[leafnode] news user home directory
_JusSx_
yesterday I installed leafnode on my gentoo linux system. I set up
cron for running fetchnews every hour and so on. It worked and It
works very well but I found that something is wrong in my system
configuration.
Sometimes fetchnews reports this error:
#v+
Could not chdir to HOME dir "/usr/lib/news": No such file or directory
#v-
I gave a look at /etc/passwd and I found out that gentoo linux system
sets news user home directory to /usr/lib/news. However leafnode
installation script doesn't create /usr/lib/news but /var/lib/news and
/var/spool/news.
So I'm wondering what directory is the user news' home. Which one
should I use?
Of course I don't think it exists a standard, but I Would like to know
your opinion.
Thank in advance
_JusSx?
--
Linux is only free if your time has no value
Mike Yetto
> Hi,
> yesterday I installed leafnode on my gentoo linux system. I set up
> cron for running fetchnews every hour and so on. It worked and It
> works very well but I found that something is wrong in my system
> configuration.
> Sometimes fetchnews reports this error:
>
> #v+
> Could not chdir to HOME dir "/usr/lib/news": No such file or directory
> #v-
>
> I gave a look at /etc/passwd and I found out that gentoo linux system
> sets news user home directory to /usr/lib/news. However leafnode
> installation script doesn't create /usr/lib/news but /var/lib/news and
> /var/spool/news.
>
I'm running (K)Ubuntu, but that may not matter for this answer.
That said, my /etc/passwd shows /var/spool/news as the home for
news.
> So I'm wondering what directory is the user news' home. Which one
> should I use?
> Of course I don't think it exists a standard, but I Would like to know
> your opinion.
It shouldn't cause any irreparable harm to change it, so it's
worth a try.
Mike "feedback would be nice" Yetto
--
In theory, theory and practice are the same.
In practice they are not.
Mike Yetto
> Mike Yetto wrote:
>> I'm running (K)Ubuntu, but that may not matter for this answer.
>> That said, my /etc/passwd shows /var/spool/news as the home for
>> news.
>
> news:x:9:13:News system:/etc/news:/bin/bash
>
> So best is to check passwd, see what it has there (if anything)
>
The OP already stated that the home for "news" is "/usr/lib/news"
but that directory does not exist, while "/var/lib/news" and
"/var/spool/news" do. Suggesting he use one of these, rather
than another directory, seems to be something worth trying.
Mike "following the entire discussion is also worth tryng" Yetto
Moe Trin
<200912131...@usenet.piggo.com>, _JusSx_ wrote:
>Sometimes fetchnews reports this error:
>
>#v+
>Could not chdir to HOME dir "/usr/lib/news": No such file or directory
>#v-
>
>I gave a look at /etc/passwd and I found out that gentoo linux system
>sets news user home directory to /usr/lib/news. However leafnode
>installation script doesn't create /usr/lib/news but /var/lib/news and
>/var/spool/news.
From the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard from http://www.pathname.com/fhs/
-------
/usr/lib : Libraries for programming and packages
Purpose
/usr/lib includes object files, libraries, and internal binaries that
are not intended to be executed directly by users or shell scripts. [22]
Applications may use a single subdirectory under /usr/lib. If an
application uses a subdirectory, all architecture-dependent data
exclusively used by the application must be placed within that
subdirectory. [23]
-------
Now clearly, the /usr/lib/news isn't meant to be a _home_ directory.
>So I'm wondering what directory is the user news' home. Which one
>should I use?
Your system - your rules. ;-)
>Of course I don't think it exists a standard, but I Would like to know
>your opinion.
I'm not using Gentoo, nor leafnode, but you have two alternatives.
You can create the non-standard /usr/lib/news - and no Linux police
will come to your door to arrest you. Or you could tell leafnode
to use another directory. I've got slrn (slrnpull) using
/var/spool/slrnpull as it's home, and there is a
/var/spool/slrnpull/bin/ for some of the extra tools I use with that
application. /var/lib is meant for
/var/lib : Variable state information
and /var/spool for
/var/spool : Application spool data
so it's your choice.
Old guy
_JusSx_
I fixed the problem by changing news home directory from /usr/lib/news
to /var/spool/news in /etc/passwd. Now It works great. I wrote an
email to leafnode gentoo ebuild mantainter and I showed the problems.
I suggested:
1) if gentoo system requires news home directory to be /usr/lib/news,
leafnode ebuild should create that directory, at least;
2) if gentoo system does't require new home directory to be
/usr/lib/news, gentoo system could provide /var/spool/news directory
as default user home directory;
I like /var/spool/news to be default news user home directory.
However, I would like to thank you very much for your post.
_JusSx_
»Q«
_JusSx_ <ju...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Sun, 13 Dec 2009, in the Usenet newsgroup news.software.readers,
> > in article
> ><200912131...@usenet.piggo.com>, _JusSx_ wrote:
> >
> >>Sometimes fetchnews reports this error:
> >>
> >>#v+
> >>Could not chdir to HOME dir "/usr/lib/news": No such file or
> >>directory #v-
> >>
> >>I gave a look at /etc/passwd and I found out that gentoo linux
> >>system sets news user home directory to /usr/lib/news. However
> >>leafnode installation script doesn't create /usr/lib/news
> >>but /var/lib/news and /var/spool/news.
[giant snip]
> I fixed the problem by changing news home directory from /usr/lib/news
> to /var/spool/news in /etc/passwd. Now It works great. I wrote an
> email to leafnode gentoo ebuild mantainter and I showed the problems.
>
> I suggested:
>
> 1) if gentoo system requires news home directory to be /usr/lib/news,
> leafnode ebuild should create that directory, at least;
>
> 2) if gentoo system does't require new home directory to be
> /usr/lib/news, gentoo system could provide /var/spool/news directory
> as default user home directory;
>
> I like /var/spool/news to be default news user home directory.
>
> However, I would like to thank you very much for your post.
> _JusSx_
I'm glad it's working for you now. I have the same situation with the
news user's $HOME not existing, but leafnode doesn't throw any errors
for me. It may be because I'm using one of the leafnode 2 alphas (now
removed from Gentoo's tree due to leafnode's we-never-release policy).
I would have thought that leafnode would work ok even with no $HOME for
news.
If you hear back from Gentoo's leafnode maintainer, please post back
here.
Frank Slootweg
[...]
> From the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard from http://www.pathname.com/fhs/
That's a *Linux* 'standard'. UNIX systems have real/de jure standards,
like the XPG. leafnode is UNIX software, not Linux-only software.
Granted, the *OP's* question is asked in a Linux context, but you
can't blame *leafnode* for not being Linux-centric.
> -------
> /usr/lib : Libraries for programming and packages
>
> Purpose
>
> /usr/lib includes object files, libraries, and internal binaries that
> are not intended to be executed directly by users or shell scripts. [22]
>
> Applications may use a single subdirectory under /usr/lib. If an
> application uses a subdirectory, all architecture-dependent data
> exclusively used by the application must be placed within that
> subdirectory. [23]
> -------
>
> Now clearly, the /usr/lib/news isn't meant to be a _home_ directory.
I disagree. /usr/lib/news is quite a reasonable home directory of the
user news, which is the News administrator. IIRC INN uses that on XPG
compliant systems. Also tin(5) mentions /usr/lib/news as one of the
common places for things like the active file, newsgroups file, etc.,
i.e. for systems with a local News spool, which is exactly what we're
talking about here.
Anyway, whatever you choose, it should *not* be .../spool/..., because
it's *not* a spool directory.
[...]
[Ugly abberation ../spool/bin deleted! :-)]
Frank Slootweg
[...]
> IIRC INN uses that [/usr/lib/news] on XPG compliant systems.
I just checked. The current versions of INN use /usr/local/news as
the default ~news.
But that point is moot, because AFAICT, that also does not conform to
the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard, because that says:
> /usr is the second major section of the filesystem. /usr is shareable,
> read-only data. That means that /usr should be shareable between
> various FHS-compliant hosts and must not be written to. Any
> information that is host-specific or varies with time is stored
> elsewhere.
But for INN /usr/local/news is not shareable and not read-only.
So it looks like INN also ignores the Filesystem Hierarchy 'Standard',
and rightfully so.
[...]
Moe Trin
<7ol1vgF...@mid.individual.net>, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>Moe Trin <ibup...@painkiller.example.tld.invalid> wrote:
>> From the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard from http://www.pathname.com/fhs/
> That's a *Linux* 'standard'. UNIX systems have real/de jure standards,
>like the XPG. leafnode is UNIX software, not Linux-only software.
> Granted, the *OP's* question is asked in a Linux context, but you
>can't blame *leafnode* for not being Linux-centric.
I'm so glad you noticed that. You may also be aware that Linux, like
Cygwin, is not a branded UNIX. Did you also miss the part where I wrote
Your system - your rules.
> I disagree.
That's your privilege - but I'm answering the question in that Linux
context. Would you also like to discuss the POSIX end of things? I
see no need, as the question was not asked in that context either.
>[Ugly abberation ../spool/bin deleted! :-)]
You may want to get your eyes checked, as that was not what I wrote.
Perhaps you aren't used to seeing bin directories in a user's home
directory. It's a good place to put applications that are created by,
and only used by that individual.
Old guy
Frank Slootweg
Hi Moe,
I'm sorry if you got the impression that I think you were 'wrong'. I
just gave my opinion. Because there is only one real standard and even
that isn't cast in stone, it's (IMO :-)) all a matter op opinion.
> On 13 Dec 2009, in the Usenet newsgroup news.software.readers, in article
> <7ol1vgF...@mid.individual.net>, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>
> >Moe Trin <ibup...@painkiller.example.tld.invalid> wrote:
>
> >> From the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard from http://www.pathname.com/fhs/
>
> > That's a *Linux* 'standard'. UNIX systems have real/de jure standards,
> >like the XPG. leafnode is UNIX software, not Linux-only software.
>
> > Granted, the *OP's* question is asked in a Linux context, but you
> >can't blame *leafnode* for not being Linux-centric.
>
> I'm so glad you noticed that. You may also be aware that Linux, like
> Cygwin, is not a branded UNIX.
Yeah, I'm somewhat aware of that! :-)
> Did you also miss the part where I wrote
>
> Your system - your rules.
No, I saw that.
> > I disagree.
>
> That's your privilege - but I'm answering the question in that Linux
> context. Would you also like to discuss the POSIX end of things? I
> see no need, as the question was not asked in that context either.
>
> >[Ugly abberation ../spool/bin deleted! :-)]
>
> You may want to get your eyes checked, as that was not what I wrote.
> Perhaps you aren't used to seeing bin directories in a user's home
> directory. It's a good place to put applications that are created by,
> and only used by that individual.
Again, I saw what you wrote. Yes, a bin subdirectoty of ~user is fine.
I use that myself (well, local/bin). But a bin subdirectory of a spool
directory is too much for my taste. But that's a result of having a
spool directory as ~user. I wouldn't use that. But again, just a matter
of opinion.
Whiskers
> Moe Trin <ibup...@painkiller.example.tld.invalid> wrote:
[...]
> Anyway, whatever you choose, it should *not* be .../spool/..., because
> it's *not* a spool directory.
>
> [...]
>
> [Ugly abberation ../spool/bin deleted! :-)]
I'm not claiming that it's "correct" (or isn't), but Mandriva seem to think
a spool directory is fine for a non-human's $HOME:
# grep spool passwd
lp:x:4:7:lp:/var/spool/lpd:/bin/sh
mail:x:8:12:mail:/var/spool/mail:/bin/sh
news:x:9:13:news:/var/spool/news:/bin/sh
uucp:x:10:14:uucp:/var/spool/uucp:/bin/sh
postfix:x:75:75:system user for postfix:/var/spool/postfix:/bin/false
#
--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~