/etc/rc.d location

[Kostik Belousov]

Hi,

according to the hier(7), /etc directory contain system configuration
files and scripts. I had an experience with old systems where /etc
contained binaries for the system management, most of them now supply
only symlinks in the /etc. AFAIR, HP-UX from 10.x moved the startup
scripts from /etc into /sbin. I like this approach.

For us, moving /etc/rc, /etc/rc.d, /etc/rc.subr and similar files from
/etc to /sbin (?) have the following benefits:
1. Standard update procedures, both installworld and any binary upgrade
   may treat the startup scripts as the usual system component. Now we
   rely on the mergemaster, that have to provide special support for
   /etc/rc.d at least.
2. I believe we consider user modifications to the rc.subr and /etc/rc.d
   in the same way as the modifications for the sources of the buildable
   binaries. Putting it away from /etc mean that /etc is fully controlled
   by the user instead of the user/system mix.
3. System provisioning (I am sorry for possibly marketroid term, but
   it is how it called there) becomes simpler, since we would have clean
   separation of the invariant part and locally changed part on the
   level of directories.

Compatibility, at the first look, may be handled by the symlinks, as
usual.

Now, having the VCS that makes moving files around not so prohibitely
costly, I think the topic may be discussed. Obviously, I am not the
person who actually understand the rc, and my proposal is only proposal
to bring it to consideration in the case this appears to not be a
nonsense for some rc@ master.

Thanks.
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