Re: [gentoo-user] rc script opacity

[Holly Bostick]

Philip Webb schreef:
> The script  /etc/conf.d/rc  contains the following lines :
>
> # RC_USE_CONFIG_PROFILE allows you to have different /etc/conf.d
> files # based on your runlevel - if a conf.d file for your profile
> does not exist # then we try and use the default one. # To enable
> runlevel selection at boot, append "softlevel=foobar" to your #
> kernel line to change to the foobar runlevel. Or "rc foobar" at the
> command # prompt.
>
> RC_USE_CONFIG_PROFILE="yes"
>
> Can anyone explain what this means ?
>
> Eg how do you define different  conf.d  files ? Why does it suddenly
> talk about enabling runlevel selection at boot ? What does it mean by
>  "kernel line" ?  What is the "command prompt" here ?

Some people,. for example, laptop users, may boot their computer under
varying conditions.

A laptop may be booted on "the street", in which case there is no network
available.

Or it may be booted when docked, in which case there may be a network
available (if you're at home or work), or there may be a network
available that only has limited capacity (if you're in a hotel or an
internet cafe).

So it can be useful to be able to create a profile for varying but known
conditions under which the computer may be booted (there's no point in
starting network services in the event that you know you're not
connected to a network, but there's also no point in making 'no network
startup' the only possible setting, because then it's a PITA to get the
network started on those occasions that you are connected to a network
at boot).

Therefore, you can have profiles for 'home' (which would start the
network with your known LAN settings), 'out' (which would not start the
network at all, because you're in a park or on a client's site), or
'away' (which would start a network, but detect the settings manually,
because you're in a hotel on a business trip, and you don't know their
settings offhand).

The 'kernel line' being referred to is the line in your bootloader that
specifies the kernel and parameters that should be called when you
select that entry in the bootloader menu.

The 'command prompt' referred to is probably the bootloader command
prompt (I don't remember how LiLO does it, but in GRUB you can edit menu
entries on the fly and boot from the edited entry).

I don't know how you define rc.conf files for softlevels, since I don't
need softlevels, but I have seen discussions of this on the list in the
past. There's probably a Wiki entry on the subject as well.

But if you don't boot your computer under varying conditions, you don't
really
need to worry about it anyway.

HTH,
Holly
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