Goswin von Brederlow <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Magosányi Árpád <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > Hi! > > > > There are some files in /etc which are actually data files representing > > the state of the system. Like /etc/mtab, /etc/network/ifstate, or > > The BTS has several patches for mount that allow /etc/mtab to be a > link to another file. Thats an extension to being a link to > /proc/mounts, which has some drawbacks like breaking loopback mounts.
The /proc/mounts has the drawbacks, the extra paches not. > For the /etc/network/ifstate afaik someone did a rewrite working > differently at some stage and the package was fixed to deal with it > being linked a long time ago. > > > /etc/lvmconf/* (it is not even a text file). > > That can also be linked to another location. > > > These files are written by programs in occasions one cannot with good > > heart call configuration. Isn't it against the policy? > > The problem is that those files have always been there (historic > reason) and that they may be needed during boot before any alternative > place is available (practical reason). They can't be in /var/state if > that is not yet mounted, on a network filesystem/device or lvm, and so > on. Check for the discussions about adding /run or /state. > > If they bother you and you know certain conditions don't apply to you > (like var being on a network device) they can be linked. Arguments > about the files has repeadatly ended with the compromise to allow them > to be linked somewhere more fitting for the individual system. > > > There are practical reasons behind my question: > > -if one uses a configuration management tool (like tla) to track changes > > in the configuration, one will stumble upon them sooner or later. > > -if one wants to make the boot process unable to modify configuration, > > they will also be stumbled upon. (And given the fact that mount > > actually deletes and recreates /etc/mtab, the challenge is... > > challenging.) > > Or when you want a read-only / and /usr filesystem. > > Mounting a ramdisk or tmpfs early during boot and linking the files to > there solves that problem. Note that you need the patch for mount > otherwise it will try to create /etc/mtab~ and iirc /etc/mtab.tmp or > something. > > MfG > Goswin > > > -- > To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]