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authorZbigniew Jędrzejewski-Szmek <zbyszek@in.waw.pl>2018-12-11 19:09:48 +0100
committerZbigniew Jędrzejewski-Szmek <zbyszek@in.waw.pl>2018-12-11 22:20:07 +0100
commitabcb67ceed56a722b9cf352fa27b4ba0076280c5 (patch)
tree6fc7030d11ca7a2ba83699e9f26584eb1b5df240 /man/tmpfiles.d.xml
parent488e43525391e1279fefc17c381e664788680706 (diff)
downloadsystemd-abcb67ceed56a722b9cf352fa27b4ba0076280c5.tar.gz
man: rewrite the general description of tmpfiles
We would describe tmpfiles.d through what systemd-tmpfiles does with them, but I think it's better to start with a geneneral statement what they are. Also, let's make the description of volatile file systems less prominent. Also, strenghten the advice to use RuntimeDirectory and mention {Cache,Logs,Configuration,State}Directory=.
Diffstat (limited to 'man/tmpfiles.d.xml')
-rw-r--r--man/tmpfiles.d.xml43
1 files changed, 27 insertions, 16 deletions
diff --git a/man/tmpfiles.d.xml b/man/tmpfiles.d.xml
index 3cca3d27b7..5be96b8e9a 100644
--- a/man/tmpfiles.d.xml
+++ b/man/tmpfiles.d.xml
@@ -40,22 +40,33 @@
<refsect1>
<title>Description</title>
- <para><command>systemd-tmpfiles</command> uses the configuration
- files from the above directories to describe the creation,
- cleaning and removal of volatile and temporary files and
- directories which usually reside in directories such as
- <filename>/run</filename> or <filename>/tmp</filename>.</para>
-
- <para>Volatile and temporary files and directories are those located in <filename>/run</filename>,
- <filename>/tmp</filename>, <filename>/var/tmp</filename>, the API file systems such as <filename>/sys</filename> or
- <filename>/proc</filename>, as well as some other directories below <filename>/var</filename>.</para>
-
- <para>System daemons frequently require private runtime
- directories below <filename>/run</filename> to place communication
- sockets and similar in. For these, consider declaring them in
- their unit files using <varname>RuntimeDirectory=</varname> (see
- <citerefentry><refentrytitle>systemd.exec</refentrytitle><manvolnum>5</manvolnum></citerefentry>
- for details), if this is feasible.</para>
+ <para><filename>tmpfiles.d</filename> configuration files provide a generic mechanism to define the
+ <emphasis>creation</emphasis> of regular files, directories, pipes, and device nodes, adjustments to
+ their <emphasis>access mode, ownership, attributes, quota assignments, and contents</emphasis>, and
+ finally their time-based <emphasis>removal</emphasis>. It is mostly commonly used for volatile and
+ temporary files and directories (such as those located under <filename>/run</filename>,
+ <filename>/tmp</filename>, <filename>/var/tmp</filename>, the API file systems such as
+ <filename>/sys</filename> or <filename>/proc</filename>, as well as some other directories below
+ <filename>/var</filename>).</para>
+
+ <para><command>systemd-tmpfiles</command> uses this configuration to create volatile files and
+ directories during boot and to do periodic cleanup afterwards. See
+ <citerefentry><refentrytitle>systemd-tmpfiles</refentrytitle><manvolnum>5</manvolnum></citerefentry> for
+ the description of <filename>systemd-tmpfiles-setup.service</filename>,
+ <filename>systemd-tmpfiles-cleanup.service</filename>, and associated units.</para>
+
+ <para>System daemons frequently require private runtime directories below <filename>/run</filename> to
+ store communication sockets and similar. For these, is is better to use
+ <varname>RuntimeDirectory=</varname> in their unit files (see
+ <citerefentry><refentrytitle>systemd.exec</refentrytitle><manvolnum>5</manvolnum></citerefentry> for
+ details), if the flexibility provided by <filename>tmpfiles.d</filename> is not required. The advantages
+ are that the configuration required by the unit is centralized in one place, and that the lifetime of the
+ directory is tied to the lifetime of the service itself. Similarly, <varname>StateDirectory=</varname>,
+ <varname>CacheDirectory=</varname>, <varname>LogsDirectory=</varname>, and
+ <varname>ConfigurationDirectory=</varname> should be used to create directories under
+ <filename>/var/lib/</filename>, <filename>/var/cache/</filename>, <filename>/var/log/</filename>, and
+ <filename>/etc/</filename>. <filename>tmpfiles.d</filename> should be used for files whose lifetime is
+ independent of any service or requires more complicated configuration.</para>
</refsect1>
<refsect1>