Bug#548230: dropbear: configuration in /etc/<package> does not follow FHS

[Don Armstrong <don@debian.org>]

reassign 545242 tech-ctte
forcemerge 548230 545242
thanks

On Thu, 24 Sep 2009, Jari Aalto wrote:
>     The problems in the package were identified as follows:
> 
>     (1) /etc/dropbear/run is an executable

There's nothing wrong with having executables in /etc, so long as they
are not binaries. /etc/dropbear/run is "a local file used to control
the operation of a program",[1] so it's perfectly reasonable to have
it in /etc.

>     (2) /etc/dropbear/log is a symlink pointing to /var/log/dropbear

If /etc/dropbear/log is a file controling the location of the log
files (and thus, controling the operation of the program), I don't see
the problem with the FHS.

> 1) Symlinks
> 
>     I: Symlinks are "not real configuration files" as per FHS.

The FHS doesn't address this point at all; while it may be problematic
technically for VCS systems without support for symlinks, it's not
precluded by the FHS. [And given how many symlinks are in /etc, (on my
laptop, I cound 1430[2]), a VCS which can't handle it isn't going to
be particularly useful for managing /etc.]

> 2) Executables
> 
>     I: Excutables should not apperar under "/etc/<package>" as per FHS.

The FHS precludes executable binaries from appearing under /etc, not
executables: "it must be static and cannot be an executable binary".[1]


Don Armstrong

1: http://www.pathname.com/fhs/pub/fhs-2.3.html#ETCHOSTSPECIFICSYSTEMCONFIGURATION
2: $ sudo find /etc -type l|wc -l
1432
-- 
Physics is like sex. Sure, it may give some practical results, but
that's not why we do it.
 -- Richard Feynman

http://www.donarmstrong.com              http://rzlab.ucr.edu