djbdns

[Peter Risdon]

Ion-Mihai Tetcu wrote:

>On Tue, 30 Dec 2003 10:53:20 +0000
>Peter Risdon <peter at circlesquared.com> wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Ion-Mihai Tetcu wrote:
>>
>>    
>>
>>>Take a look at /usr/local/etc/rc.d/svscan.sh.sample 
>>>
>>>1. SVDIR=/var/service/ - so svscan will look at /var/service and not
>>>/service; either do:
>>>a) what is suggested and use /var/services (e.g. ln -s /etc/dnscache
>>>/var/service) or 
>>>b) change SVDIR=/var/service/ to SVDIR=/service/
>>>
>>>I would use a); also note that creating the log file in /etc/dnscache
>>>is IMHO a bad idea.
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>I'm not disagreeing, but the original post complained of something
>>being wrong in some documentation.
>>    
>>
>
>Yes, the idea of logging to / is bad at least for 2 reasons: filling up
>/, which is usually small and, in case of a crash, increasing the
>chances to have a trashed /
>  
>
In passing, I don't understand why any dns data are stored in 
subdirectories of /etc and not /var. But while this is important for the 
log files, the service directory just contains soft links, so no issues 
of disk space arise from a location in /. It seems to be more a matter 
of how you read hier(7).

>>Most reference and tutorial pages for 
>>djbdns and other djb stuff like qmail assume a /service directory, 
>>rather than /var/service.
>>    
>>
>
>I've always loved the explanation "Portability. With /service, your
>program works the same way on every system: Linux, BSD, Solaris, etc."
>(http://cr.yp.to/daemontools/faq/create.html#run); using this logic
>every program should install in his own directory in /
>  
>
Not entirely: daemontools has a broad application to other services that 
most programs lack. As a, sort of, replacement for inet.d it has a 
different status to, say, mozilla. One /service directory allows more 
than one daemon to run. I'm all for standardisation of file locations 
across unixen. There's just the small matter of agreeing what those 
standard locations should be.

>>Using /var/service does seem more logical, but 
>>can be a source of confusion, especially if people are copying and 
>>pasting commands from online instructions, something the various 
>>references often suggest.
>>    
>>
>
>Perhaps I should suggest to the maintainer adding a pkg-message saying
>that, by default, we're using /var/services ?
>  
>
Good idea, though there is already a mention of this issue in 
/usr/local/etc/rc.d/svscan.sh.sample

I think the djbdns and the qmail ports should create the service 
directory if it's not already there (in / or /var, whatever, so long as 
both ports agree) and the symlinks within it, with configure options for 
selecting a different location. That would help avoid a lot of confusion 
and mean the ports installed services that were actually capable of 
running after the make install without an unusual amount of tweaking, 
but I'll take this to the relevant list.

PWR