Bug#927968: xmount: better description
* Xavier Brochard [Fri Apr 26, 2019 at 11:06:02PM +0200]: > Le vendredi 26 avril 2019, 10:03:12 CEST Michael Prokop a écrit : > > > Here's a suggested thoroughly rewritten version: > > > Description: tool for crossmounting between disk image formats > > > xmount converts between multiple input and output disk image types > > > on the fly, using FUSE (Filesystem in Userspace) to create a virtual > > > file system representing the input image. The virtual representation > > > can be in raw DD, DMG, VirtualBox VDI format, Microsoft VHD format, or > > > VMware VMDK format; input images can be raw DD, EWF (Expert Witness > > > Compression Format), or AFF (Advanced Forensic Format) files. > > > . > > > xmount can be used to boot forensic disk images with QEMU, KVM, > > > VirtualBox, VmWare, or the like, since it supports virtual write > > > access with redirection to a cache file. > I would put this last sentence at first, it will ease to understand what the > primary purpose of xmount is. xmount is not the right tool if one need a > virtual FS for running a VM at work like a virtual server. Just did that: https://salsa.debian.org/pkg-security-team/xmount/commit/98be4be43596afec3b3358488d3b5bc8a63e41eb regards -mika- signature.asc Description: Digital signature
Bug#927968: xmount: better description
Le vendredi 26 avril 2019, 10:03:12 CEST Michael Prokop a écrit : > Hi! > > * Justin B Rye [Thu Apr 25, 2019 at 11:49:28PM +0100]: > > Xavier Brochard wrote: > [...] > > > > Description: tool to crossmount between multiple input and output > > > harddisk images> > > That's a bit long (in a synopsis, several of these words are > > unnecessary), and not even really accurate - it isn't for converting > > between *images*, it's for converting between *formats*. > > > > Here's a suggested thoroughly rewritten version: > > Description: tool for crossmounting between disk image formats > > > > xmount converts between multiple input and output disk image types > > on the fly, using FUSE (Filesystem in Userspace) to create a virtual > > file system representing the input image. The virtual representation > > can be in raw DD, DMG, VirtualBox VDI format, Microsoft VHD format, or > > VMware VMDK format; input images can be raw DD, EWF (Expert Witness > > Compression Format), or AFF (Advanced Forensic Format) files. > > . > > xmount can be used to boot forensic disk images with QEMU, KVM, > > VirtualBox, VmWare, or the like, since it supports virtual write > > access with redirection to a cache file. I would put this last sentence at first, it will ease to understand what the primary purpose of xmount is. xmount is not the right tool if one need a virtual FS for running a VM at work like a virtual server. -- Librement, Xavier Brochard « La liberté est à l'homme ce que les ailes sont à l'oiseau » (Jean-Pierre Rosnay)
Bug#927968: xmount: better description
Hi! * Justin B Rye [Thu Apr 25, 2019 at 11:49:28PM +0100]: > Xavier Brochard wrote: [...] > > Description: tool to crossmount between multiple input and output harddisk > > images > That's a bit long (in a synopsis, several of these words are > unnecessary), and not even really accurate - it isn't for converting > between *images*, it's for converting between *formats*. > Here's a suggested thoroughly rewritten version: > Description: tool for crossmounting between disk image formats > xmount converts between multiple input and output disk image types > on the fly, using FUSE (Filesystem in Userspace) to create a virtual > file system representing the input image. The virtual representation > can be in raw DD, DMG, VirtualBox VDI format, Microsoft VHD format, or > VMware VMDK format; input images can be raw DD, EWF (Expert Witness > Compression Format), or AFF (Advanced Forensic Format) files. > . > xmount can be used to boot forensic disk images with QEMU, KVM, > VirtualBox, VmWare, or the like, since it supports virtual write > access with redirection to a cache file. Thanks to both of you for your suggestions, appreciated! I took your version (and only adjusted the «VmWare» with «VMware» to have it more consistent) and push the change to the git repository: https://salsa.debian.org/pkg-security-team/xmount/commit/b4d826744a39b2a50108fae279d877a1bd390e80 The bug will be automatically closed, once we upload a new package version (though we're currently in the buster freeze). Thanks! regards -mika- signature.asc Description: Digital signature
Bug#927968: xmount: better description
Xavier Brochard wrote:
> Dear Maintainer,
(I'm not the maintainer; I just happened to notice the bug report.)
> I suggest to change a bit the package description putting the last sentence
> at first :
> from
> xmount allows you to convert on-the-fly ...
> to
> xmount allows to boot acquired harddisk images using QEMU, KVM, VirtualBox,
> VMware or alike. It will convert on-the-fly ...
^
"Allows you to boot" is grammatical; "allows booting" is grammatical;
but "allows to boot" without a direct object isn't allowed. Mind you,
most of the time there's no need to use the verb "allow" at all -
xmount doesn't grant permission to boot images, it just boots them.
The package description for xmount does look as if it needs some work,
as the upstream homepage has what looks like an updated version of the
same text with a couple of changes in claimed capabilities. You might
want to just change over to that, but here's a detailed review:
# xmount allows you to convert on-the-fly between multiple input and
==
This is a bit clearer than the current version that just repeats the
synopsis by saying it allows you to "crossmount" them - it may be the
reason for the name "xmount", but when I Google the word I only get
placenames and alarming dentistry techniques!
# output harddisk image types. xmount creates a virtual file system
(These constant references to "harddisk" images are a relic of the
"spinning rust" era - we should probably be saying "disk image".)
# using FUSE (Filesystem in Userspace) that contains a virtual
# representation of the input image. The virtual representation can be
^^
This is getting a bit repetitive.
# in raw DD, DMG, VHD, VirtualBox's virtual disk file format or in
=== ===
(DMG is new; VHD on the other hand is for some reason no longer
expanded as "Microsoft's Virtual Hard Disk Image format", and the
VirtualBox format is for some reason no longer called VDI - personally
I would take out the repetition of "virtual disk file format", not the
"VDI" part.)
# VmWare's VMDK file format. Input images can be raw DD, EWF (Expert
# Witness Compression Format) or AFF (Advanced Forensic Format) files.
# In addition, xmount also supports virtual write access to the output
^^^
("In addition... also" is mildly redundant.)
# files that is redirected to a cache file. This makes it possible to
# boot acquired harddisk images using QEMU, KVM, VirtualBox, VmWare or
If you've *got* them, they must necessarily have been acquired. I
presume this is trying to say that xmount can be used for booting
*forensically* acquired images!
# alike.
^
("Or alike" is unidiomatic; we could say "or the like", but this also
makes the "for example" a bit redundant.)
Moving the last sentence to the top would be tricky, since it breaks
the connection to the previous few lines that's being made with the
phrase "This makes it possible to...". However, we might achieve some
of the same effect of highlighting the sentence just by making it a
freestanding paragraph:
.
In addition, xmount supports virtual write access to the output
files that is redirected to a cache file. This makes it possible to
boot forensically acquired disk images using QEMU, KVM, VirtualBox,
VmWare or the like.
(Mind you, I'm not sure what it means to talk about "output files" if
the point is that you aren't writing to them...)
Oh, and the package synopsis:
> Description: tool to crossmount between multiple input and output harddisk
> images
That's a bit long (in a synopsis, several of these words are
unnecessary), and not even really accurate - it isn't for converting
between *images*, it's for converting between *formats*.
Here's a suggested thoroughly rewritten version:
Description: tool for crossmounting between disk image formats
xmount converts between multiple input and output disk image types
on the fly, using FUSE (Filesystem in Userspace) to create a virtual
file system representing the input image. The virtual representation
can be in raw DD, DMG, VirtualBox VDI format, Microsoft VHD format, or
VMware VMDK format; input images can be raw DD, EWF (Expert Witness
Compression Format), or AFF (Advanced Forensic Format) files.
.
xmount can be used to boot forensic disk images with QEMU, KVM,
VirtualBox, VmWare, or the like, since it supports virtual write
access with redirection to a cache file.
--
JBR with qualifications in linguistics, experience as a Debian
sysadmin, and probably no clue about this particular package
--- description.old 2019-04-25 22:23:56.073003006 +0100
+++ description.new 2019-04-25 23:21:15.533054835 +0100
@@ -1,13 +1,11 @@
-Description: tool to crossmount between multiple input and output harddisk images
- xmount allows you to convert on-the-fly between multiple
Bug#927968: xmount: better description
Package: xmount Severity: wishlist Dear Maintainer, I suggest to change a bit the package description putting the last sentence at first : from xmount allows you to convert on-the-fly ... to xmount allows to boot acquired harddisk images using QEMU, KVM, VirtualBox, VMware or alike. It will convert on-the-fly ... That will help to quickly understand purpose of this software. Regards Xavier -- System Information: Debian Release: 10.0 APT prefers unstable APT policy: (500, 'unstable') Architecture: amd64 (x86_64) Foreign Architectures: i386 Kernel: Linux 4.19.0-4-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU cores) Locale: LANG=fr_FR.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=fr_FR.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE= (charmap=UTF-8) Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system) LSM: AppArmor: enabled Versions of packages xmount depends on: pn libafflib0v5 ii libc6 2.28-8 pn libewf2 ii libfuse2 2.9.9-1 ii zlib1g1:1.2.11.dfsg-1 xmount recommends no packages. xmount suggests no packages.
