Designing the user interface for software isn't trivial, and requires changes in the behavior depending upon users' comments and behavior.
I like amanda, but if people don't understand a software message, then it isn't clear, regardless of how clear it is to you. Your decisions are very reasonable, but I suggest that the warning or error message be clearer about what the message means. Add a line to the amcheck output which says either: 1. This is OK. The directory will be automatically created when you run amdump. 2. This is not OK. You must create the file. Reading through 7 pages of error messages may not happen. If the software can be simply changed so that the user doesn't have to read additional documentation, this is a good thing. Jon LaBadie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > On Tue, Apr 05, 2005 at 04:33:44PM -0700, Kevin Dalley wrote: >> Yes, these are different issues, but have some similar issues. The >> big question is whether the messages are simple for a casual user to >> understand. >> >> >> If the file/directory will be automatically created, then amanda >> should say warn about the problem, and say that the file/directory >> will be automatically created. This lets the user decide whether to >> worry about the issue. The note is good, because there might be a >> typo, but letting the user know that amanda will work anyway is also >> necessary. Otherwise, the user has to search through the >> documentation to decide whether a directory needs to be created. >> >> Since the directory gets created in some cases where there is a >> warning, the user (including me) might have trouble remembering when >> the file or directory is created and when it isn't. Sure, if you >> understand the inner workings of amanda, it more or less makes sense >> that log directories are not created. However, there should be a >> clear warning that the log directory does not exist and that amanda >> will fail. >> >> >> Jon LaBadie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >> >> > On Mon, Apr 04, 2005 at 11:31:06AM -0700, Kevin Dalley wrote: >> >> Amanda should be clearer on this issue. I think that there is one >> >> similar case where amanda says that the file/directory will be created >> >> next time around. However, the log directory won't be created, if you >> >> add a new config. This is confusing. >> >> >> > >> > I think there is a very significant difference. In the case of the logdir, >> > indexdir, and infofile (actually a directory), these are settings in the >> > amanda.conf file and specify places that amanda will use to store lots of >> > data and log files. Amanda will not create these parameter specified >> > repositories and will not run if they do not exist. >> > >> > The OP of this thread received a NOTE about missing data and log files, >> > not the top level directories specified in the amanda.conf file. These >> > are missing because a DLE was added to the disklist. amanda will happily >> > create the logs for any DLE in the when it does run, but it does not create >> > the directory to hold all of the many DLE logs. >> > >> > One reason for the NOTE is the possibility of an editing error when someone >> > changes the disklist. Suppose you changed the dumptype or spindle number >> > or ??? of an existing DLE. And further, you changed, without intending to, >> > the host or tag or directory for that DLE. To amanda, it would look like >> > a new entry in the disklist and you would get the warning perhaps alerting >> > you to your error. >> > >> > > The clear 'warning' is the word "ERROR:" in front of the message. > > There are actually three levels of severity in the messages from amcheck > NOTE, WARNING, and ERROR > > > ERROR: holding disk /w2/dumps/amanda/DS1: statfs: No such file or directory > ERROR: log dir /usr/local/etc/amanda/DS1/logs: not writable > > WARNING: holding disk /w/dumps/amanda/DS1: only 2096794 KB free, using nothing > WARNING: skipping tape test because amdump or amflush seem to be running > WARNING: if they are not, you must run amcleanup > > NOTE: info dir /usr/local/etc/amanda/DS1/curinfo/butch/StaticFS-1: does not > exist > > > The first two are fatal, no sense running amdump. > > The second two may require some action before running amdump. > > The last one is basically informational. > > > Here is what the manpage for amcheck says about the last message. > > NOTE: XXX dir directory: does not exist > (info) A database (info) or index directory does not > exist or cannot be accessed. This might just mean this > is a new client or disk, but if that is not the case, > this should be treated as an error. > > That is just one of the many messages described on the amcheck manpage. > Approximately seven of nine pages are devoted to message description. > > -- > Jon H. LaBadie [EMAIL PROTECTED] > JG Computing > 4455 Province Line Road (609) 252-0159 > Princeton, NJ 08540-4322 (609) 683-7220 (fax) > -- Kevin Dalley [EMAIL PROTECTED]
