[Pkg-cups-devel] Bug#549673: cups: constantly modify configuration files in /etc

[Roger Leigh]

On Mon, Oct 05, 2009 at 03:02:30PM +0200, Luca Capello wrote:
> Since when I started to use etckeeper, I noticed that every time cupsd
> starts it rewrites the configuration file:

> This also happens once per day, usually around 0600 if my laptop is on.
> 
> Cups is the only program I am aware of with such behavior and I still
> think this is a bug in cups: I do not see the reason why *without my
> approval* it modifies configuration files.  If this is really needed,
> why it does not keep a copy in /var/lib?  This seems to me the best
> place, according to the FHS:
> 
>   http://www.pathname.com/fhs/pub/fhs-2.3.html#VARLIBVARIABLESTATEINFORMATION

I'd have to say I feel the same way.  It's also incompatible with
read-only root.

There's a subtle difference between "configuration" and "state"
and cups keeps a lot of state in /etc such as printer status
and other such information.  This should clearly be under /var.

I used to consider printer queues configuration, but given that
it can be completely generated using tools like lpadmin, I'm
increasingly inclined to treat it as state, and think that it
should be kept under /var along with associated PPD files etc.

The configuration rewriting is very annoying.  I don't know if
it's fixed, but it used to eat your hand-crafted configuration
and replace it with a compiled-in template if you used any of
the webadmin tickboxes such as for enabling sharing/browsing.
The result is that I no longer even attempt to alter the cups
configuration file--it always ends up being trashed at some
point.

It would be more appropriate to have generated parts of the
configuration under /var and have static configuration written
by the admin under /etc.  Currently cups treats these as one
and the same and the result is not good.


Regards,
Roger

-- 
  .''`.  Roger Leigh
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