Y'all /usr/local installations typically imply the ability to co-exist with other software applications in the same directory tree. this is by no means an absolute rule, but just about anything use install with the ./configure; make; make install process would be a good example of this co-existance paradigm.
you can install/remove software without having to constantly muck with your system profiles for maintaining stuff like PATH. from a linux distribution developer standpoint, it also is more attractive because you don't have to be familiar with a certain software package to know where a certain kind of file should be placed Found in pathname.com/fhs 4.8.2. /usr/local : Local hierarchy 4.8.2.1. Purpose The /usr/local hierarchy is for use by the system administrator when installing software locally. It needs to be safe from being overwritten when the system software is updated. It may be used for programs and data thatare shareable amongst a group of hosts, but not found in /usr. Locally installed software must be placed within /usr/local rather than /usr unless it is being installed to replace or upgrade software in /usr It's almost worded like ISV packages are intended to be installed in OPT, while build from source packages are intended for /usr/local and /usr not symlinked Richard (Gaz) Gasiorowski Global System z Linux /AO Mainframe Services Product Manager Americas RPE Portfolio Platform Services CSC 3170 Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church, VA 22042 845-889-8533|Work|845-392-7889 Cell|[email protected]|www.csc.com This is a PRIVATE message. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete without copying and kindly advise us by e-mail of the mistake in delivery. NOTE: Regardless of content, this e-mail shall not operate to bind CSC to any order or other contract unless pursuant to explicit written agreement or government initiative expressly permitting the use of e-mail for such purpose. From: Richard Troth <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Date: 01/05/2010 02:42 PM Subject: Re: /usr/local -or- /local Mike -- You're covered, yes. FHS does not say that /usr/local cannot be a sym-link. Only that it is the place the sysadmin (or customer) puts non-vendor stuff or non-opsys stuff or non-distro stuff. John -- One FS hiding another is ... for example ... if /usr/local were a directory instead of a sym-link and you then mount /usr afterward, the /usr you mount would hide the /usr/local you had previously mounted. Rare, yes, but possible. In any case, cascaded mount points is something I was hoping to (continue to) avoid. Mark -- So ... by now ... you get the idea? It's not that /local is sacred nor that /usr/local is bad, just that I am personally (and we are at my shop) in the habit of making these each be unique filesystems. But we're doing some clean-up, so one of the guys thought we should ask: What is the impact? So far, no one has said there is our would be a problem. I have never believed there would be, but in "business" one wants to be well documented. :-) -- R; <>< On Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 14:24, Michael MacIsaac <[email protected]> wrote: > Rick, > >> What do y'all say? > I'm not Red Hat nor Novell, but I'll chip in because I think I'm covered > under "y'all" :)) > > We moved from writing about /local/ to /usr/local/ as /usr/local/ is in > the Linux Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS): > > <quote> > "The /usr/local hierarchy is for use by the system administrator when > installing software locally. It needs to be safe from being overwritten > when the system software is updated. It may be used for programs and data > that are shareable amongst a group of hosts, but not found in /usr. > > Locally installed software must be placed within /usr/local rather than > /usr unless it is being installed to replace or upgrade software in /usr. > " > </quote> > > I'm guessing you know this already and are perhaps trying to address it, > but I thought it was worth mentioning. > > "Mike MacIsaac" <[email protected]> (845) 433-7061 > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit > http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390 > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390
