init script generators ( was: Re: proper handling of communication channels in debian)

[Daniel Kahn Gillmor]

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On Wed 2007-05-02 16:42:16 -0400, Dan Ritter wrote:

> Each daemon package, in postinst, calls
> /usr/sbin/update-initsystem
>
> Each init system provides a /usr/sbin/update-initsystem which can read
> the common hint format and generate the specific scripts it likes.
>
> When switching from one init system to another, install the new
> update-initsystem, find the packages owning the files in
> /etc/init.d/*, and have them each do a new postinst.

If the different init systems could be installed simultaneously (with
/etc/alternatives deciding the dominant one) you wouldn't even need to
do this.  just look for the registered hint files (in
/usr/share/initsystem, by analogy with /usr/share/menu?).

> So: a new package will get the current initsystem, a switch of
> initsystems takes some time but is not difficult, and nothing
> needs to be regenerated at boot time.
>
> As a systems administrator, I like this. It's not any harder to
> understand than update-rc.d

I also quite like it, if i'm understanding it correctly.  

It parallels nicely with debian menu policy, which at this point is
pretty well understood.

   --dkg
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