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

[Jörg Sommer <joerg@alea.gnuu.de>]

Hello Peter,

Peter Samuelson <peter@p12n.org> wrote:
>
> [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.

The question for me is, why mount uses /etc for saving runtime
informations. Yes, it's historical. But shouldn't this change?

Bye, Jörg.
-- 
The social dynamics of the net are a direct consequence of the fact
that nobody has yet developed a Remote Strangulation Protocol.
         -- Larry Wall