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On Thu, Jan 29, 2004 at 10:03:48AM +0100, Paul de Vrieze wrote: |
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> Basically I think we need a way to just say "ensureUser heartbeat" or |
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> "ensureGroup heartbeat" which will add a user/group with that name if |
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> not available through nsswitch. It should probably call an |
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> adduser/addgroup script to add the user/group. |
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enewuser and enewgroup already have this functionality (they only add it |
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if it doesn't already exist). |
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|
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> Ebuilds should not depend on specific numbers. If there are ebuilds |
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> that want the existence of the user to exist at compilation time we |
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> might need to have a way to do it before compiling (and before |
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> installation too). Applications that want to know the numeric uid/gid |
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> should be patched to retrieve it based on a username / groupname |
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> instead. |
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I'm sorry, but that is wrong, for several reasons. While it is definetly |
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true that packages shouldn't have hardcoded numeric uid/gid in the |
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package, actually really do want specific numeric uid/gid in the |
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ebuilds, or somewhere within the control of the distribution. The |
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simplest of cases for this is GRP. For example: Take qmail as a package, |
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and say it's users weren't already in baselayout (where they are |
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presently), but rather assigned the next available values when |
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pkg_preinst is done. Tar stores uid/gids numerically as opposed to |
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names, so there is no gaurentee that install accross two systems at |
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different stages will produce a installed package that works. Doing lots |
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of chown calls after the package is merged, while possible, is more of a |
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pain in the posterior than anything else. |
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|
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Another problem case is applications that resolve usernames/groupnames |
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into numeric values at compile time, they also won't take kindly to |
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being moved over systems as compiled packages, when the uid/gid values |
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vary. |
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One final case, more for convenience in data recovery than anything |
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else. Say you loose your /etc/passwd and /etc/group due to some reason |
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(filesystem corruption, user error, etc.), but /usr and /var are |
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still intact, distribution constant uid/gid values make recovery a |
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_lot_ easier. |
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|
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-- |
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Robin Hugh Johnson |
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E-Mail : robbat2@××××××××××××××.net |
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Home Page : http://www.orbis-terrarum.net/?l=people.robbat2 |
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ICQ# : 30269588 or 41961639 |
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GnuPG FP : 11AC BA4F 4778 E3F6 E4ED F38E B27B 944E 3488 4E85 |
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