Re: /run/, resolvconf and read-only root

[Thomas Hood <jdthood0@yahoo.co.uk>]

On Tue, 2003-05-06 at 09:44, Emile van Bergen wrote:
> True. However, the current behaviour of such programs that edit
> /etc/resolv.conf is undesireable, because they only work if you don't
> dare to start some other connection that edits /etc/resolv.conf while
> the first connection is running. And even if that works, stopping the
> first connection while the second stays open is *guaranteed* to loose
> information when it "restores" the contents of /etc/resolv.conf.

I agree with Emile, but just want to clarify what we are
talking about.

There are two issues here.

1. How shall we deal with the problem that some programs
   need to write to files before /var/ is mounted, possibly
   over a network?

   a) Store those files under /etc/
   b) Create /run/ and store those files under /run/
   c) Mount /var/ earlier and store those files under /var/run/
   d) Rewrite all the programs so as not to write files so early
   e) ... 
   There are many possible solutions.

   * Solution #a is currently adopted by a few packages, but this
     is truly messy and violates the FHS implication that /etc/
     is for static files only.
   * Solution #b bothers people who don't want new top level dirs.
   * Solution #c, if adopted, should be written into policy in
     order to give guidance to administrators who want to network-
     mount /var/ 
   * Solution #d makes life difficult for several existing and any
     future packages that need to store state information early in
     the boot sequence.

   Debian needs to settle on *one* such solution.  *Which*
   solution is the best is proving to be controversial.

2. How shall we deal with the problem of policy non-compliant,
   uncontrolled overwriting of /etc/resolv.conf?

   Emile and I have implemented a solution to #2 that employs 
   solution #b to problem #1, but it can easily be adapted to
   whatever solution-to-#1 Debian agrees upon.

   Apart from one person who thinks that /etc/resolv.conf 
   should not be touched or relocated under any circumstances,
   this proposal has not encountered much opposition.

-- 
Thomas Hood <jdthood0@yahoo.co.uk>