[HEADS-UP] systemd is now the default init system in rawhide

[Matt McCutchen]

On Mon, 2010-07-26 at 10:31 +0100, Bryn M. Reeves wrote:
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> On 07/24/2010 09:39 PM, Matt McCutchen wrote:
> > On Sat, 2010-07-24 at 16:36 -0400, Matthew Miller wrote:
> >> On Sat, Jul 24, 2010 at 12:14:33AM -0400, Casey Dahlin wrote:
> >>>> Why is the systemd executable in /bin instead of /sbin?
> >>> Without looking too closely I believe systemd eventually seeks to replace
> >>> things like gnome-session daemon. It has session management in mind as
> >>> well as system.
> >>
> >> Still belongs in /sbin, unless it's meant to actually be executed directly
> >> by end-users.
> > 
> > No.  If that were the criterion, update-mime-database would belong
> > in /sbin .
> > 
> 
> The FHS puts it like this:
> 
> (a) "/bin contains commands that may be used by both the system
> administrator and by users, but which are required when no other
> filesystems are mounted (e.g. in single user mode). It may also contain
> commands which are used indirectly by scripts."
> 
> (b) "/sbin contains binaries essential for booting, restoring,
> recovering, and/or repairing the system in addition to the binaries in
> /bin."
> 
> So if the intent is that systemd will eventually be invoked (indirectly
> by some script/daemon) by users this seems justified by (a). On the
> other hand the page has this to say on "init":
> 
> "The following files, or symbolic links to files, must be in /sbin if
> the corresponding subsystem is installed: ...
> init"
> 
> It's arguable though whether this refers to SysV's init or is intended
> to be more general.
> 
> http://www.pathname.com/fhs/pub/fhs-2.3.html#BINESSENTIALUSERCOMMANDBINARIES
> http://www.pathname.com/fhs/pub/fhs-2.3.html#SBINSYSTEMBINARIES

A hard link or symlink at /sbin/init is needed because tools look for it
there.  However, I think the main "systemd" executable belongs in /bin.
I read (b) as a subdivision of the category established by the previous
sentence: "Utilities used for system administration (and other root-only
commands) are stored in /sbin, /usr/sbin, and /usr/local/sbin."  systemd
is not (going to be) root-only, hence it doesn't go in */sbin.  The
right comparison would be to /bin/dbus-daemon.

-- 
Matt