runit directory organization

runit directory organization

[Gregg Howe]

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I have just installed runit in my lfs system and I am so grateful to be able to simplify managing services.

However, I am undecided as to how to organize the service file directories and I am wondering what works for others.  And whether anyone cares about whether or how the runit file organization should fit into the Linux FHS.

Ordinarily, I would have service start and finish scripts in /etc, yet the service hierarchy also contains pipes, flags, pid files, etc which seem more appropriate in /var.  Or is this the kind of information that is destined for /svc (I am not really sure what /svc is for)?

I also will be setting up different service configurations, which I suppose are like runlevels.  But the description of using runsvchdir shows the svdirs (current, previous, etc) back in /etc rather than /var.  This confuses me.  Perhaps someone could explain how they organize their service directories, svdir directories and run scripts.

Gregg Howe

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Re: runit directory organization

[Alex Efros]

Hi!

On Mon, Apr 04, 2005 at 04:48:55PM -0700, Gregg Howe wrote:
>    confuses me.  Perhaps someone could explain how they organize their
>    service directories, svdir directories and run scripts.

Boot/shutdown scripts:
    /etc/runit/1
    /etc/runit/2
    /etc/runit/3
Directory with service's run scripts repository:
    /service/
Directory with current active services:
    /var/service/

At least it's looks like this for usage/administration: when I need to
install new service I will add it's run script to /service/SOMENEWSRV/,
when I need to activate that service on current runlevel I will just
symlink it into /var/service/:
    ln -s /service/SOMENEWSRV /var/service/
    OR
    ln -s /service/SOMENEWSRV /var/service/NEW
second form I use to choose between alternative realizations of same service,
for example:
    ln -s /service/agetty-tty1	    /var/service/tty1
    ln -s /service/mingetty-tty2    /var/service/tty2
    ln -s /service/apache2	    /var/service/web
    ln -s /service/oops		    /var/service/webproxy

Real fs layout is a little different. /var/service/ isn't a real directory -
it's lust symlink to /etc/runit/runsvdir/CURRENT_RUNLEVEL_NAME/ which is
a real directory and contain all these symlinks to active services in
/service/.

I don't use different runlevels, but if you need easy way to switch
between runlevels you can use this layout:
    /etc/runit/runsvdir/somerealrunlevel1/
    /etc/runit/runsvdir/somerealrunlevel2/
    /etc/runit/runsvdir/somerealrunlevel3/
    /etc/runit/runsvdir/current		    -> somerealrunlevel2
    /var/service			    -> /etc/runit/runsvdir/current
This way you will be able to switch between runlevels by just changing 
/etc/runit/runsvdir/current symlink.

Of course, with this scheme script /etc/runit/2 should start `runsvdir`
with '/var/service/' as first param.

I prefer this layout because:
- all contiguration-related files under /etc, so there is no need to
  backup /service/ or /var/service/ in addition to /etc
- /service/ is mostly like /usr/ from administration view - it contain
  static run-scripts (which installed from 'baselayout' package or
  some service packages) and there is no needs to update these run-scripts
  except in very rare cases... yeah, I know there some dynamic files
  will be created (locks, pipes, etc.) in this directory and this is why
  this directory called /service/ instead of /usr/service/ - it's not
  completely static like /usr/, it's special directory for services with
  own special behaviour which differ from /etc, /usr and /var
- there is no need to know current runlevel name to update it because
  I will add/remove symlinks only in /var/service/ directory

I don't sure this layout is FHS-compliant, but looks like djb's and djb-like
software, packaging system and proposed fs-layout will never be included
in global standards like FHS, no matter how good they are. :(

-- 
			WBR, Alex.

Re: runit directory organization

[Csillag Tamás]

Hi

On 04/04, Gregg Howe wrote:
>    I have just installed runit in my lfs system and I am so grateful to be
>    able to simplify managing services.
>    
>    However, I am undecided as to how to organize the service file directories
>    and I am wondering what works for others.  And whether anyone cares about
>    whether or how the runit file organization should fit into the Linux FHS.
>    
>    Ordinarily, I would have service start and finish scripts in /etc, yet the
>    service hierarchy also contains pipes, flags, pid files, etc which seem
>    more appropriate in /var.  Or is this the kind of information that is
>    destined for /svc (I am not really sure what /svc is for)?
>    
>    I also will be setting up different service configurations, which I
>    suppose are like runlevels.  But the description of using runsvchdir shows
>    the svdirs (current, previous, etc) back in /etc rather than /var.  This
>    confuses me.  Perhaps someone could explain how they organize their
>    service directories, svdir directories and run scripts.
>    
>    Gregg Howe

I put each service in /var/srv I have /service which is symlinked to
/var/service. If I want to set-up a new service I put it into /var/srv
then symlink it to /service.

runsvdir watches /var/service
(The symlink is just for my own preference.)

This is better (IMHO) because I do not want to mess with log directories in
every dir. I mean log/run contains:
#!/bin/sh
exec chpst -u log svlogd -tt ./main

I do not have to keep up the same structure for log files.
And log files must not go to /etc.

-- 
What's the most effective Windows NT remote management tool?
A car.

cstamas

Re: runit directory organization

[Dean Hall]

On Apr 4, 2005 7:48 PM, Gregg Howe <gregg@astronumerics.com> wrote:
>  
> However, I am undecided as to how to organize the service file directories
> and I am wondering what works for others.  And whether anyone cares about
> whether or how the runit file organization should fit into the Linux FHS. 

As someone has noted already, runit and other djb-ish software usually
deliberately breaks FHS compatibility. I run gentoo myself and,
without editing every ebuild I install, I'm pretty much stuck with a
mostly FHS-compatible OS. Luckily, djb-ish stuff lets you do whatever
you want.

> Ordinarily, I would have service start and finish scripts in /etc, yet the
> service hierarchy also contains pipes, flags, pid files, etc which seem more
> appropriate in /var.  Or is this the kind of information that is destined
> for /svc (I am not really sure what /svc is for)?

Here's the way I do it, though I'm sure many might dislike it:

- envdirs in /etc/envdir.d
- misc. configuration in /etc/config.d
- services in /var/service/{all,default,current}

I don't use /etc/runit at all.

Don't worry too much about what directories in which to put stuff.
It's really up to you.


d
-- 
http://deanpence.com

Re: runit directory organization

[Gerrit Pape]

On Mon, Apr 04, 2005 at 04:48:55PM -0700, Gregg Howe wrote:
> I have just installed runit in my lfs system and I am so grateful to
> be able to simplify managing services.
> 
> However, I am undecided as to how to organize the service file
> directories and I am wondering what works for others.  And whether
> anyone cares about whether or how the runit file organization should
> fit into the Linux FHS.

On Debian, I have the runit configuration including getty services in
/etc/runit/.  Other packages/services put their service directories into
/etc/ (or a subdirectory /etc/<package>/), and optionally provide a link
in /var/service/.  Logs are put into /var/log/.

> Ordinarily, I would have service start and finish scripts in /etc, yet
> the service hierarchy also contains pipes, flags, pid files, etc which
> seem more appropriate in /var.

You can make the ./supervise subdirectory in the service directory a
symlink to /var/run/<service> before enabling it for the first time.
runsv will follow the dangling symlink, and creates the directory in
/var/run/.  So you only have the configuration in /etc/.

Regards, Gerrit.