Bug#32449: Section 3.3.4 (/etc/rc.boot) of policy needs updating
Package: debian-policy
This is from a discussion on a Nethack packaging bug.
man rc.boot says that the /etc/rc.boot/ directory is obsolete, but
section 3.3.4 of Debian Policy (Boot-time initialisation) says that
/etc/rc.boot/ is okay to use.
The manpage from rc.boot says that /etc/rc.boot/ has been superceded
by /etc/rc.S/ -- I think this should be reflected in Policy.
Either policy or sysvinit needs to be updated, or both.
--
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------- Start of forwarded message -------
From: servis@purdue.edu
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 13:52:32 -0500 (EST)
Reply-To: bservis@usa.net
Subject: Re: Bug#32441: nethack: the use of rc.boot is obsolete
To: che@debian.org
cc: 32441@bugs.debian.org
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Message-Id: <E105DbK-00021i-00@ppp-x9-33.ecn.purdue.edu>
*- Ben Gertzfield wrote about "Re: Bug#32441: nethack: the use of rc.boot i=
s obsolete"
>>>>>> "Brian" =3D=3D Brian Servis <servis@purdue.edu> writes:
>=20
> Brian> Package: nethack Version: N/A
>=20
> Brian> nethack still installs a startup script in /etc/rc.boot
> Brian> which is obsolete. It should be moved to /etc/init.d and
> Brian> linked from /etc/rcS.d.
>=20
> Sorry, I wasn't aware of this. Where in policy does it say
> /etc/rc.boot/ is obsolete? I do not want the script run on changes to
> single-user mode, only once per boot, and as per section 3.3.4 of
> Debian policy, I am doing the right thing.
>=20
> 3.3.4 Boot-time initialisation=20
>=20
> There is another directory, /etc/rc.boot, which contains scripts which
> are run once per machine boot. This facility is provided for
> initialisation of hardware devices, cleaning up of leftover files, and
> so forth.
>=20
> For example, the kbd package provides a script here for initialising
> the keyboard layout and console font and mode.
>=20
> The files in /etc/rc.boot should not be links into /etc/init.d--they
> should be the scripts themselves.
>=20
> rc.boot should not be used for starting general-purpose daemons and
> similar activities. This should be done using the rcn.d scheme, above,
> so that the services can be started and stopped cleanly when the
> runlevel changes or the machine is to be shut down or rebooted.
>=20
> **snip**
>=20
> This is exactly what I am using /etc/rc.boot for -- cleaning up
> leftover files.
>=20
> Do you still think this is a bug?
>=20
> Ben
>=20
According to /usr/doc/sysvinit:
1. Boot.
When the systems boots, the /etc/init.d/rcS script is executed. It
in turn executes all the S* scripts in /etc/rcS.d in alphabetical
(and thus numerical) order. The first argument passed to the
executed scripts is "start". The runlevel at this point is "N" (none).
Only things that need to be run once to get the system in a consistent
state are to be run. The rcS.d directory is NOT ment to replace rc.local=
.
One should not start daemons in this runlevel unless absolutely
nessecary. Eg, NFS might need the portmapper, so it is OK to start it
early in the bootprocess. But this is not the time to start the
squid proxy server.
and man rc.boot
NAME
/etc/rc.boot - directory for local or per-package boot
scripts.
DESCRIPTION
The /etc/rc.boot directory is obsolete. It has been super=AD
seded by the /etc/rcS.d directory. At boot time, first the
/etc/rcS.d directory is scanned and then, for backwards
compatibility, the /etc/rc.boot directory.
and http://www.debian.org/lintian/reports/Tpackage-installs-into-etc-rc.boo=
t.html
So yes I still think it is a bug. It looks like a bug needs to be
filed against policy as well.
--=20
Brian=20
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Never criticize anybody until you have walked a mile in their shoes, =20
because by that time you will be a mile away and have their shoes."=20
=09=09=09=09=09=09=09 - unknown =20
Mechanical Engineering bservis@usa.net
Purdue University http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/~servis
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