Re: configuration files

[Dave Leimbach <leimySPAM2k@xxxxxxx>]

Paul Robinson <paul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

> kernel-errors@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> 
> > Ok... I am going to say this only one more time.
> 
> And I'll just jump in at the last minute and offer something that may
> be related.
> 
> > I am not proposing anything.  I am saying it is possible
> > to make a system using XML Schema that validates types :).
> 
> [snip lots of related stuff that to me seems quite reasonable]
> 
> You need to create custom complexTypes, and that makes little sense
> for DFBSD coders to be working on right now. There is a kind of
> solution to this that I and a few others are working on at a design
> stage at the moment. The basic idea is that you can create a central
> XML db for the config and then using XSLT writes out "traditional"
> config files into /etc thereby making the whole XML thing pretty much
> optional. This however, is not an OS project until it's so far
> progressed you would want to run your entire config straight out of
> the XML. The advantages of our approach though are:
> 
> - You're not forcing XML onto anybody who is happy with the current /etc
> - Reduces type errors, as you suggest
> - XSLT can be written per platform, so one config file works across
> Linux, BSD, Solaris, Windows, Mac OS X boxes
> - You could build up a web service around it for quicker mass
> installation of clusters
> - You have a common set of tools that can manage configs for a wide
> number of systems all running different operating systems
> - If you include into that config, user configs, so you end up being
> able to specify your own rc files in ~/ your settings follow you
> between setups

I agree with 100% of the above.  We don't really need to be worrying
about this right now though :).

> 
> Now, sure, the operating systems gets lots of advantages from this, as
> does the system administrator and various others. However, the
> majority of the advantges come from it being platform neutral - and
> that's why it doesn't belong here.
> 
> I completely agree that XML config files have a real use, but not yet
> as part of the base config and certainly not to be a major effort of
> an operating system project that has other priorities. If you want to
> come and play with what I've discussed above, send me a mail off-list
> and in the New Year when it starts to become a proper project with
> mailing lists, etc. I'll let you know where we can be found.
> 

Heh.. that's cool.  I have a ton of my own little side projects that
I am already committed to doing and adding more to that list might
cause me to need to be committed myself :)

> > Can't we all just get along? :)
> 
> 
> Sure we can. You can pay us to be your friend.... :-)
> 
> -- 
> Paul Robinson
Then just take my $.02 and be done with it :)

Dave