Re: A couple of questions
Florent Rougon wrote:
Shachar Shemesh <debian@shemesh.biz> wrote:
two questions:
1. My package has a password file. Where is the best place to store it?
/etc/name/password? /var/lib/name/password?
If the password file is a system configuration file (i.e., a file that
can be customized by the admin to modify the behavior of the program),
it belongs to /etc. Otherwise, it should be placed elsewhere. See the
FHS.
Well, you would need a helper program to actually change it, as the
password is encrypted. Otherwise, yes it's a configuration file.
2. I have placed some file names into debian/conffiles. It seems, however,
that all files under /etc are logically added to it as well.
This is a feature of dh_installdeb in debhelper compatibility levels 3
and above. cf. debhelper(1).
Saw it. Thanks.
Files under /etc
that I explicitly list as conffiles are listed twice on
/var/lib/dpkg/info/name.conffiles after installation. This is not good,
especially if option #1 above is taken. Can anyone explain why/how to stop the
scripts from marking all files under /etc as configuration files?
1. You are confusing conffiles and configuration files. These notions
are explained in the Debian Policy Manual.
I read the policy manual. I even reread it now. It says:
10.7.1 Definitions
The distinction between these two is important; they are not
interchangeable concepts. Almost all conffiles are configuration
files, but many configuration files are not conffiles.
Note that a script that embeds configuration information (such as most
of the files in |/etc/default| and |/etc/cron.{daily,weekly,monthly}|)
is de-facto a configuration file and should be treated as such.
10.7.2 Location
Any configuration files created or used by your package must reside in
|/etc|. If there are several, consider creating a subdirectory of
|/etc| named after your package.
Debhelper(1) says:
V3 This mode works like V2, with the following additions:
- Every file in etc/ is automatically flagged as a conffile by
dh_installdeb.
You are right, I am thoroughly confused. It seems to me that if I follow
the policy version 3 or above (and we all agree that I should), then
every configuration file (that must be placed under /etc according to
10.7.2) will also be a conffile, contradicting 10.7.1.
While I am confused, I have to say your explanation did not help me. The
way I see it, a password file is a configuration file, but not a
conffile. All configuration files, be them conffiles or not, should go
into /etc, but debhelper compatibility version 3 (and, by induction,
version 4) does not allow me to place a file there that is not a
conffile. It seems to me that the standard is self conflicting.
2. This is probably a bad idea, but I suppose that setting DH_COMPAT to
2 or below just for the dh_installdeb invocation would do the trick.
I agree. It is a bad idea. Give me another option.
I am either utterly and totally misunderstanding the standard here, or
the standard makes it impossible to create standard conforming
applications in some circumstances.
Help?
Shachar
--
Shachar Shemesh
Lingnu Open Source Consulting ltd.
Have you backed up today's work? http://www.lingnu.com/backup.html
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