Re: How to register files as a part of a package?
Wichert Akkerman <wichert@wiggy.net> wrote:
> > Maybe we need a dpkg-adopt <filename>. I would like for packages to be
> > able to claim ownership of files that wern't necessarily in the
> > original deb package.
> We're thinking of adding such a system, but we want to restructure the
> database handling code first.
Good, well - if you do, make sure you look up Solaris' `installf' command.
It has categories for each delivered file that would be useful to
consider:
f a standard executable or data file
e a file (perhaps owned by another package) frigged with by the
package installation scripts
v volatile file (one whose contents are expected to change)
d directory
x an exclusive directory (I think this means no other packages are
allowed to deliver content to it)
l linked file
p named pipe
s symbolic link
b block special device
c character special device
I can think of a few additions to this list such as volatile exclusive
directories (eg /var/spool/squid), etc.
Note that in the instance where you modify some other package's file in
package installation scripts, you first notify the package system you're
going to modify a file, make your changes then at the end of the script
notify the package system that you're done delivering files.
I hate to say it, but this is a missing feature that makes Debian's
package system a complete and utter mess compared to Solaris'.
Virtues of a package system:
- every file on a system can be identified as beonging to a package
- installations and upgrades can be easily backed out (dpkg--)
- integrity - not just md5 sums but file ownership and permissions can
easily be checked (dpkg--)
You should be able to run `debsums -as' on a freshly installed system and
have it return no changes. A tool similar to `cruft' should return
no spurious files on your system - especially since your data directories
such as `/home' would be marked as a volatile directory by the base system
package. And if you only install things through the package installation
system, and configure things solely with `debconf' and `dpkg-reconfigure',
you should be able to expect these commands to return nothing when re-run.
--
Sam Vilain, sam@vilain.net WWW: http://sam.vilain.net/
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