[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Which files in /usr/sbin?



Since Raul Miller (rdm@gopher.legislate.com) and I seem to disagree about 
how to interpret the fsstnd regarding files in /usr/sbin, I would like to 
get advice from people in the mailing list.
If we follow the quote from the fsstnd literally, then many programs in 
/sbin and /usr/sbin should be moved to /bin or /usr/bin. I have made a 
sample list (see below).

I don't think that is reasonable. I think we have to interpret the fsstnd 
to mean "if the main purpose of including a program at all is for the 
sysadmin to use it, then it should be in .../sbin". If the words are 
different, maybe I should file a bug report on the fsstnd.

In the particular case of zdump, I think that the purpose of including it 
at all is for the sysadmin to verify the validity of the 
/usr/lib/zoneinfo database, not for users to see what time is it in the 
other side of the planet. In that case, we should include it in /usr/games.

What do you think?

Here is a list of programs potentially useful for regular users:

In /usr/sbin:
chat
chroot
dip
httpd
pathto
pppd
rdate (with -p option)
rmail
safe_finger
sendmail
showmount
smail
start-stop-daemon
strfile
traceroute
try-from
unstr
zdump

In /sbin:
clock -r
fdisk -l
ifconfig
ldconfig -NXp
lsmod
mke2fs (floppies!!)
mkfs
mkfs.ext2
mkfs.minix
route

On Thu, 18 Jan 1996, Raul Miller wrote:

> Package: Timezone
> 
> I wrote:
>    >(0) zdump is in /usr/sbin -- though you don't need to be root to
>    >find it useful.
> 
> Fernando Alegre replied:
>    I don't consider this a bug. Many utilities included mainly for
>    sysadmins are useful to regular users, but that doesn't prevent
>    them to be in /usr/sbin.
> 
> I still consider this a bug.  Here's a quote from fsstnd-1.2, section
> 3.10:
>    Deciding what things go in sbin directories is simple: If a user will
>    need to run it, then it should go somewhere else.  If it will only be
                                                                   ^^^^
Maybe "only" is too drastic. It could lead (as in this case) to 
misinterpretations.

>    run by system administrators or as root from system management scripts,
>    then it should go in /sbin (or in /usr/sbin or /usr/local/sbin if the
>    item is not vital to system operation).
> 
> If there are other utilities that users will need to run in /usr/sbin
                                               ^^^^^^^
On the other hand, "need to" is not the same as "might want to".
Users need to run /bin/sh, but they don't need to run /usr/games/fortune or
/usr/sbin/traceroute even though they might want to run them.

> these are also bugs.  I'm re-opening this report.
> 
> -- 
> Raul
> 
> 

Let's see what the experts' opinion is before closing it again :-)

Regards,
	Fernando Alegre
	alegre@mars.superlink.net


Reply to: