[systemd-devel] Using timedatectl on a readonly rootfile system using mender

[Shravan Singh]

What constitutes a configuration?
And please read my email subject. I can't have writable /etc, mender
dosen't allow that.

In today's mobile computing age you really think users shouldn't change
timezone?
You keep saying " I for one am certainly not convinced that the timezones"
but you don't explain why?
Are you looking at this system as a static machine? That can never change
timezone?

And please don't use profanity. I have not and you shouldn't either.

Regards,
Shravan Singh
(239) 243-0838

Blue Sparq, Inc.
928 NE 24th Lane unit 4 and 5.
Cape Coral, FL 33993

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On Fri, Sep 4, 2020 at 6:05 PM Lennart Poettering <lennart at poettering.net>
wrote:

> On Fr, 04.09.20 15:54, Shravan Singh (shravan at bluesparq.com) wrote:
>
> > Yes, But help me understand.
> > I think you said that you are not convinced as to why that has to done.
> >
> > My argument is very simple shouldn't a Linux environment allow change in
> > timezone easily?
>
> Oh we do. But if your want configuration to be changable, then mount
> /etc writable.
>
> You have two contradicting goals: you want immutable config, but then
> you want to change config. So how's that gonna work?
>
> If you want your persistent config changable then make it changable,
> i.e. mount /etc/ writable.
>
> > Now I am not an expert in Linux kernel development. But I see that some
> of
> > the files, even though they reside in /etc  are linked to file in /run
> > Like *resolv.conf.  *Which allows dynamic changes.
>
> I explained this already. DNS server data today is much less config
> than state, acquired dynamically via DHCP, hence most distros don#t
> configure it in /etc so much anymore, but manage it in /run (where
> transient state is generally kept), and only keep a compat symlink in
> /etc. If you try to convince people though that the local timezone
> should just be transient state and not persistent config you'll have a
> hard time. I for one am certainly not convinced that the timezones are
> state...
>
> I mean, the line between persistent configuration and transient state
> is blurry, but in the case of DNS settings and timezone settings I
> certainly can draw a line easily.
>
> > timezone activity change is a very basic change one that needs to be
> > supported by the system. Why guard it with so much.
>
> We don't do that. Just make /etc/ writable ffs, if you want stuff in
> /etc to be changable.
>
> Lennart
>
> --
> Lennart Poettering, Berlin
>
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