[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Re: Which is the new dhcp3 conf.file?



-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Ben Armstrong wrote:
| On Thu, Apr 08, 2004 at 11:17:45PM +0200, Jonas Smedegaard wrote:
|
|>I do not have the answer, but want to raise a red flag here: Do *not*
|>use symlinks below /etc! Symlinked conffiles are not handled properly in
|>Debian.
|
|
| That's a new one on me.  Please show me in debian-policy where it says you
| should not use symlinked conffiles.  Or if it is a legitimate problem that
| must be avoided by developers and yet is not in policy, it ought to be, so
| please file a bug on the debian-policy package and make your case for the
| change in it.

Ok, let me rephrase: Overriding a conffile with a symlink is not handled
properly in Debian.

this is not a problem for developers, but for users. Please read on...

Debian Policy is for package maintainers, not for local systems
administrators. I warned earlier that Skolelinux packages breaks policy
by making changes to conffiles of other packages, but was then told that
Skolelinux packages does not do that - they just provide scripts for the
local admin to do the changes automatically (and runs those scripts
through debconf). I honestly did not buy that argument, but didn't want
to waste more time on the issue - I made my point, and it wasn't accepted.

So, the packages are not in violation with Debian Policy because the
tampering of other packages is (in a smart way) left to the local admin.
I therefore do *not* complain about a breach of policy, but about an
unwise thing for (developers to persuade) local admins to do.

Try this:

~ 1) Install dhcp3-server
~ 2) Replace manually /etc/dhcp3/dhcpd.conf with a symlink
~ 3) Update dhcp3-server to a newer version (with changes to the
conffile, so that the "do you want to update this file" dialogue appears.

As far as I remember (as a local admin I stopped using symlinks some
time ago), the update proces now no longer warns about upgrades, but
just silently ignores them. This is bad, because the whole point of the
warning is that if the conffile is updated it is quite possible those
changes are needed, even if changed locally.

~ - Jonas

- --
* Jonas Smedegaard - idealist og Internet-arkitekt
* Tlf.: +45 40843136  Website: http://dr.jones.dk/

~ - Enden er nær: http://www.shibumi.org/eoti.htm
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://enigmail.mozdev.org

iD8DBQFAdg7gn7DbMsAkQLgRAr9LAJ49k/FSTdTBG194z+8i6XOlWkVoewCeNPuD
sPo2Lb7KNfjwOuEwHX/JROI=
=9t+3
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
begin:vcard
fn:Jonas Smedegaard
n:Smedegaard;Jonas
org:IT-guide dr. Jones
adr:;;Munksoegaard 3;Roskilde;;4000;Denmark
email;internet:dr@jones.dk
title:Internet Architect
tel;work:+45 40843136
tel;home:+45 40843136
tel;cell:+45 40843136
x-mozilla-html:FALSE
url:http://dr.jones.dk/
version:2.1
end:vcard


Reply to: