Subject: bin/19865: MAKEDEV belongs in /sbin/
To: None <gnats-bugs@gnats.netbsd.org>
From: None <chuck@2003.snew.com>
List: netbsd-bugs
Date: 01/15/2003 17:27:30
>Number:         19865
>Category:       bin
>Synopsis:       MAKEDEV should be in /sbin/
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       non-critical
>Priority:       low
>Responsible:    bin-bug-people
>State:          open
>Class:          change-request
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Wed Jan 15 14:28:00 PST 2003
>Closed-Date:
>Last-Modified:
>Originator:     Chuck Yerkes
>Release:        NetBSD 1.6H
>Organization:
	
>Environment:
	
	
System: NetBSD crusoe.xxxxxxxxxx 1.6H NetBSD 1.6H ...
Architecture: i386
Machine: i386
>Description:
	
MAKEDEV is in /dev/.

MAKEDEV is a shell script.  It isn't run often, but it *is*
an executed program.  As such, it's place in /dev/ is mainly
just one of habit/tradition.  Like the dhcp scripts that were
rightly moved from /etc/ to /sbin/, these should be in a
binaries directory.

Read only /:
The main motivation is that on embedded systems (booting from
flash), /dev/ often needs to be writable for ssh, etc.  Without
a devfs, a decent recourse is to mount /dev as an mfs and run
MAKEDEV on it making /dev/ and MFS file system.  Root can often
remain read-only successfully.

This scheme doesn't work if MAKEDEV is in /dev/ as it's written
over with the mount.

For the time being, perhaps we should keep a symlink from /dev/MAKEDEV
to /sbin/MAKEDEV

While I offer the principle that executables belong in a /*bin/
dir as the generally applicable constant.  I'm looking to reach
a consensus that this is an okay idea before I submit the full
proper patches (man pages mainly).

Otherwise, I just run the changes on my system; no problem.



>How-To-Repeat:
	
NA
>Fix:
	

Patches can be developed, pretty straight forward change to
 /usr/src/etc/Makefile, /usr/src/etc/postinstall, and and man pages, afaik
>Release-Note:
>Audit-Trail:
>Unformatted: