Greetings, I believe that the subject of this note might come under the aegis of security - as I have certainly lost some files due to some SuSE configuration script or other. For many months now I have had a soft link from /etc/gtk-2.0 to the directory containing - among other things - the file gdk-pixbuf.loaders which is central to the graphic display of the ROX Filer system. Imagine my horror this morning when loggging on, to receive an error message from the ROX filer indicating that it could not find the file /etc/gtk-2.0/gdk-pixbuf.loaders. Opening an X terminal was kindly done by ROX Session and I discovered to my horror that the directory /etc/gtk-2.0 was now a real directory with a file REMOVE_IN_PROGRESS in it. Now the message in that file indicated that some gnome software was now to be found in /opt/gnome (which doesn't really concern me) but that I should re-install everything else - but it didn't care to indicate what 'else' might be involved. I found a copy of the original gdk-pixbuf.loaders file and re-made the link - but am rather worried that not only the link was destroyed - but also the contents of the directory to which it was pointing when YaST re-built yesterday (after uninstalling a superceded version of Amaya). This seems to me to be an integrity problem which comes under security so far as I am concerned. I presume others have had this happen too. What must be done to stop this automagic file removal?? I don't want to lose all of some vital package due to actions being taken behind my back! Keith Hopper -- City Desk Waikato University [PGP key available if desired]
ROX Session and I discovered to my horror that the directory /etc/gtk-2.0 was now a real directory with a file REMOVE_IN_PROGRESS in it. Now the message in that file indicated that some gnome software was now to be found in /opt/gnome (which doesn't really concern me) but that I should re-install everything else - but it didn't care to indicate what 'else' might be involved.
The gnome packages for version 2, either from upgrading to recent suse distribution or using the unsupported rpms from the 'supplementary' tree is responsible for it. Your root account should have received this email: root wrote:
Hallo,
filesystem hierarchy was significantly changed in SuSE Linux 9.0 and all GNOME/GTK related programs now reside in /opt/gnome.
Please move out following files or directories, otherwise it will be deleted in one week since last change: /etc/opt/gnome2 /opt/gnome2
Themes can be simply moved to /opt/gnome/share/themes, all other programs must be re-installed.
Your SuSE GNOME team
This seems to me to be an integrity problem which comes under security so far as I am concerned.
I presume others have had this happen too. What must be done to stop this automagic file removal?? I don't want to lose all of some vital package due to actions being taken behind my back!
I noticed it in my system, I don't use the gnome apps that much so I was not concerned about it. The directory should have been renamed or moved somewhere else not deleted. If you have some vital files, backup often. This brings forward a problem with how the system notifies the local user about this kind of things. It is not obvious how a normal user (the one that purchases the pro or personal version) should configure its system to receive local email. I'm one of those who gets his email from external pop or imap servers, I keep local copies of my email at my home computer and at several offices. I use mozilla, which has to go through hoops to retrieve local mail so I hardly ever get to see those notices. User/Admin notification is something that needs improvement. In the meantime I suggest you add this line to the top of /etc/aliases root: your@regular.email.here, \root -- Rafael
On Wednesday 21 April 2004 20:41, Rafael E. Herrera wrote: <snip>
This brings forward a problem with how the system notifies the local user about this kind of things. It is not obvious how a normal user (the one that purchases the pro or personal version) should configure its system to receive local email. I'm one of those who gets his email from external pop or imap servers, I keep local copies of my email at my home computer and at several offices. I use mozilla, which has to go through hoops to retrieve local mail so I hardly ever get to see those notices. User/Admin notification is something that needs improvement. <snip>
Isn't this functionality provided in your system via the update-desktop.desktop link? This file is generated upon every new installation and/or update that has any type of administrative notifications. Now, there may be some question as to why there wasn't a notification placed within the rpm package itself; but that is up to the packager/maintainer to determine. The /sbin/SuSEconfig application will generate this file; if there is one available. IMHO - that should be the problem as far as notfication is concerned. As far as files being "snatched" up ----- isn't that covered by package requirements/dependencies in the rpm installation? Your rpm system should not allow the file(s) to be removed( i.e. the update should not be installed as well); because another package would be broken --- thus a fatal conflict. Unless you installed one or the other via source; or you forced the update. Thomas
Thomas Jones wrote:
Isn't this functionality provided in your system via the update-desktop.desktop link? This file is generated upon every new installation and/or update that has any type of administrative notifications.
I don't use KDE. Notification through mail would be better.
As far as files being "snatched" up ----- isn't that covered by package requirements/dependencies in the rpm installation? Your rpm system should not allow the file(s) to be removed( i.e. the update should not be installed as well); because another package would be broken --- thus a fatal conflict. Unless you installed one or the other via source; or you forced the update.
I don't think that is how the gnome files were handled. The notification one received was that the directories /etc/opt/gnome2 and /opt/gnome2 were going to be removed by some script (rm -rf) and that you better move your files out before it happened. -- Rafael
participants (3)
-
Keith Hopper -
Rafael E. Herrera -
Thomas Jones