[OpenAFS] Selecting a configuration file format for OpenAFS Services

[David Boyes]

On 5/16/09 12:33 AM, "Jeffrey Altman" <jaltman@secure-endpoints.com> wrote:
> OpenAFS does not have a configuration file for use by administrators to
> configure the various services.  As a result, each time a new
> configuration option is created it has been implemented either as a
> compile time option or a run time option controlled by a command-line
> switch.  The gatekeepers are opposed to the addition of new compile time
> options because it puts packagers in the position of determining what
> features administrators and end users are able to deploy without
> building from source.  However, additional command-line parameters have
> their own complexity issues.  For example, the current fileserver
> command line has approximate forty options; many of which are no longer
> optional for reasonable deployment configurations.

Rather than scattering configuration around in files, I'd like to see a
configuration daemon that maintained the configurations for the various
pieces. A single command line argument identifying a set of addresses to
contact a config daemon would make this very simple to implement, and the
config daemon could be a simple "connect, id yourself, receive your config,
disconnect" operation. Would make configuration management a lot simpler.

If you insist on files, then all configuration should be possible within th=
e
files, and the command line args should be frozen as is for backward
compatibility. The Kerberos file format is as good as any, although not
really friendly for complex parms.=20