[Openstack-devel] Bug#677400: This is not a bug, it is a feature!

[Ola Lundqvist]

Hi Thomas

What do you mean with the below?

Can you explain why this is a RC bug? I do not understand that.

I understand that it is not allowed to:
- overwrite a configuration file with new things without preserving  
local modifications

The question asked here is to make sure to allow local modifications.  
That is also a feature of dpkg.

This is also a very old and known issue. If you take a look at  
cron-apt you can see that it includes a small piece of software to  
make sure all such questions are answered with the default value.

I quote from the policy:
"10.7.3 Behavior

Configuration file handling must conform to the following behavior:

     local changes must be preserved during a package upgrade, and

     configuration files must be preserved when the package is  
removed, and only deleted when the package is purged.

The easy way to achieve this behavior is to make the configuration  
file a conffile. ..."

The bug refers to the text "[These scripts handling conffiles] must  
not ask unnecessary questions (particularly during upgrades), and must  
otherwise be good
citizens."

The question is not unnecessary. The file was modified by a maintainer  
script in accordance to chapter 10.7.3 so the question was not  
unnecessary.

I refuse to re-open this bug unless you have a very good reason for  
it. It is a feature of the package, not a bug.

In certain cases if the software reading the config file support to  
include files it is possible to make a work-around this by storing the  
data in a maintainer controlled file and then source that one for the  
maintainer script part. However that is only for certain kind of  
software. I do not yet know if nova have that support or not.

Best regards,

// Ola

Quoting Loic Dachary <loic at enovance.com>:
> On 06/18/2012 08:38 AM, Thomas Goirand wrote:
>> On Mon Jun 18 2012 01:06:30 PM CST, Ola Lundqvist <ola at inguza.com> wrote:
>>> The statement in the mail to the development list is wrong.
>>> Install scripts can modify configuration files if it is done
>>> in a safe way preserving local modifications.
>> No! If you intend to modify a configuration file
>> it shouldn't be marked as such, and should be
>> managed by post{inst,rm}.
>>
>>> Due to this I'm closing this bug now.
>> Please reopen it!
>>
> Could you please provide a patch explaining how you would resolve  
> this release critical bug ? That will also help understand your  
> position. I'm sure Ola will then agree to cleanup and integrate the  
> patch that is most agreeable to you.
>
> Thanks in advance for the help :-)
>
>
>



-- 
  --- Inguza Technology AB --- MSc in Information Technology ----
/  ola at inguza.com                    Annebergsslingan 37        \
|  opal at debian.org                   654 65 KARLSTAD            |
|  http://inguza.com/                Mobile: +46 (0)70-332 1551 |
\  gpg/f.p.: 7090 A92B 18FE 7994 0C36 4FE4 18A1 B1CF 0FE5 3DD9  /
  ---------------------------------------------------------------