Bug#493781: Can a package modify slapd.conf in its maintainer script?
Hello all, I need some help regarding #493781: the submitter reported the bug as grave because he thinks that modifying slapd.conf to include an extra LDAP schema from the maintainer scripts of a package (phamm-ldap in this case) is against the Debian policy. Considering that slapd.conf is not (anymore) a conffile, in my opinion this behaviour is not forbidden from the Debian policy and thus the bug report could be closed without any change to the phamm-ldap package. Of course, having an official way from the slapd package to add new schemas would be wonderful, but until this feature is added I think that this is the only possibility to automatically include a new schema in slapd.conf. Opinions? Thanks in advance, -- Fabio Tranchitella [EMAIL PROTECTED].''`. Proud Debian GNU/Linux developer, admin and user.: :' : `. `'` http://people.debian.org/~kobold/ `- _ 1024D/7F961564, fpr 5465 6E69 E559 6466 BF3D 9F01 2BF8 EE2B 7F96 1564 signature.asc Description: Digital signature
Bug#493781: Can a package modify slapd.conf in its maintainer script?
su, 2008-08-10 kello 19:34 +0200, Fabio Tranchitella kirjoitti: Considering that slapd.conf is not (anymore) a conffile, in my opinion this behaviour is not forbidden from the Debian policy and thus the bug report could be closed without any change to the phamm-ldap package. Of course, having an official way from the slapd package to add new schemas would be wonderful, but until this feature is added I think that this is the only possibility to automatically include a new schema in slapd.conf. The policy (10.7.4, Sharing configuration files): The owning package should also provide a program that the other packages may use to modify the configuration file. The related packages must use the provided program to make any desired modifications to the configuration file. If I read that correctly, slapd should (but is not required to) provide a program for programmatically modifying slapd.conf. All other packages must, without exception, use that program. It seems that slapd does not provide the program. My conclusion is that other package must not modify slapd.conf at all in that case. (It does not matter whether slapd.conf is a conffile or merely a configuration file.) The best way forward is to write the slapd.conf modification program, or modify slapd to support a slapd.conf.d directory in addition to the flat file. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bug#493781: Can a package modify slapd.conf in its maintainer script?
On Sun, Aug 10, 2008 at 08:53:32PM +0200, Carsten Hey wrote: But the whole procedure is valid since it is only a recommendation by the policy, so this is IMHO not a release critical bug. If the consensus on this will be that this bug is RC then there is also a bug in the policy and the wording should be changed (s/should/must/). Carsten -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bug#493781: Can a package modify slapd.conf in its maintainer script?
RFC 2119 says: | 3. SHOULD This word, or the adjective RECOMMENDED, mean that there |may exist valid reasons in particular circumstances to ignore |a particular item, but the full implications must be understood and |carefully weighed before choosing a different course. Debian Policy Manual says (quoting an old version, since the enumeration makes the original intension more clear): | 11.7.4 Sharing configuration files | | ... | | The maintainer scripts must not alter a conffile of any package, | including the one the scripts belong to. It is not a conffile, so this is not a problem. | ... | | If it is desirable for two or more related packages to share | a configuration file and for all of the related packages to be able to | modify that configuration file, then the following should be done: | | 1. One of the related packages (the owning package) will manage | the configuration file with maintainer scripts as described in the | previous section. | 2. The owning package should also provide a program that the | other packages may use to modify the configuration file. | 3. The related packages must use the provided program to | make any desired modifications to the configuration | file. They should either depend on the core package to | guarantee that the configuration modifier program is | available or accept gracefully that they cannot modify | the configuration file if it is not. (This is in | addition to the fact that the configuration file may | not even be present in the latter scenario.) The whole procedure *should* be done, so this is not a must. Is there a valid reason in this particular circumstance to ignore the recommendation of the policy? Do you unterstand the full implications and did you carefully weighed your decision to alter the other packages configuration file (see quoted part of the RFC)? Is the other packages maintainer aware of the changes you do in his or her configuration file? I think such circumstances should at least be documented and would prefer to not alter the configuration file at all or using such a modifying script, so yes it is a bug and can't simply be closed. But the whole procedure is valid since it is only a recommendation by the policy, so this is IMHO not a release critical bug. Regards, Carsten -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bug#493781: Can a package modify slapd.conf in its maintainer script?
* 2008-08-10 21:09, Carsten Hey wrote: | 11.7.4 Sharing configuration files | | ... | | The maintainer scripts must not alter a conffile of any package, | including the one the scripts belong to. It is not a conffile, so this is not a problem. This is the exact sentence which keeps me thinking that this is not an RC bug, or maybe not a bug at all until slapd does provide a script for handling updates. The whole procedure *should* be done, so this is not a must. Is there a valid reason in this particular circumstance to ignore the recommendation of the policy? The package slapd doesn't provide any updater script, but without adding the schema in slapd.conf phamm can't work so the package is unusable. What the maintainer would like to have (I'm only sponsoring the package) is that the user could use phamm directly after an aptitude install phamm without having to read documentation or changing configuration files. Do you unterstand the full implications and did you carefully weighed your decision to alter the other packages configuration file (see quoted part of the RFC)? Is the other packages maintainer aware of the changes you do in his or her configuration file? I think the slapd's maintainer should provide a way to add additional schemas, and this is an old problem which has been discussed in the past. Best regards, -- Fabio Tranchitella [EMAIL PROTECTED].''`. Proud Debian GNU/Linux developer, admin and user.: :' : `. `'` http://people.debian.org/~kobold/ `- _ 1024D/7F961564, fpr 5465 6E69 E559 6466 BF3D 9F01 2BF8 EE2B 7F96 1564 -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bug#493781: Can a package modify slapd.conf in its maintainer script?
On Sun, 10 Aug 2008, Fabio Tranchitella wrote: I need some help regarding #493781: the submitter reported the bug as grave because he thinks that modifying slapd.conf to include an extra LDAP schema from the maintainer scripts of a package (phamm-ldap in this case) is against the Debian policy. Considering that slapd.conf is not (anymore) a conffile, in my opinion this behaviour is not forbidden from the Debian policy and thus the bug report could be closed without any change to the phamm-ldap package. The submitter is right. | Packages must not modify other packages' configuration files | except by an agreed upon APIs (eg, a /usr/sbin/update-foo | command). http://release.debian.org/lenny/rc_policy.txt section 3. -- | .''`. ** Debian GNU/Linux ** Peter Palfrader | : :' : The universal http://www.palfrader.org/ | `. `' Operating System | `-http://www.debian.org/ -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bug#493781: Can a package modify slapd.conf in its maintainer script?
* 2008-08-10 22:25, Peter Palfrader wrote: The submitter is right. | Packages must not modify other packages' configuration files | except by an agreed upon APIs (eg, a /usr/sbin/update-foo | command). http://release.debian.org/lenny/rc_policy.txt section 3. Thanks, we'll prepare a new release which disables the slapd.conf mangling and provides documentation within README.Debian. Thanks, -- Fabio Tranchitella http://www.kobold.it Free Software Developer and Consultant http://www.tranchitella.it _ 1024D/7F961564, fpr 5465 6E69 E559 6466 BF3D 9F01 2BF8 EE2B 7F96 1564 -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bug#493781: Can a package modify slapd.conf in its maintainer script?
Fabio Tranchitella wrote: Thanks, we'll prepare a new release which disables the slapd.conf mangling and provides documentation within README.Debian. I agree with this approach. If slapd.conf needs to be modified, it should not happen automatically. Rather the administrator needs to be told to do it manually. Otherwise the risk exists the modifications might break something. Brian May -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
