Re: WWW filesystem layout
> From: Ian Jackson <ian@chiark.chu.cam.ac.uk>
> Subject: WWW filesystem layout
>
> /var is not for stuff that the sysadmin and users are intended to
> edit; it's intended for programs to store their data.
Oops! How did /var/named come into existance? Perhaps this information
should be moved into /home/named. <sarcasm mode off>
> Information that is created by users is usually put in their home
> directories, and since the Web server has a username it should use a
> directory in /home by default, just like the anon-ftp area.
I think that the reason it makes sense for the anon-ftp area to be placed
under /home is that people log into it. I don't think that it follows
that site-based http information (html documents, cgi scripts, icons, etc.)
belongs under /home. That information is more like system information.
Under old versions of unix, that kind of information would go under /usr.
As fsstnd 1.2 puts it:
/var is specified here in order to make it possible to mount /usr read-
only. Everything that once went into /usr that is written to during
system operation (as opposed to installation and software maintenance)
should be in /var.
Frankly, site-specific http files are most like the use of /etc (say for
the /etc/issue file), but I don't think that anyone will suggest that they
be put under /etc.
> WRT CGI scripts, &c, if a server can read several directories then it
> should be configured to read one in /usr/lib somewhere where the ones
> that come with the server are installed, and one in the webtree.
This is so.
> The only thing I can think of that /var should be used for is for a
> caching server, which should keep its cache in /var, perhaps in
> /var/cache/acme-httpd or whatever.
I just re-read the /var section (5) of the fsstnd. I don't see where it
says or even implies this.
> Ian.
Thanks,
David
--
David H. Silber dhs@firefly.com Project: Refinance the house!
<http://www.access.digex.net/~dhs/> Project: lockstep
Programmer for hire.
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