Interesting points. However I would suggest that most of the files in
/etc are about local configurations, and are, in general, not
shareable. In fact, the FHS defines /etc as being for non-shareable,
static data. But what should be done for shareable configuration
data? Debian uses /etc as the primary place for configuration files,
be they shareable or not. So maybe we should create an /etc/share
directory as you suggest. And maybe even an /etc/local directory
corresponsing to /usr/local?
Maybe I'll bring this up on the FHS list.
Julian
> I'd agree with something along these lines, just from my own experiences
> with my network, and more recently having to reload both of my surviving
> machines pretty much from scratch. (Good reason for having multiple
> drives)
>
> My own thought would be to keep the regular config files in /etc or
> /etc/<pkgname>, and to offer an /etc/share directory for any configuration
> files that would make sense to be shared across pooled systems. On the
> other hand, either the shared configuration directory should be mounted at
> boot time (Problamatical for some networked configurations?), or anything
> that needs to load at boot time would need to reload configurations after
> the shared directory is mounted. From what I know right now, I don't
> believe anything special would need to be done with any end-user or
> application-type program apart from knowing where to find the shared conf
> files.
>
>
> just my two skittles. Hopefully this post helps. :>
>
> --Ian Dalton
>
>
>
> On 17 Jun 1999, Goswin Brederlow wrote:
>
> > Julian Gilbey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> >
> > ...
> > > > --- 7,10 ----
> > > >
> > > > umask 002
> > > > test -x /usr/bin/check-sendfile && /usr/bin/check-sendfile ||
> > > > /bin/true
> > > > + test -f /usr/local/etc/profile && . /usr/local/etc/profile
> > >
> > > Eeks, no! There's no such directory as /usr/local/etc. /etc is for
> > > per-machine, non-sharable data. /usr (and by extension /usr/local)
> > > is for sharable data. /usr/local/etc would blur the distinctions
> > > terribly. And of course, all (or almost all) of the files in /etc are
> > > locally-modifiable configuration files anyway, which the sysadmin can
> > > modify without fear of losing the modifications.
> >
> > And thats the point hes making. There is no directory for config files
> > thats shareable, but there are shareable config files.
> >
> > If you have a pool, you want the same default profile on all maschines
> > for all users. Same with amny other files. You want the same
> > nameserver on all maschines.
> >
> > > > I know that a solution like this would make my life as a sysadmin much
> > > > easier when installing new machines or reinstalling a machine (as I
> > > > had to do last week when I got a new HD), because I could tar up
> > > > /usr/local, untar it on the new machine, and everything on the new
> > > > machine would magically work. (There might be an issue in this
> > > > example regarding the time that the /usr/local tree is mounted, but
> > > > that's another story...)
> > >
> > > Tar up /etc and untar that instead, perhaps? As long as the same
> > > packages are installed, it should be fine. This would solve any
> > > issues about /etc/passwd and the like as well.
> >
> > /etc/hostname (and many others) would be wrong.
> > Those are host specific.
> >
> > /etc/hosts on the other hand is the same for all in a pool.
> > /etc/resolve.conf probably too.
> >
> > Maybe a /etc/share, /etc/local and /etc/local/share should be created?
> >
> > May the Source be with you.
> > Goswin
> >
>
>
> --
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>
>
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Julian Gilbey, Dept of Maths, QMW, Univ. of London. [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Debian GNU/Linux Developer, see http://www.debian.org/~jdg
