Re: Is inability to operate with root read-only (and separate /etc, /dev, etc) a bug or design decision?

[Goswin von Brederlow <brederlo@informatik.uni-tuebingen.de>]

Peter Samuelson <peter@p12n.org> writes:

> [Goswin von Brederlow]
>> Instead move the things in etc that need writing to other places:
>> 
>> 1) link /etc/mtab to /proc/mounts and create a dummy /proc/mounts on /
>>    for when /proc isn't mounted (works with quota in current kernels).
>
> Does the wrong thing with (a) user and (b) loop mounts.  [I just tested
> 2.6.16-1-k7.]  /etc/mtab needs to keep enough state for umount to know
> (a) who mounted something, so the same user can unmount it, and (b)
> that a loop device was set up automatically via 'mount -o loop', rather
> than done separately, so that umount can 'losetup -d /dev/loopN'.  This
> is information which cannot, at present, be put in /proc/mounts.

Yes. If you need that feature help patching the kernel (like the new
quota support in /proc/mounts) or link it to somewhere else.

>> 2) Link /etc/resolv.conf to /var or install resolvconf package.
>> 3) Link /etc/network/run to /dev/shm/
>
> Wait, didn't /run get created at some point?  Did that get reverted,
> and if so, why?

I think it never finaly got created. Having a /run is imho the right
solution for early boot writable files. Easy enough to configure too
if one wants it.

MfG
        Goswin