[Fedora-packaging] packages which add user accounts: is fedora-usermgmt the way?

[Christian.Iseli at licr.org]

rc040203 at freenet.de said:
> Christian.Iseli at licr.org wrote:
> > rc040203 at freenet.de said:
> > > The only reason for not wanting to remove accounts on package removal to me
> > > is "accounts leaving stray files somewhere".
> > 
> > > However, rpms should have always have control over all files it owns. 
> > 
> > Well, there are many cases of packages producing some files while they run, 
> That's why I said "should". 
>
> It is possible in many cases (%postun, %ghost or %triggerun scripts), but
> won't be possible or useful in all cases. 
>
> E.g. I would not want an mysql update remove my mysql data bases.

Which is precisely why I think the ID should not be automatically removed...
Yes, I also used "should" :-)  There certainly are packages where removing the 
ID is fine, but I think the general rule should be conservative.

> > which they will not own.  E.g.,
> >
> > root: rpm -qf /var/log/mysqld.log.4
> > file /var/log/mysqld.log.4 is not owned by any package
> > root: ls -l /var/log/mysqld.log.4
> > -rw-r-----  1 mysql mysql 0 Aug  7 03:02 /var/log/mysqld.log.4
> > 
> > So I think the UID should stay... until the sysadm removes it.
> IMO, this is an example where removing files is possible:
> 
> E.g.
> 
> %postun
> rm -f /var/log/mysqld.log*

I agree.  I only spent a few seconds looking for some valid example of unowned 
files.  But I suspect there are tougher nuts.

					Christian