[OpenAFS] Please explain RPM packaging of config files like ThisCell and CellServeDB

[Paul Johnson]

I have a working Linux system with an openafs client.  I'm an RPM
builder/user . I want guidance on how users are supposed to protect
their site configurations against RPM upgrades of openafs.  Basically,
I don't want any RPM install to change the configurations. At all.

A long time ago, probably 3 or 4 years ago, I installed a new openafs
RPM and it replaced my config files (ThisCell, etc).  That's no good.
So I worked around that by taking the openafs SRPM file, editing these
files in the SOURCE directory
ThisCell
CellServeDB
cacheinfo

and rebuilding RPMS.  When a new kernel would be released, I'd just
rebuild to get a new openafs-kernel file. The config I wanted would
just get installed.

Now, in openafs 1.4.5, I notice some changes/complications.  The SRPM
does not have ThisCell and cacheinfo, now those are tucked down in the
source code for openafs.  But there is a file called

CellServDB.dist

What is that? What's it for?

In the install directory, I find
CellServDB
CellServDB.local
CellServDB.dist


What do the suffixes mean ".dist" and ".local" for config files?  Does
OpenAfS read all these when It starts?

I also have

CellServDB.rpmorig

The RPM install moved my configuration out of the way.  I don't want
that to happen.

pj
-- 
Paul E. Johnson
Professor, Political Science
1541 Lilac Lane, Room 504
University of Kansas