--- Guillaume Cottenceau <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > To this end, I will start with this one:
> > 
> > - drakfont tries to add fonts to
> /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/drakfont
> 
> [and urpmi]
> 
> but I still don't get why drakfont and urpmi would
> need to not
> touch /usr (pardon my stupidity if I've still not
> understood well
> the /usr thingy, I've not experience with nfs
> mounted /usr),
> since these are "admin" tools they need to be run on
> the server
> containing /usr as a local disk, so it's correct?

Absolutely, but there are two issues here.  The
server, for which behavior is basically same as a
standalone workstation.  Then you have the
workstations, where /usr is read-only, but secondary
admins might want to make local modifications, like
adding fonts.  There should be someplace besides /usr
that they can do that.  Probably the same place it is
now under /usr, but under /usr/local instead.

As for rpm/urpmi, the assumption is you'd upgrade a
package on the server (normal behavior), then
immediately thereafter (and hopefully in parallel :o)
upgrade that package on the workstations.  Why would
you do that?  Well, mainly two reasons, the files that
are not under /usr, and the %post scripts.  So here
again, /usr is read-only, so what rpm should do is see
/usr is read-only and check that what's there matches
what's in the package it's trying to install.  If it
checks ok, it then proceeds to install the rest of the
package and update the rpm database, which stays
consistent.  Again, the reason for all of this is /usr
is read-only.

> if we continue your reasoning, there is an
> inconsistency in rpm
> anyway since the rpm db is in /var/lib/rpm (local to
> clients) but
> the files installed/removed when this db is changed
> are in /usr
> (distant from clients)..

Yep, so you've got that inconsistency between when you
upgrade a package on the server and on the clients. 
If some sort of parallel thingy could do this all in
one fell swoop, that'd be really neat, but in the near
term there are more pressing issues :o).

> maybe i've not understood the whole point, i do
> agree :). but i'd
> like to understand.

The main point is there's two stories here, the
server, and the workstations.

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