[Fedora-packaging] Re: Packaging into /srv? (was: FHS Compliance?)

[Nicolas Mailhot]

Le lundi 23 octobre 2006 à 14:44 -0400, Matthew Miller a écrit :
> On Mon, Oct 23, 2006 at 08:08:36PM +0200, Nicolas Mailhot wrote:

> Although it's perfectly reasonable for
> Fedora to provide a default, it shouldn't/can't rely on me or you keeping
> that default, because, as Axel points out, there's many perfectly good ways
> for arranging this directory depending on system usage.

As long as Fedora can provide a default and rely on the sysadmin
creating directories, updating conf files, selinux contexts, if he
wishes another policy all is fine

> > installed on a foreign system, not in the context of a distro which
> > controls the whole system
> 
> This is exactly the point of /srv. The distro does not control the whole
> system -- the sysadmin does. However, the distro should be constructed to
> help the sysadmin as much as possible.

Which includes providing default policies. In the APP vs USER divide the
distribution is not on one side only.

> However, the phrasing "Fedora-packaged apps can expect whatever Fedora
> layout" seems to assume that add-on web packages which don't have a good
> mechanism for being reconfigured other than rebuilding would be free to rely
> on some layout for /srv. Instead, they should be fixed so they don't have
> to.

Sure. To be clear:
– Matthew the app writer can not hardcode /srv paths in its app or have
them set at build time
– Matthew the app packager, working within a distro can and should
create whatever directory structure is needed in /srv and preconfigure
its package to use it. If the app does not permit anything but
hardcoding he should refer upstream

> Additionally, there should be no risk of any local data in /srv being
> overwritten on package upgrade. Package-managed files shouldn't be in there.

But service roots (directories) should be there (including perhaps some
%config files such as a default FTP welcome message)

> > settings and embark in automagical /srv/ exploration heuristics too?
> > that's another absolutist reading)
> 
> It works pretty well with Apache via the /etc/httpd/conf.d/welcome.conf
> mechanism....

This is not automagical exploration that's conf file reading, including
files auto-dropped by packages

-- 
Nicolas Mailhot