Bug#676561: debian-policy: Please clarify important restriction on use of /run
Package: debian-policy
Severity: important
Tags: patch
It's come to my attention that some developers are using /run
without a versioned initscripts dependency, which will break
upgrades from squeeze. They have been doing this because the
wording of Policy makes it sound like /var/run and /var/lock
are being replaced by /run and /run/lock, and they have then
replaced their use of e.g. /var/run with /run without reading
further.
The attached patch documents the requirement for a versioned
initscripts dependency in order to use /run correctly. While
Policy is possibly not the place for such guidance, people are
just reading policy and blindly using it, which is bad.
I've also updated the upgrading-checklist for those who just
skim it.
Thanks,
Roger
-- System Information:
Debian Release: wheezy/sid
APT prefers unstable
APT policy: (550, 'unstable'), (500, 'testing'), (400, 'experimental')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Kernel: Linux 3.2.0-2-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_GB.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_GB.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
>From de9d15e612e6d4344032560e5d49a2dbf2368274 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Roger Leigh <rleigh@debian.org>
Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2012 20:15:53 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] Document restrictions on use of /run for wheezy
---
policy.sgml | 10 ++++++++++
upgrading-checklist.sgml | 8 +++++++-
2 files changed, 17 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/policy.sgml b/policy.sgml
index 52dbb26..7a84003 100644
--- a/policy.sgml
+++ b/policy.sgml
@@ -6281,6 +6281,16 @@ install -m644 debian/shlibs.<var>package</var> debian/<var>package</var>/DEBIAN/
in <file>/run</file> should be stored on a temporary
file system.
</p>
+ <p>
+ Note that for the wheezy release, <file>/run</file>
+ may not be used without a depends on <tt>initscripts
+ (>= 2.88dsf-13.3)</tt>. Without this
+ dependency, <file>/run</file> is not guaranteed to
+ exist or to be writable. Please refer to the
+ detailed guidance on
+ the <url id="http://wiki.debian.org/ReleaseGoals/RunDirectory";
+ name="Debian wiki">.
+ </p>
</item>
<item>
<p>
diff --git a/upgrading-checklist.sgml b/upgrading-checklist.sgml
index 7527e53..8f2f902 100644
--- a/upgrading-checklist.sgml
+++ b/upgrading-checklist.sgml
@@ -74,7 +74,13 @@ Released February, 2012.
directories apply to these directories as well. Backward compatibility
links will be maintained and packages need not switch to
referencing <file>/run</file> directly yet. Files in <file>/run</file>
- should be stored in a temporary file system.
+ should be stored in a temporary file system. Note that for the wheezy
+ release, <file>/run</file> may not be used without a depends on
+ <tt>initscripts (>= 2.88dsf-13.3)</tt>. Without this dependency,
+ <file>/run</file> is not guaranteed to exist or to be writable.
+ Please refer to the detailed guidance on the
+ <url id="http://wiki.debian.org/ReleaseGoals/RunDirectory";
+ name="Debian wiki">.
</item>
<tag>9.1.4</tag>
<item>New section spelling out the requirements for packages that use
--
1.7.10
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