Re: /usr vs. root was: /etc /usr/etc

[Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@datasync.com>]

Hi,

	I don't think that this proposal is ready for a fiat/vote
 resolution yet. We would need a little more detail IMHO. Could
 someone, for example, detail which conf files should be moved to
 /etc? Is there anyone in this forum that is on the FHS lists?

	I think that a major flaw in this proposal is that the
 division of conf files into machine local and site wide depends on
 the site it self (is emacs configuration site wide? No, since only
 the doc guys want to spend time setting up auctex and sgml. Is
 papersize site wide? maybe, depends on what printers and paper sizes
 are present and required). Who decides which file is site wide? What
 happens if the local site disagrees?

	Making the boot smaller when the non-essential config files
 are less than 1Mb in size is not a good enough reason, seeing that it
 would entail breaking FSSTND compliance.

	The proposal is flawed, because it does not solve the problem
 cleanly either (what if my site has a different idea about which
 packages have local changes than Debian does? Do I have to change
 conf files around?)

	Also, as a sysadmin, I really liked to have the conf files for
 all machines at a central location, and I used rdist. That allowed me
 to group machines into categories (DCE client machines, Server
 machines, file servers, print servers), allowed me the flexibility of
 distributing the same printcap file to all print clients, while
 having different fstab files; I could even have a cmmand execited
 when I updated /etc/aliases.

	I had modified rdist to use ssh rather than rsh based commands
 (I also had a DCE based rdist), so security was not compromised.

	This is a far better option for sysadmins than still having to
 log on to machines to change machine local files (that rapidly gets
 old).

	I think that cfengine may even work better, but I am no expert
 there.

	I think that unless FHS says differently we should not change
 anything for a partial solution.

	manoj

-- 
 "After SPACE BALLS, the Movie, now comes SPACE BALLS, the Operating
 System, on Your nearby IBM Mainframe..." Till Poser
 (f35pos@dhhdesy3.bitnet)
Manoj Srivastava               <url:mailto:srivasta@acm.org>
Mobile, Alabama USA            <url:http://www.datasync.com/%7Esrivasta/>


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