File System Kudzu

[rbj at icst-cmr.arpa]

? Call it file-system-kudzu.
? 
? So, I began to write this shell-script which I hope to pass on to my
? staff which just goes running around checking out whether things seem
? ok with the file system, like is /tmp writeable? are the disks full?
? are various things that probably should be setuid and/or setgid
? actually set that way?
? 
? THERE'S A ZILLION GILLION FILES OUT THERE THAT ALL HAVE TO BE SOMEWHAT
? RIGHT TO ALLOW THE SYSTEM TO WORK EVEN SORT OF PROPERLY!
? 
? Ok, let's forget executable binaries as in /usr/bin, that's probably
? unavoidable, but all those little 'data base' files (/etc/passwd,
? /usr/lib/uucp/L.sys, /etc/syslog.conf, /mdec, etc etc., the tape reels!)
? 
? This is serious, just try to list the critical little files on a piece
? of paper (it'll take several.)
? 
? Any thoughts? Or am I the only one who thinks there is a problem?
? I think this is begging for some fundamental thinking.

If you are, there is something wrong. I have often bemoaned the fact that
/etc contains three different types of files: programs, configuration
data (passwd, fstab) and log files (utmp). /usr and /usr/lib are overloaded
with random stuff. In fact, /usr is really a misnomer since most users
usually live on a different file system.

What we really need is a rethinking of where things go and why. Sun has
partially done this by making /usr essentially read-only, with symbolic
links to /private for writeable (and config?) files. But they have only
solved the problem halfway, keeping the basic organization (maybe it is
good that they didn't unilaterally redefine everything!). I once did
the same thing with my system, using symbolic links to relocate
writable files elsewhere, and then mounting /usr read only. It would
even be nice to be able to physically mount the entire system disk
read only and then throw the write protect switch. Some people have
done this, but you must require two disks and swap on the second.

We need to have a basic reorganization: all log files go in /log, all
daemons go in /daemon, all config files go in /conf. And are we to
minimize the root system, or fold /usr in as well? My system packs
are rm03's or equivalent (67M) with the last 33440 sectors in the 
B partition and the rest as the A partition, containing both root & usr.

I would like the POSIX committee (or somebody equivalent) to address
this issue, altho I admit it is premature at this stage. First we have
to define what unix is before we redefine it.
 
? 	-Barry Shein, Boston University

	(Root Boy) Jim "Just Say Yes" Cottrell	<rbj at icst-cmr.arpa>
	Why did Paul Simon name his album after Elvis Presley's house?