Re: BUG in LSB-FHS-TS_SPEC_V1.0

[Michael Lachmann <dirk@santafe.edu>]

On 17 Dec, Daniel Quinlan wrote:
> Michael Lachmann <dirk@santafe.edu> writes:
> 
>> Problem:
>> The directory /usr/etc has been removed. There should be a central
>> place to store system-wide configuration files. Some files in /etc may
>> be host specific (/etc/X11/XFConfig ), others might be system-wide,
>> like /etc/profile. The reason for implementing /etc is to have
>> configuration files in a central place. The same reasoning should also
>> say that there be a place for system-wide configuration files.
>> This problem comes up when /usr is remotely mounted, then the process
>> of distributing just the non-host-specific, system-wide configuration
>> files is very difficult.
>> I assume that the assumption is that distribution-specific
>> configuration files will be stored in their respective /usr/lib
>> subdirectories. This stilll leaves no place for site specific,
>> system-wide configuartion files.
>> 
>> 
>> Action:
>> find a place to store system-wide configuration files, for example
>> under a /etc/usr hierarchy
> 
> Do you mean "site-wide" when you say "system-wide"?  I'll assume so.
> 
> Configuration files go in one place: /etc.  If you need to *physically*
> place them somewhere else (a site-wide location, for example), then the
> answer is to employ symbolic links from /etc to whereever the site
> chooses to place the files.
> 
> - Dan

Yes, I meant site-wide. I think something like that is the solution,
either a symbolic link, or a reference inside the file (like a check in
a script whether a file exists). But, I think the file-system-standard
should state WHERE the files are supposed to reside. Then one would not
need to reconfigure distributions for site-wide installations. For
example in a site wide installation I managed, the standard csh.cshrc
 was changed to contain:
if( -e /usr/local/etc/csh.cshrc ) source /usr/local/etc/csh.cshrc 

But it would be good if the locations where pre-defined.


	Michael