Hi David,

2016-07-26 16:00 GMT+02:00 David Jander <david@protonic.nl>:

>
> Dear Guillermo,
>
> Thanks for your reply.
>
> On Tue, 26 Jul 2016 15:19:59 +0200
> Guillermo Rodriguez Garcia <guille.rodriguez@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Wouldn't it be easier to either use a custom /etc/passwd, or create a
> /root
> > dir in the filesystem ? That sounds better than patching systemd.
>
> Maybe it would be better to change the default /etc/passwd (and everywhere
> else) in ptxdist then...
>

I think that the default /etc/passwd (and many other files that are
distributed
with ptxdist) should be taken just as generic examples. Ptxdist BSPs are
expected
to customize any files as needed and in fact ptxdist is already prepared to
handle
that: Just drop your customized files in the projectroot/  dir in your BSP
and they
will be picked up, as long as the relevant rules files use the
install_alternative
macros.


>
> The problem is that what /etc/passwd says is mandatory. The home directory
> has
> a special meaning to the user. You can get to the home directory via $HOME
> passed in the environment, or via the NS-switch (getent) lookup. They are
> supposed to be the same.
> systemd has hardcoded defaults in source-code, which by definition is ugly
> as
> hell, but the reason is clearly to avoid potentially expensive, blocking
> NSS-lookups in the early boot stages, so it is understandable. It would be
> a
> lot better if there was some configuration setting read from a file I
> guess,
> but alas.
> On PTXdist now (with the default, shipped /etc/passwd), a user logging in
> as
> "root" via, say a serial console getty, will have a different $HOME than a
> systemd service started with User=root. This is bad, and can potentially do
> funny things people will not like.
> To solve the problem, there are really only two options AFAICS:
>
>  1.- Change PTXdist and all places in it that assume the $HOME=/home for
> root.
>  No idea how many places that are, nor how many users already depend on
> this
>  historic assumption.
>
> or
>
>  2.- Patch systemd to adapt to the reality of PTXdist.
>

Yes, or

3.- Customize the files in your BSP :-)

Guillermo Rodriguez Garcia
guille.rodriguez@gmail.com