Re: traceroute in /usr/bin, not /usr/sbin
Herbert Xu writes:
>
> > There is no acceptable excuse not to move it.
>
> I think it's time that you learned to read. Those four points are used to
> decide whether something goes into /sbin instead of /usr/sbin.
The appropriate part of the specification applying to traceroute
is probably from section 3.14.1:
"Utilities used for system administration (and other root-only commands)
are stored in /sbin, /usr/sbin, and /usr/local/sbin. /sbin contains ..."
The point under debate here is whether or not traceroute is for system
administration purposes.
A non-normative footnote in the specifcation attempts to clarify this
(and addresses some of the suggestions previously made in this
discussion regarding PATH setting):
'Deciding what things go into "sbin" directories is simple: if a
normal (not a system administrator) user will ever run it directly,
then it must be placed in one of the "bin" directories". Ordinary
users[1] should not have to place any of the sbin directories in their
path.
For example, files such as chfn which users only occassionally use
must still be placed in /usr/bin/. ping, although it is absolutely
necessary for root (network recovery and diagnosis) is often used by
users and must live in /bin for that reason.'
Perhaps the best argument for putting traceroute in /usr/sbin is that
"its always been there"[2]. Not as silly as it might first sound as
/etc/mtab is explicitly given an exemption for living in /etc although
it doesn't fit the normally static nature of /etc.
Chris.
[1] (footnote mine, not in the text): this will probably
just shift the debate to what is an ordinary user ;-)
[2] though a symlink would avoid most problems.
--
cyeoh@samba.org
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