[ovs-dev] Bug#681880: openvswitch-switch - Automatic changed file in /etc/

[Ben Pfaff]

On Tue, Jul 17, 2012 at 03:20:40PM +0200, Bastian Blank wrote:
> Package: openvswitch-switch
> Version: 1.4.2+git20120612-2
> Severity: serious
> 
> openvswitch uses a db called /etc/openvswitch/conf.db. This file is
> programmatic modified and not user editable. This violates §10.7 of the
> policy.

Can you be more specific?  10.7.1 defines a configuration file as:

    A file that affects the operation of a program, or provides site-
    or host-specific information, or otherwise customizes the behavior
    of a program.  Typically, configuration files are intended to be
    modified by the system administrator (if needed or desired) to
    conform to local policy or to provide more useful site-specific
    behavior.

/etc/openvswitch/conf.db fits that description.  The first sentence is
obviously true.  The second is also true, since the system
administrator does modify the file.  Usually the system administrator
does so through using "ovs-vsctl", but I do not see anything in 10.7
that says that the administrator must be able to edit a configuration
file with a text editor.

10.7.2 additionally says:

    Any configuration files created or used by your package must
    reside in /etc.

so we must be sure to get this right, because if we do not then next
week someone could file a bug saying that conf.db is a configuration
file so I must move it to /etc.