Subject: Re: /var/cron -> /etc/cron
To: Curt Sampson <cjs@cynic.net>
From: Andrew Brown <atatat@atatdot.net>
List: current-users
Date: 04/14/1999 00:03:07
>> >> ...and that /var/db/pkg should be /usr/pkg/db, because that
>> >> way i could share /usr/pkg among systems and get everything i need out
>> >> of it.
>> >
>> >I've talked to a few other people about this, and most seem to
>> >agree with this. It's just that nobody's actually tried to do it
>> >yet.
>> 
>> ...or even /usr/pkg/etc or something.
>
>Ew! Most everyone I've talked to also agrees that /usr/pkg/etc is
>a directory that should never exist. Config files should be
>centralised.

<giggle> i was being a tad facetious there.  but i still don't think
it belongs in /var.

>> so what's actually holding this back?
>
>Nobody's stepped up to do it yet.

it doesn't seem (to my probably underinformed mind) that it'd be that
difficult.  how much is involved?  and can we get it done without some
sort of "holy war"?

>> >You can do this with amd already, and I know many people who do.
>> 
>> perhaps...but then i'd have to run amd and configure it on every
>> system and have bazillions (well, more than i want) of lookback mounts
>> or something like that.
>
>Uh...`why?'

why what?  why would i have configure it or why would have
"bazillions" of mounts?

i was envisioning doing something like this:

for i in / /usr/ /usr/local/ /usr/pkg/; do
	cd $i
	ln -s arch/bin bin
	ln -s @ arch
done

so that when i cd to bin, it has to follow the arch symlink, which the
kernel will pretend points to the actual architecture.  and that's
only four "special" symlinks (or mount points).  i'd also need to do
include, lib, libdata, libexec, and sbin in each of /usr, /usr/local,
and /usr/pkg.  that'd make for about fifteen more.  woops...i forgot
/usr/X11R6 (that's three more) and /usr/games.  i'm sure there are
more.

i just think it's be nice to only have to change things on the nfs
server, instead of on each client.

>What you're wanting to do is *exactly* the sort of thing AMD was
>designed to do, and lots of shops do it. I'd investigate carefully
>before you dismiss it.

sorry...it's just that i have very bad memories of amd being used for
just about everything possible at one place i worked.  it struck me as
completely and utterly hideous.  it involved tons of horribly named
nfs mount points and and hordes of symlinks everywhere i looked that
pointed to them.  it wasn't like a had a better solution, but i
certainly didn't like the way it looked.  as such, i haven't used it
for along time.  is it better than i remember it?

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