[3637] in RedHat Linux List
Re: RPM clobbers files
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Mike Sangrey)
Sat Nov 9 19:28:17 1996
To: "Donnie Barnes" <djb@redhat.com>
CC: redhat-list@redhat.com
In-reply-to: Your message of "Thu, 07 Nov 1996 14:19:48 EST."
<199611071919.OAA23348@tav-linux.army.mil>
Date: Sat, 09 Nov 1996 19:25:46 -0500
From: Mike Sangrey <mike@sojurn.lns.pa.us>
Resent-From: redhat-list@redhat.com
Reply-To: redhat-list@redhat.com
Al Potter wrote:
>
> > Damn. It just hit me. Notice:
> >
> > [1001]marvin:~> rpm -qf /etc/hosts
> > file /etc/hosts is not owned by any package
> >
> > Why? Because, it just gets created at install/upgrade time.
> > We'll need to fix this in the *install* code, not in RPM. Since
> > damned near everyone's /etc/hosts and /etc/resolv.conf are
> > different, building and RPM of them would be kinda dumb.
>
> ALERT ALERT Danger Will Robinson!
>
> Well, of /etc/hosts (and others?) are not owned by any packages, then which
> packages, upon being upgraded, are whacking them?
>
> Or is this the install programperforming this nefarious act?
>
> > Why? Because, it just gets created at install/upgrade time.
> > We'll need to fix this in the *install* code, not in RPM. Since
> > damned near everyone's /etc/hosts and /etc/resolv.conf are
> > different, building and RPM of them would be kinda dumb.
>
> Perhaps the solution is to make a dummies.rpm which contains all those files,
> in header only or zero-length form, which are 100% host specific. This rpm
> should only need to be updated to ADD additional files, or to change the
> format of existing ones, and in any case, the .rpmsave facility should then
> function.
Hmmmm...how 'bout distributing a local-1.0-1.src.rpm. Install it in /usr/src/redhat/SRPMS. Include two types of files in there. Things like /etc/hosts that would typically be under the control of the install (upgrade) software, and, two, files that the local sysadmin would want to put in there, like "/etc/inittab" set to boot up under xdm. The idea is to bring the locally modified versions of files under rpm control. The key is to do it in a "local" way. That's were the "src.rpm" idea comes into play.
For instance. "rpm", when upgrading a package, could do a MD5 check between the installed config file and the one in the local package. If they are in sync, then there's no need to install change the config file.
I haven't thought this through, yet, but...
Thoughts?
--
Mike Sangrey <mike@sojurn.lns.pa.us> (Home)
<Mike.Sangrey@specmarkmet.com>(Work)
"I've trademarked `William Della Croce, Jr.(tm)'.
Anyone using this name owes me $1,000,000."
--
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