Re: Simple solution to pre-installation configuration
On Mon, 27 Jan 1997, Christoph Lameter wrote:
> richr >>
> richr >> 1. The package will never refer to /var/lib/config/packagename for
> richr >> configuration information except at installation time. The user might
> richr >> run a reconfiguration at any time without activating that new
> richr >> configuration. The information in /var/lib/config is only to be
> richr >> consulted during installation.
> richr >
> richr >How will package upgrades know what intermitten changed values to
> richr >use if the user doesn't update the /var/lib/config/packagename
> richr >file? Shouldn't the user be able to expect continuity across
> richr >upgrades instead of having to reconfigure at each
> richr >install/upgrade? I think this must be considered. I realize
>
> That is true. I expect the values in /var/lib/config/packagename
> to be quite stable. If some values are not there then I would suggest
> that the application takes reasonable defaults and proceed.
That sounds fine (assuming the missing values get noted somewhere
they can be referenced later).
>
> richr >that packages may change and old values may not exist in new
> richr >versions, new values may be added, etc. But I think its worth
> richr >it to take this a little further to accomidate upgrades before
> richr >letting it loose. Adding an option or two to the utility to
> richr >either prompt for reconfiguration or just use existing values or
> richr >just use new defaults would be one way to handle this simply.
>
> My example configure script with the adpkg package already reads
> /var/lib/config/packagename and then asks the user for changes. Is that
> what you are looking for? A reconfiguration is simply another
> configuration.
Well, yeah, I guess. But ultimately, there should be a way to
tell adpkg wich you prefer up front (i.e. "don't ask, just take
defaults for missing values", "replace current config with new
default", etc.). Sort of a configure profile so that perhaps a
command line switch can change this behavior (or an environment
variable?). I'll take a look at adpkg, maybe this is already the
case.
>
> richr >Also adding something to each packages doc directory describing
> richr >the configurable variables and where they are would allow users
> richr >to edit the files manually to maintain them (in the absence of an
> richr >automated maintenance utitility). It may even be possible to
> richr >offer a diff on the existing variables and the new variables as
> richr >an option and either present to the user or log it to a file.
>
> Some explanation of what the user is configuring is certainly to be
> desired. Is it enough to include some help in the configure script or do
> we need some extra documentation file to be displayed at configuration
> time?
Well, I'd prefer having something in the doc directory.
I may install a package now and take default values because I
don't know enough to select my own. Later, I may get to reading
the docs on a package to tailor it to taste. It would be then
that I would need to see the value definitions, etc. I'd want to
know how I want to configure it before rerunning the configure
script. That's just me though. Actually, it doesn't need to be
in the doc directory I guess. It just needs to be accessable.
Having it in /usr/doc would make it accessable from dwww though.
In any case, this really sounds great.
Richard G. Roberto
richr@bear.com
011-81-3-3437-7967 - Tokyo, Japan
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