[OpenAFS-devel] Selecting a configuration file format for OpenAFS Services

[Matt W. Benjamin]

Apologies for the previous blank message.

I have some notes, but also a general thought.

1. I support the general concept of adding a flexible configuration file for openafs services.

2. I don't feel too strongly about what approach is chosen.  In addition to the selection criteria which Jeff proposed (composability, writeability), I think would prefer a scoped format with a richer syntax than what I recall of Windows INI files, but if that's what most folks want, great.

a) Someone might look at libconfig, an LGPL library, which seems to have the required features.  I don't remember if it's API is elegant, though I used it once in 2001.

3. The one thing I feel more strongly about is this:  blocking new configuration options because we don't have a config file is not necessary to motivate people to support or to implement a config file.  When we have the config file, it's no force to move less common and more elaborate options in to the file.  "We need a config file" to reduce complexity, isn't a good argument for blocking new features.  Yes, early adopters of those features might find those features' configuration moved to a config file in a couple of months.  We will all deal.

Regards,

Matt


----- Original Message -----
From: "Matt W. Benjamin" <matt@linuxbox.com>
To: "Derrick Brashear" <shadow@gmail.com>
Cc: "OpenAFS Devel" <openafs-devel@openafs.org>, "openafs" <openafs-info@openafs.org>, u+openafsdev-t07O@chalmers.se
Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2009 10:59:07 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [OpenAFS-devel] Selecting a configuration file format for OpenAFS  Services


----- Original Message -----
From: "Derrick Brashear" <shadow@gmail.com>
To: u+openafsdev-t07O@chalmers.se
Cc: "OpenAFS Devel" <openafs-devel@openafs.org>, "openafs" <openafs-info@openafs.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2009 10:07:12 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [OpenAFS-devel] Selecting a configuration file format for OpenAFS  Services

On Sat, May 16, 2009 at 9:48 AM,  <u+openafsdev-t07O@chalmers.se> wrote:
> Hello Derrick,
>
> On Sat, May 16, 2009 at 09:10:38AM -0400, Derrick Brashear wrote:
>> Consider the case which pushed us here. You have an array of numbers.
>> It's a set of timeout values, which apply when you have between a
>> certain number of callers.
>>
>> You can, of course, just pass an argument which is a comma separated
>> list of timeouts. What do they mean? Well, you don't need to pass
>> those numbers, so, well, just make sure you order things right.
>>
>> But wait. What happens if you want to also make the ranges the
>> timeouts apply in tunable? Do you now pass 2 lists, one for the bucket
>> ranges and one for the timeouts, or a set of pairs? How do you
>> delineate the pairs?
>
> Whatever is the challenge, it is about formulating some information
> as text, either in a configuration file or on the command line.
>



-- 
Derrick
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