[Initscripts-ng-devel] Defining the workgroup objectives

Gerrit Pape pape at gmn.smarden.org
Sun Jul 31 15:22:06 UTC 2005


Henrique de Moraes Holschuh wrote:
> 1.  Design a distribution-agnostic interface layer for packaging systems
>     to deal with static order-based (sysv-rc classic), static dependency-based
>     (init-ng, LSB), dynamic dependency-based (runit?), and hybrid
>     static-dynamic dependency based initscript subsystems
> 2.  Do the same for Debian (i.e. design the Debian implementation of 
>     the interface defined in (1)):  
> 3.  Design either an hybrid static-dynamic or a purely dynamic dependency
>     based initscript subsystem (completely distribution-agnostic)
>     3a.  Write an implementation of said subsystem from scratch, OR
>     3b.  Modify init-ng or r-unit to add whatever functionality is needed 
>          (this need not be a fork. init-ng has a nice plugin
>          functionality, and all code is to be sent upstream anyway!)
> 4.  Write the interface layer to plug it into Debian
> 5.  Deploy it as a proof-of-concenpt in Debian sid

Hi, over the last years I wrote the runit init scheme, and worked on
integrating it into Debian as an alternative to sysvinit; the proof of
the concept is released with sarge.  There's a major difference though,
as runit doesn't use ordinary init scripts as found in sysvinit's
/etc/init.d/ directory, but replaces service startup scripts with (much
simpler) run scripts.  This has good advantages, and if we already plan
to change all init scripts in Debian, possibly extending them to carry
dependency information, why not go one step further and replace them
with scripts that are simpler to write, and so most probably less
susceptible to bugs?
  
As far as I understand your obejctives, runit already does most of what
you describe:  1. it's distribution independent and even cross-platform,
2. Debian integration is half done and still in the works, 3. it's a
(how you call it) dynmaic dependencies based init scheme, 4. there're
already packages in Debian using runit, and 5. proof-of-concept is in
sarge.  But, as I said, it's not done with existing init scripts, but
with run scripts, that can coexist with the init scripts.
  
Now after sarge release, I'm about to continue working on better
integration into Debian.  The recent runit development release
introduces a program which can be linked into /etc/init.d/ to provide an
LSB compliant user interface to control services managed by runit, and
I'm currently testing how diverting init scripts (note: conffiles)
works, doesn't look that bad.
  
Next step would be to add more run scripts to Debian to replace init
scripts, best at first in a single package, and, if applicable, later
move them into the corresponding Debian packages.  Writing these run
scripts is quite easy, see http://smarden.org/runit/runscripts.html

I personally use runit as init scheme on all Debian systems, as well as
other systems, and wouldn't mind if we switch to it as a default on
Debian at some time, obviously.  Help with the further integration of
runit also would be appreciated.

Thanks, Gerrit.
-- 
Open projects at http://smarden.org/pape/.





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