[Pkg-samba-maint] new conf file refused interactively still installed with new date

[Michel BRIAND]

Steve Langasek <vorlon at debian.org> - Mon, 7 Apr 2008 00:56:15 -0700

>On Mon, Apr 07, 2008 at 07:38:51AM +0200, Christian Perrier wrote:
>> (please answer to pkg-samba-maint only unless this is *not* related
>> to the samba packages. No need to CC me to replies)
>
>Do I understand from the headers that this thread originated on the
>dpkg list?  This is not a dpkg issue, the samba package uses ucf, not
>conffiles.
>
>> Quoting Michel BRIAND (michelbriand at free.fr):
>> > Hello,
>
>> > smb.conf conffile (install new, keep old, diff, ...).
>
>> > I replied "keep old". But the conffile has the date of today...
>
>> samba is now using ucf to handle smb.conf changes. That might be
>> related.
>
>Er, it's not just related, this is the expected behavior.  smb.conf is
>touched on every update of the samba-common package because of
>debconf; the ucf prompting/handling just presents the user with an
>opportunity to incorporate new recommended settings provided by the
>package, it doesn't mean timestamps will somehow be preserved.
>

Ok,

so smb.conf is handled by ucf in postinst.

I learned about ucf and it says that Debian policy states that files
under /etc which are configuration files must preserve user changes.

Do you think that "user changes" includes timestamp as well ?

Because, if yes, when you choose to not modify the smb.conf during the
upgrade, "you" as an old sysadmin, expect that it will not be
altered. Thus, for example, not included in the next backup...

Thank you.

Michel