ability to upgrade in the first place
> (upgrade/addition-of-options is what started this whole thread).
No, the problem is that traditionally, these things went into /etc
since that was the configuration directory. You don't want it
to be the configuration directory, you want it to be a static system
configuration that comes on CD and doesn't change.
> An upgrade is a typical user operation.
How often? Once every 3-4 months?
Do we really want to rewrite everything around /etc
being read-only and change every existing configuration utility
and script, so that we can go through the entire conversation all
over again when the directory is named /var/config?
The nice thing about /var right now is that everything there
(with a very few exceptions which have already been discussed)
is volatile. It can be blown away and replaced with no problem,
other than loss of history. Now, it would entail a complete
reconfiguration.
If you want to rewrite everything go ahead. Just be prepared
for the few thousand people being real confused that /etc/passwd
is now /var/config/local/passwd.
On the other hand, if people want to take a working system (what
we have now) and add a bit of flexibilty and functionality to it,
let me know so I can help.
-coranth
------------------------------------------+------------------------+
Coranth Gryphon <gryphon@healer.com> | "Faith Manages." |
| - Satai Delenn |
Phone: 603-598-3440 Fax: 603-598-3430 +------------------------+
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