[Pkg-sysvinit-devel] Bug#630615: Bug#630615: RAMTMP should default to no

[Michael Biebl]

Am 15.06.2011 17:56, schrieb Petter Reinholdtsen:
> [Michael Biebl]
>> the default for new installations is to use RAMTMP=yes.
> 
> Hm, do not remember doing this change.  Anyone know when it happened?
> 
>> I think having RAMTMP as optional feature is great, but it should
>> default to no, because this is the safer default:
>> - virtual machines are usually provisioned with only the minimal
>>   required amount of RAM.
>> - a typical hard disk is much bigger than RAM and thus /tmp on a typical
>>   installation provides much more space then RAM.
>> - software using /tmp to store large amounts of data, like backup
>>   programs, download managers etc.
> 
> Given that /var/tmp/ should be used for large files, and /tmp/ should
> only be used for smaller temporary files that should go away when a
> machine is rebooted, your argument do not really have much weight.

The distinction between /var/tmp and /tmp is about persistence, and not the size
of the data stored there.
I can't find any reference saying that /tmp is only for small files and /var/tmp
only for large files.

Fact of the matter is, that there is software out there using /tmp to store
large amount of temporary data (which doesn't need to survive reboots, so
/var/tmp would be the wrong place).

Cheers,
Michael
-- 
Why is it that all of the instruments seeking intelligent life in the
universe are pointed away from Earth?

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