[RFC] /var versus /srv

[Simo Sorce]

On Fri, 2007-09-21 at 10:45 -0400, seth vidal wrote:
> On Fri, 2007-09-21 at 10:42 -0400, Rob Crittenden wrote:
> > seth vidal wrote:
> > > On Fri, 2007-09-21 at 10:29 -0400, Rob Crittenden wrote:
> > >> Matthew Miller wrote:
> > >>> On Fri, Sep 21, 2007 at 09:19:43AM -0400, seth vidal wrote:
> > >>>> As a sysadmin /srv is a useful thing - it's what most sysadmins do
> > >>>> anyway - create a top level path where they mount the large, local disks
> > >>>> and put all their data. So they know on every system if they hit /etc
> > >>>> and /srv with the backups they'll have what they should be worried
> > >>>> about. All admins may not call it /srv but they do something like
> > >>>> it: /fs, /local, /data, /srv
> > >>>>
> > >>>> it's all the same result.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> so while your argument for not using it in the distro is fine -the
> > >>>> reality is that this is what is actually done by sysadmins all over the
> > >>>> world.
> > >>> +1
> > >>>
> > >>> Thank you Seth.
> > >>>
> > >>> /var is transient data. There should be nothing there that needs backups.
> > >>> And users shouldn't look there for files they might edit.
> > >>>
> > >> Transient and not backed up? What about /var/mail, /var/spool/cron and 
> > >> /var/log?
> > > 
> > > - /var/log - shouldn't matter - it's being sent to centralized log hosts
> > > which I've always had put files in /srv/logs
> > > - /var/mail has no data - all your mail should be in your central mail
> > > server and not in /var/mail but in another path /srv/mail or /srv/mqueue
> > > often
> > > 
> > > - /var/spool/cron doesn't have any files in it b/c users are not allowed
> > > to add cron jobs except on highly specific systems. Moreover, if you're
> > > adding root or system-controlled cron jobs they should go in /etc/cron.d
> > > or in the /etc/cron.hourly, /etc/cron.daily, etc directories.
> > > 
> > > never in /var/spool/cron and NEVER add by such a cumbersome tool as cron
> > > -e
> > 
> > Not everyone in the world sets things up like you do. The FHS explicitly 
> >   sets these paths for these purposes.
> 
> They may not, but they should. :)

Delete my /var/lib/samba and I'll strangle you :-)

Simo.