[vox-tech] Gentoo install: Question on /var/tmp

[Jeff Newmiller]

On Tue, 13 Jul 2004, Margo Schulter wrote:

> Hello, everyone, and currently I'm preparing to install Gentoo Linux
> on what will be a dual-boot system -- with MS-DOS 6.22/DJGPP (a 32-bit
> DOS port of the GNU utilities) already in place.
> 
> At this point I'm trying to plan out an install scenario, and am
> fairly confident about my general scheme for partitioning the system's
> hard drive -- 2G for DOS and 38G for Gentoo. However, the _Gentoo
> Handbook_ makes a comment about /var/tmp -- I plan a separate /var
> partition -- that I'd like to be clearer on in terms of what happens
> and when.

I have never made /var/tmp a separate partition, and I have never
installed Gentoo.  However, below you seem to be asking about mounting and
permissions at the same time... that is, at a time in the install process
when you should be focussing on mounting, you seem to be concerned with
permissions on a directory that you don't appear to be mounting anything
on.  The lack of clarity is probably a result of being new to the world of
permissions and mounting... but if you try to focus on one thing in the
installation instructions at a time, you will be more likely to succeed
(if not, the instructions need updating).

> Why I don't quote enough from the Handbook to give a bit of context:
> 
> >   4.e. Mounting
> 
> >   Now that your partitions are initialized and are housing a filesystem,
> >   it is time to mount those partitions. Use the mount command. Don't
> >   forget to create the necessary mount directories for every partition
> >   you created. As an example we mount the root and boot partition:
> 
> >       Code Listing 15: Mounting partitions
> >   # mount /dev/hda3 /mnt/gentoo
> >   # mkdir /mnt/gentoo/boot
> >   # mount /dev/hda1 /mnt/gentoo/boot
> 
> >   Note: If you want your /tmp to reside on a separate partition, be sure
> >   to change its permissions after mounting: chmod 1777 /mnt/gentoo/tmp.
> >   This also holds for /var/tmp.
> 
> Should I take this to mean after following the example of Code Listing
> 15 for mounting the /var partition -- say hda9 -- I should then create
> a /var/tmp directory manually and apply chmod 1777?
>
>      # mkdir /mnt/gentoo/var
>      # mount /dev/hda9 /mnt/gentoo/var
>      # mkdir /mnt/gentoo/var/tmp
>      # chmod 1777 /mnt/gentoo/var/tmp
> 
> The idea here, as was discussed in one thread in the Gentoo Forums
> which suggested this procedure to me, is to set /var/tmp at a mode of
> 1777 while leaving the rest of /var at the usual 755.
> 
> What I'd like to confirm is that this looks like the right procedure
> at the right time in the install process.

These actions will need to be taken in the order you describe them, but in
every install I have done the creation and configuration of permissions on
directories that are not being mounted is taken care of by the install
scripts.  If Gentoo gives you more to do manually than specify the
partitioning, then you may need to invoke those commands yourself.  
However, since /var/tmp is in the Linux Filesystem Standard, it would seem
silly for its creation and permissions configuration to not be scripted.

So, once again, unless you plan to put /var/tmp in its own partition
(unlikely to be worth it), I would assume the configuration of that
directory would take place at some other stage of the installation.

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