bugfindutils - Bugs: bug #13774, Why is updatedb prefering /var/tmp...

 
 

bug #13774: Why is updatedb prefering /var/tmp over /tmp for temporary files?

Submitter:  None
Submitted:  Tue 12 Jul 2005 05:05:15 PM UTC
   
 
Category:  updatedb Severity:  2 - Minor
Item Group:  None Status:  Wont Fix
Privacy:  Public Assigned to:  jay
Originator Name:  Arthur Korn Originator Email:  -email is unavailable-
Open/Closed:  Closed Release:  4.2.23
Fixed Release:  None
* Mandatory Fields

Add a New Comment Rich Markup
   

Wed 13 Jul 2005 11:38:05 AM UTC, comment #5: 

It doesn't look to me as if our preference for /var/tmp violates the FHS at all.

I don't think that we're really dictating policy via updatedb.  After all, /var/tmp is a valid place to put temporary files, and this choice can be overrridden in /etc/updatedb.conf (on Debian systems).

James Youngman <jay>
Group administrator
Wed 13 Jul 2005 09:18:03 AM UTC, comment #4: 


> Therefore it's especially silly to use /tmp for scratch files
> on systems where this is actually stored in VM (e.g.
> Solaris). There have also been bug reports in the past caused
> by people running out of space in /tmp (or /). Some systems
> have a relatively vanilla root filesystem but vast numbers of
> files in other filsystems.
>
> In short, /var/tmp is traditionally bigger and that can
> sometimes make the difference between working and not
> working.


You are dictating policy here through updatedb though. This
should be up to the sysadmin. If the sysadmin wants to put /tmp
into VM that's up to him. And if he makes /tmp to small that's up to him as well. It's the sysadmin who need to make reasonable decisions.

The updatedb behaveour however goes against the letter of the FHS: http://www.pathname.com/fhs/pub/fhs-2.3.html#VARTMPTEMPORARYFILESPRESERVEDBETWEE
I'm not enough of a FHS expert to tell if it actually violates the standard.

Tomas Pospisek

Anonymous
Wed 13 Jul 2005 09:14:48 AM UTC, comment #3: 

Ok, I see the wisdom in this. Maybe this wisdom could be integrated into the FHS as well.

The combination of millions of hardlinks with long names created by storebackup and a not that large /var/ partition where numerous other tasks where working in led to the problems.

Resolved here by setting TMPDIR to /tmp/ and adding the backups to PRUNEPATH (storebackup has it's own find tool which works on the filelists which it maintains anyway).

I consider this issue closed, thanks.

Anonymous
Wed 13 Jul 2005 06:58:46 AM UTC, comment #2: 

Jay wrote:

> If you want sort to use a different subdirectory I suggest you
> set TMPDIR in /etc/updatedb.conf. I will modify updatedb itself
> not to override TMPDIR if it is already set.


There is no change is necessary, this is already supported
              cu andreas

Anonymous
Tue 12 Jul 2005 08:52:38 PM UTC, comment #1: 

Traditionally /var/tmp has greater capacity, and is not memory-backed.  GNU sort uses a mixture of RAM and temporary files, spilling out to disk for datasets larger than "--buffer-size".     Therefore it's especially silly to use /tmp for scratch files on systems where this is actually stored in VM (e.g. Solaris).    There have also been bug reports in the past caused by people running out of space in /tmp (or /).   Some systems have a relatively vanilla root filesystem but vast numbers of files in other filsystems. 

In short, /var/tmp is traditionally bigger and that can sometimes make the difference between working and not working.

If the "sort" command is leaving temporary files behind, that might be a bug in sort (unless perhaps it has been killed).

If you want sort to use a different subdirectory I suggest you set TMPDIR in /etc/updatedb.conf.   I will modify updatedb itself not to override TMPDIR if it is already set.

James Youngman <jay>
Group administrator
Tue 12 Jul 2005 05:05:15 PM UTC, original submission:  

This was originally reported by Arthur Korn in http://bugs.debian.org/317815

updatedb by default uses /var/tmp for temporary files.

| We had a problem today on one system where /var would be full every
| night. We figured out that /var/tmp/ was full with hundreds of megabytes
| of files with names like 'sortXb87kd'. Some inspection led me to | assumption that those are buffer files from sort, which it places | in TMPDIR, which is set to /var/tmp/ here:

Afaict from reading FHS /var/tmp should only be used instead of /tmp if the temporary files must not be deleted on reboot. I fail to see how this applies to updatedb.
             thanks, cu andreas
PS: Sorry, I have not taken my savannah pasword with me.

Anonymous

 

(Note: upload size limit is set to 16384 kB, after insertion of the required escape characters.)

Attach Files:
   
   
Comment:
   

No files currently attached

 

Depends on the following items: None found

Items that depend on this one: None found

 

Carbon-Copy List
  • -email is unavailable- added by None (Originator Email)
  •  

    There are 0 votes so far. Votes easily highlight which items people would like to see resolved in priority, independently of the priority of the item set by tracker managers.

    Only logged-in users can vote.

     

    Follow 7 latest changes.

    Date Changed by Updated Field Previous Value => Replaced by
    2005-07-15 jay StatusIn Progress Wont Fix
        Open/ClosedOpen Closed
    2005-07-12 jay Severity3 - Normal 2 - Minor
        StatusNone In Progress
        Assigned toNone jay
        ReleaseNone 4.2.23
    2005-07-12 None Carbon-Copy- Added 317815-submitter --AT-- bugs --DOT-- debian --DOT-- org

    Back to the top

    Powered by Savane 3.13-caa5.
    Corresponding source code