Debian Bug report logs - #312071
debconf: please add "ReadOnce" option to debconf.conf database definition

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Package: debconf; Maintainer for debconf is Debconf Developers <[email protected]>; Source for debconf is src:debconf (PTS, buildd, popcon).

Reported by: Marc Haber <[email protected]>

Date: Sun, 5 Jun 2005 10:33:01 UTC

Severity: wishlist

Found in version 1.4.50

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Report forwarded to [email protected], Joey Hess <[email protected]>:
Bug#312071; Package debconf. (full text, mbox, link).


Acknowledgement sent to Marc Haber <[email protected]>:
New Bug report received and forwarded. Copy sent to Joey Hess <[email protected]>. (full text, mbox, link).


Message #5 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Marc Haber <[email protected]>
To: Debian Bug Tracking System <[email protected]>
Subject: debconf: please add "ReadOnce" option to debconf.conf database definition
Date: Sun, 05 Jun 2005 12:19:55 +0200
Package: debconf
Version: 1.4.50
Severity: wishlist

Hi,

i am trying to use Debconf database stacking to have defaults for
questions already in place which would otherwise be asked during woody
=> sarge upgrade. I'd like to have the defaults.dat which is present
during the upgrade to be removed after the upgrade, which will remove
the database records which have not been changed during the
installation.

This might leave the debconf database in an inconsistent state.

This is what I'd like to have:

Config: configdb

Name: config
Driver: File
Mode: 644
Reject-Type: password
Filename: /var/cache/debconf/config.dat

Name: passwords
Driver: File
Mode: 600
Backup: false
Required: false
Accept-Type: password
Filename: /var/cache/debconf/passwords.dat

Name: defaults
Driver: File
Mode: 644
Required: false
Readonly: yes
Readonce: yes
Filename: /var/cache/debconf/defaults.dat

Name: configdb
Driver: Stack
Stack: config, passwords, defaults

The semantics of the Readonce option would be: When a record is being
read from the database with the Readonce option set (which in this
example happens when the record is neither in config.dat nor in
passwords.dat), immediately write it to a writeable database as if the
answer were changed by the user. That way, the record would not be
read from the defaults.dat for a second time.

This would allow the defaults.dat to be present during an installation
and/or upgrade process, being used as defaults for debconf. After
removal of defaults.dat, the system would behave exactly as if it had
been configured manually, keeping inexperienced admins from being
surprised.

Please consider adding this feature.

Greetings
Marc

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 3.1
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'testing')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Shell:  /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash
Kernel: Linux 2.6.9-zgserver
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=de_DE (charmap=ISO-8859-1)

Versions of packages debconf depends on:
ii  debconf-i18n                  1.4.50     full internationalization support 
ii  perl-base                     5.8.4-8    The Pathologically Eclectic Rubbis

-- debconf information excluded



Information forwarded to [email protected], Debconf Developers <[email protected]>:
Bug#312071; Package debconf. (full text, mbox, link).


Acknowledgement sent to Marc Haber <[email protected]>:
Extra info received and forwarded to list. Copy sent to Debconf Developers <[email protected]>. (full text, mbox, link).


Message #10 received at [email protected] (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Marc Haber <[email protected]>
To: [email protected], [email protected]
Cc: Marc Haber <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Bug#312071: debconf: please add "ReadOnce" option to debconf.conf database definition
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 08:36:17 +0200
On Sun, Jun 05, 2005 at 12:19:55PM +0200, Marc Haber wrote:
> i am trying to use Debconf database stacking to have defaults for
> questions already in place which would otherwise be asked during woody
> => sarge upgrade. I'd like to have the defaults.dat which is present
> during the upgrade to be removed after the upgrade, which will remove
> the database records which have not been changed during the
> installation.

Now, we have the sarge => etch upgrade, and I still, and again, have
this issue. It is very frustrating that the maintainers of a core
package did not bother to even comment on the bug in over two years.

Greetings
Marc

-- 
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Marc Haber         | "I don't trust Computers. They | Mailadresse im Header
Mannheim, Germany  |  lose things."    Winona Ryder | Fon: *49 621 72739834
Nordisch by Nature |  How to make an American Quilt | Fax: *49 621 72739835



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Bug#312071. (full text, mbox, link).


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