Control: block -1 by 34194 Control: retitle -1 dpkg: Add support for optional pathnames (fsys metadata, create only on first install)
Hi! On Fri, 2026-04-17 at 12:30:52 +0000, [email protected] wrote: > Package: dpkg > X-Debbugs-Cc: [email protected] > Version: 1.23.7 > Severity: wishlist > I was trying to remove a 3rd party package with apt and it deleted the /opt > folder as well. I have identified that it's due to this package incorrectly > identified /opt as part of its file tree, so dpkg removed /opt as well, seeing > it has no other folders/files in it. Indeed this remove operation didn't cause > any data loss, however this also prevents any further 3rd party packages from > being installed to /opt as well. > > Now, of course the main responsibility lies on sloppy packaging practice > of the 3rd party package. But to make sure such packages won't cause problem > for the OS users, would it make sense for add safeguards that make > dpkg ignore such remove requests when removing these folders > might cause system usability problems? (Like /usr/lib/modules and /usr/sbin ) This is due to a combination of factors: a) base-files only creates the directory on first install, as explained in its «/usr/share/doc/base-files/FAQ», so that people can removed the directory and dpkg will not recreate it on upgrade. See https://bugs.debian.org/888243 for example. b) dpkg does not support marking specific directories as optional, so that they get created on first installation, but if they get removed by an administrator then they do not appear again. Once we have metadata tracking, we can then add support for this, and then base-files could be changed to own those paths, but making them optional. Thanks, Guillem
