Re: Stuff from /bin, /sbin, /lib depending on /usr/lib libraries

[Henrique de Moraes Holschuh <hmh@debian.org>]

On Thu, 30 Aug 2012, Marco d'Itri wrote:
> On Aug 30, Michael Biebl <biebl@debian.org> wrote:
> > The obvious way is to not use a separate /usr anymore or simply mount
> > /usr via the initramfs.
> > 
> > Wasn't there a patch for initramfs-tools floating around doing that?
> Yes, there is one but the maintainer has not applied or rejected it 
> so far.
> 
> Fellow developers, please do not waste your time moving stuff to /lib: 
> it's a task both endless and futile because nowadays it is clear that 
> the upstream maintainers of various stuff do not support a standalone 
> /usr mounted by the init scripts: if /usr is a standalone file system 
> then it must be mounted in the initramfs.

Yes, because after all, an outdated initramfs already craps all over your md
arrays and hoses the kernel and let's not even touch the root-on-lvm and
encrypted-root break-me-plenty scenarios.  Why not make sure it will also
break the world if you change /etc/fstab [and forget to update the
initramfs] ?

It is getting to the point we will have to deploy machinery to actually
check whether the damn thing needs an update automatically using filesystem
monitors.

Fellow developers: if your stuff is in /bin or /sbin, and it needs something
that is currently in /usr, take a long breath, and think VERY HARD whether
your stuff should be in /bin or /sbin in the first place.  If it *does* have
to live in /, think EXTREMELY HARD whether it should depend on the stuff
that is in /usr (hint: no linking to bling or overly complex crap on
mission-critical early userspace stuff!).

As for PAM, AFAIK neither sulogin nor anything important for early userspace
will care.  IMHO, that means it could move to /usr if it wanted, or we could
just leave it as-is: it does NOT matter whether it works or not with a
separate /usr if it is only used after /usr is available in the first place
and it is of no help in a disaster recovery scenario.

-- 
  "One disk to rule them all, One disk to find them. One disk to bring
  them all and in the darkness grind them. In the Land of Redmond
  where the shadows lie." -- The Silicon Valley Tarot
  Henrique Holschuh