Package: tech-ctte
Severity: normal
CONCERNING
"dropbear: Please patch sources not to use /etc/dropbear/{log,run}"
http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=545242
SUMMARY
I'm calling for a decision of reported bug in dropbear: "not to
install anything else than configuration files to /etc."
Maintainer has reject a proposal to move the scrips from
/etc/<package>/ and to remove symlink pointing to directory /var/log
A REQUEST
I'm hoping the committee to examine the FHS and it's appliance in
Debian when there are no strong technical reasons to deviate from
it. I feel that the decision is important and that it will set the
direction how the FHS is to be interpreted in Debian.
I believe, in technical wise, the issues itself are easily
correctable in the package.
DETAILS
The problems in the package were identified as follows:
(1) /etc/dropbear/run is an executable
(2) /etc/dropbear/log is a symlink pointing to /var/log/dropbear
Suggestions made in the bug report to:
(1) Move /etc/dropbear/run to /var/lib/dropbear/run and read
configuration file /etc/dropbear/run.conf. A skeleton code to do
this was provided in the bug report.
(2) Remove /etc/dropbear/log. There is a separate FHS directory
/var/log dedicated for this purpose. If a configurable location for
log files is needed, add a configuration file to control the
location.
RELATED STANDARDS
http://www.pathname.com/fhs/pub/fhs-2.3.html#ETCHOSTSPECIFICSYSTEMCONFIGURATION
The /etc hierarchy contains configuration files. A
"configuration file" is a local file used to control the
operation of a program; it must be static and cannot be an
executable binary.
AGREEMENTS
Both I and maintainer acknowledge that /etc/init.d/ directory is
special and is used for scripts, so the FHS, due to de facto
history, does not apply there.
DISAGREEMENTS
1) Symlinks
I: Symlinks are "not real configuration files" as per FHS. They
can't be put under version control (not all VCS support symlinks).
They can't be "diffed" e.g. to compare two setups. The program can
be designed to read the log directory location from a separate file
that can cotain a line like "logdir = /var/log".
Maintainer: There is no problem. "A symlink" is a valid
configuration file:
/etc/dropbear/log -> /var/log/dropbear
2) Executables
I: Excutables should not apperar under "/etc/<package>" as per FHS.
Similar problems as above. Not all tools can preserve executable
flags: version control, use of zip for backups etc. The executables
can be placed elsewhere; like /var/lib/<package>. The program can
read /etc/<package>/run.conf.
Maintainer: There is no problem. Scripts are "configuration files"
and can be stored in /etc/<package>, They are not FHS-incompatible;
see the precedence e.g. in cases of /etc/init.d.
Jari
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