Bug#203367: marked as done (RFP: resolvconf -- Nameserver information manager)
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From: Thomas Hood <jdthood@yahoo.co.uk>
To: Debian Bug Tracking System <submit@bugs.debian.org>
Subject: RFP: resolvconf -- Nameserver information manager
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Package: wnpp
Version: unavailable; reported 2003-07-29
Severity: wishlist
* Package name : resolvconf
Version : 0.32
Upstream Author : Name <jdthood@yahoo.co.uk>
* URL : http://alioth.debian.org/projects/update-resolv
* License : GPL
Description : Nameserver information manager
Resolvconf is already packaged for Debian, but there are
wrinkles to work out. The upstream author is willing to share
packaging duties. Note that the earlier ITP of this package
(#203131) was withdrawn.
(Long Description)
Resolvconf is a framework for keeping track of the system's
information about currently available nameservers. It sets
itself up as the intermediary between programs that control
network interfaces and supply nameserver information, and
applications that need nameserver information.
.
This package contains hook scripts that cause resolvconf to
collect resolver information from the PPP daemon, DHCP
clients and ifupdown. It also contains "update" scripts
that provide this information in the required format to the
libc resolver and bind. Other packages such as dnsmasq and
laptop-net also include hooks and update scripts for
integration with the resolvconf system.
(ANNOUNCE)
Summary
~~~~~~~
Resolvconf is a proposed standard framework for updating the
system's information about currently available nameservers.
Most importantly, it manages /etc/resolv.conf , but it does
a bit more than that.
Background and rationale
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
During the long discussion on debian-devel about making it possible
to mount the root filesystem read-only, it was pointed out that one
of variable files standing in the way is the libc resolver
configuration file, /etc/resolv.conf . Several programs modify this
file as network interfaces are brought up and down. This situation
is undesirable not only because it stands in the way of a read-only
rootfs but also because it prevents the user from running more than
one configurer at a time: the second process would overwrite the
first process's changes to resolv.conf. The latter problem could
be addressed by making configurers cooperate somehow; but this would
not meet another major need: the need to supply resolver information
to DNS cache programs such as named and dnsmasq. Various packages
have addressed these issues, but only partially and
idiosyncratically. Resolvconf aims to solve the problem simply and
completely.
Resolvconf
~~~~~~~~~~
/sbin/resolvconf is a short sh script which I have packaged together
with some "hook" scripts in a package also called 'resolvconf'.
Resolvconf mediates between programs that supply resolver information
(mainly interface configurers) and those that consume resolver
information (the libc resolver and DNS caches).
Please read the package README file for detailed information.
Here is a summary of how resolvconf works.
Usage
~~~~~
Interface configurers send resolver information to resolvconf in the
format of the familiar /etc/resolv.conf file. Thus, for example,
a program that has configured interface $IFACE would do the following
after generating a resolv.conf file named 'new-resolv.conf'.
resolvconf -a $IFACE < new-resolv.conf
This command updates the resolver information related to interface
$IFACE. Any information previously sent for this interface is
overwritten. On bringing the interface down, the configurer would
do the following.
resolvconf -d $IFACE
For another example, a proxy script for pppd could forward to
resolvconf the resolver information that is made available to
ip-up.d/ and ip-down.d/ scripts in environment variables DNS1, etc.
echo "nameserver $DNS1" | resolvconf -a $IFACE
These are just examples. Appropriate hook scripts are included in
the resolvconf package for ppp, dhcp3-client and ifupdown
(for static inet ifaces). Support for other configurers including
dhcpcd, pump and laptop-net has been added to those packages.
/sbin/resolvconf stores the information sent to it and then runs the
scripts in /etc/resolvconf/update.d/ . One of the latter generates
the libc resolver configuration file. Another generates the options
portion of the BIND named configuration file, containing a
"forwarders" statement listing available nameserver forwarders.
(This allows named effectively to be used as a DNS cache on a system
whose network environment varies, e.g., on a laptop.) Another
generates a list of forwarders for dnsmasq to use. Any other program
that needs to take action when resolver information is updated could
likewise employ a script in /etc/resolvconf/update.d/ .
The generation of the resolv.conf file (actually stored at
/var/run/resolvconf/resolv.conf , to which /etc/resolv.conf is
to be symlinked) can be controlled by the admin by editing
/etc/resolvconf/update.d/libc . Different strategies can be
implemented: e.g., one possible strategy would be to put only the most
recently provided information into resolv.conf . The current default
strategy is to put *all* available resolver information into
resolv.conf, ordered by interface type as follows: lo, eth*, ppp* .
This strategy will need to be refined, I know, but it works for me
in its current form.
The admin can of course disable resolv.conf automagic by deleting the
/etc/resolv.conf symlink and putting a static file at that location.
Compatibility
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When installed, resolvconf works properly with the very latest ppp
(and pppconfig), pump, dchp3-client and dhcpcd packages without
further ado: the resolvconf package includes "hook" scripts for them
which make the appropriate /sbin/resolvconf calls. Resolvconf works
properly with the very latest dnsmasq package without further ado:
the dnsmasq package includes an "update" script to generate the list
of nameservers it can use.
My thanks go to the maintainers of the dhcp3-client, dhcpcd, pump,
dnsmasq, laptop-net and pppconfig packages for their cooperation.
With some local configuration, resolvconf also works properly with
configurers udhcpc and ifupdown, and the DNS cache named from either
the bind or the bind9 package. See the HOWTO section of the README
file for instructions on how to configure these packages for use with
resolvconf. I hope that in the fullness of time, seamless resolvconf
support will be added to these packages too.
In general, any package that currently overwrites /etc/resolv.conf
can be adapted to work with resolvconf while preserving backward
compatibility by introducing a code fragment like the following.
if [ -x /sbin/resolvconf ] ; then
if [ "$DIRECTION" = "up" ] ; then
echo -n "$RESOLVINFO" | /sbin/resolvconf -a "$IFACE"
else
/sbin/resolvconf -d "$IFACE"
fi
else
(... existing resolv.conf cleverness ...)
fi
Credit
~~~~~~
The basic idea for resolvconf originally came from Emile van Bergen.
I claim any braindamage in the implementation as my own.
Status
~~~~~~
Resolvconf is ready for further testing.
N.B. If you have an experimental version of resolvconf installed on
your system then you should PURGE that version before installing
a new version; otherwise obsolete configuration files might be left
around.
Feedback about the package is welcome. Please let me know about
any other packages that should be made to work with resolvconf.
--
Thomas Hood
29 July 2003
This document is part of resolvconf
-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
Architecture: i386
Kernel: Linux thanatos 2.4.21 #3 Wed Jun 18 21:35:52 CEST 2003 i686
Locale: LANG=en_IE@euro, LC_CTYPE=en_IE@euro
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From: Thomas Hood <jdthood@yahoo.co.uk>
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Closed by #204677
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