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Bug#672160: Directory /boot/console-setup



[Please preserve the CC to 672160@bugs.debian.org because I am not 
subscribed to debian-devel.]

First the problem in few words.  The package console-setup needs an 
access to a directory similar to /var very early during the boot process 
- when /var is not yet mounted.  Currently it creates files in the 
directory /etc/console-setup.  As a result when the package is purged it 
is impossible to tell which files in /etc/console-setup are 
automatically generated (so they have to be removed) and which are put 
there by the admin (so we are not permitted to remove them).

One possible solution is to generate the files in a directory named 
/etc/console-setup/.cache and to put a file /etc/console-setup/.cache/README
explaining the purpose of this directory and warning the admin that the 
package is free to remove or overwrite at any time any files in this 
directory.

Please don't complain that this is a policy violation. :) I think at the 
moment there is no solution of the problem without policy violation and 
the packages kbd, console-tools and console-setup have been happily 
doing policy violations regarding /etc since the very first version of 
Debian.

The second solution I propose is to generate the files in a directory 
/boot/console-setup.  After all the whole need of such directory arises 
due to the specifics of the boot process.

Personally, I think I prefer /boot to /etc.

Some additional info: most of the time the package requires only 
read-only access to this directory.  Write-access is required only in 
the following occasions:

1. when the admin is dpkg-reconfiguring the package
2. during the first reboot (but not too early in the boot process) if 
the admin has edited the configuration files of console-setup by hand 
and he has not used the command "setupcon --save"
3. when the admin uses the command "setupcon --save"

Anton Zinoviev





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