Subject: Re: packages outside of /usr/pkg (was: Re: PROPOSAL: Move /usr/pkg/etc
To: NetBSD Packages Technical Discussion List <tech-pkg@NetBSD.ORG>
From: Greg A. Woods <woods@weird.com>
List: tech-pkg
Date: 05/25/2002 00:24:32
[ On Friday, May 24, 2002 at 15:49:42 (-0500), Richard Rauch wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: packages outside of /usr/pkg (was: Re: PROPOSAL: Move /usr/pkg/etc  to /etc/pkg)
>
> And /var *IS* in root.  That's how NetBSD sets up the system by default.
> (At least on NetBSD/i386.)  If you overrode that standard configuration,
> that's fine for you.  But IMHO pkgsrc (at least when building for NetBSD)
> should do sensible things for NetBSD's standard behavior.  /var on root,
> and a small root are standard matters in NetBSD, so setting up something
> like TeX to dump huge amounts of data (automatically, and necessarily for
> normal function) to /var is a bad default. If /var-on-small-root is a
> terrible idea, then why do we do it?  If it's a good idea, and is not
> port-specific, then it's a *terrible* idea to dump huge, permament data
> files to /var.

Hmmm... yeah...

I've been wondering about that for a long time.  That's one of the
reasons I _never_ follow the default sysinst recommendations.

It makes almost infinitely more sense to put /usr on the root filesystem
than to put /var there.  If there's any one part of the hierarchy that
must be put on a separate filesystem then /var is it.

I.e. /var on any-sized-root is a very bad idea, regardless of where
/usr, or /usr/pkg (or wherever you set your $PREFIX) for that matter, is.

-- 
								Greg A. Woods

+1 416 218-0098;  <gwoods@acm.org>;  <g.a.woods@ieee.org>;  <woods@robohack.ca>
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