[lsb-discuss] Alternative to creating system-wide symbolic link from /usr/

[Daniel Yek]

Question at the bottom...

Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 22:49:37 -0800
>To: lsb-discuss at lists.freestandards.org
>From: Donya Shirzad <dshirzad at real.com>
>Subject: [lsb-discuss] Installation directories

> >3)  Are we allowed to create links from the binary in any of these
> >directories back to the standard path directories?  It seemed that
> >Section 4 of the lsb book said no.
>
>No.  The concept is to stay completely out of the "distro namespace",
>and there's not a lot of difference between installing a binary
>into /usr/bin and putting a symlink there.
>
>At 6:44 AM -0800 12/16/06, Wichmann, Mats D wrote:
><snip>
>>  >3)  Are we allowed to create links from the binary in any of these
>>>directories back to the standard path directories?  It seemed that
>>>Section 4 of the lsb book said no.
>>
>>No.  The concept is to stay completely out of the "distro namespace",
>>and there's not a lot of difference between installing a binary
>>into /usr/bin and putting a symlink there.
>
>What is the LSB suggestion for a command line user-installed package to 
>get into the executable path?
>
>
>Subject: Re: [lsb-discuss] Installation directories
>From: Nick Stoughton <nick at usenix.org>
>To: Donya Shirzad <dshirzad at real.com>
>Cc: "Wichmann, Mats D" <mats.d.wichmann at intel.com>,
>       lsb-discuss at lists.freestandards.org
>Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 09:50:47 -0800
>
>On Sat, 2006-12-16 at 13:28 -0800, Donya Shirzad wrote:
>
> > What is the LSB suggestion for a command line user-installed package
> > to get into the executable path?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > - Donya
>
>
>See 16.2 ....
>/etc/profile.d
>
>A directory containing shell scripts. Script names should follow the
>same conventions as specified for cron jobs (see Cron Jobs, but should
>have the suffix .sh. The behavior is unspecified if a script is
>installed in this directory that does not have the suffix .sh.
>
>The sh utility shall read and execute commands in its current execution
>environment from all the shell scripts in this directory that have the
>suffix .sh when invoked as an interactive login shell, or if the -l (the
>letter ell) is specified (see Shell Invocation).
>
>
>---
>The idea is you provide a /etc/profile.d/real.sh script to set the path
>and any other environment stuff you need.
>--


This solution is less than ideal.

Right now, our post installation script install symbolic links from 
/usr/bin, /usr/lib, and /usr/share, back to the installation directories.

It is possible/likely that we don't need the second one (/usr/lib) anymore. 
I'm not sure why we need the third one (/usr/share.)

Installing a symbolic link from /opt/bin/hxplay (and realplay) back to the 
installation directory allows Nautilus and browsers to find the newly 
installed Helix and RealPlayer in the same X session. Using the 
/etc/profile.d/ approach would require that the user restart X.

Is there a better solution? Or we should really stay out and require reboot 
after each installation?

Should PATH be spec-ed to set to /usr/local/bin:/opt/bin:/usr/bin?

Is there a similar solution for non root installation?

Thanks.


-- 
Daniel Yek


>Nick Stoughton                          Cell: 510 388 1413
>USENIX Standards Liaison                Fax:  510 548 5738