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

[Margo Schulter]

On Tue, 13 Jul 2004, Jeff Newmiller wrote:

[From Gentoo Handbook, Section 4e, on mounting partitions]

>>>   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.

[My question, as a user who simply plans a separate /var partition]

>> 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

[From your reply]

> 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).

Hello, there, Jeff, and thank you for your helpful advice to one who
is indeed new to the concept of "mounting a filesystem." When I read
your reply, I'm also persuaded that the remark about /var/tmp likely
applies only if it is used itself as the mountpoint for a partition.

Reading some of the archives for the Gentoo Forums has shown me that
other Linux newbies can also (mis)read this comment about /var/tmp to
apply to the situation of simply having a separate /var partition,
where as you explain the installation script will likely take care of
creating /var/tmp and assigning it the appropriate permissions
automatically.

The Gentoo people strive to make their documentation as friendly as
possible for users at all levels of experience, so I'm considering a
query about a possible clarification in this section of the Handbook
that the remark about manually setting 'chmod 1777' for /var/tmp
applies only if it is the mountpoint for a partition.

Thank you for helping me to approach the installation process more
confidently, and giving me a better understanding of the issues so
that I can write a more effective query to the Gentoo people.

Most appreciatively,

Margo Schulter
mschulter at calweb.com