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== Dependencies ==
== Dependencies ==
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<!-- What other packages (RPMs) depend on this package?  Are there changes outside the developers' control on which completion of this change depends?  In other words, completion of another change owned by someone else and might cause you to not be able to finish on time or that you would need to coordinate?  Other upstream projects like the kernel (if this is not a kernel change)? -->
* `rpm-ostree` probably should make `/usr/share/rpm` a symlink to `/usr/lib/sysimage/rpm` rather than the reverse, as it is currently.
* `rpm-ostree` probably should make `/usr/share/rpm` a symlink to `/usr/lib/sysimage/rpm`, rather than the reverse as it is currently.


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Revision as of 18:40, 6 December 2021

Relocate RPM/DNF databases to /usr

Summary

Currently, the RPM and DNF databases are located in /var. Let's move them to /usr.

Owner


Current status

  • Targeted release: Fedora Linux 36
  • Last updated: 2021-12-06
  • FESCo issue: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
  • Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
  • Release notes tracker: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>

Detailed Description

Current location

/var/lib/rpm 
/var/lib/dnf

New location

/usr/lib/sysimage/rpm 
/usr/lib/sysimage/dnf


Feedback

Benefit to Fedora

  • The RPM and DNF databases describe the state of (primarily) /usr. Storing these databases in /usr will more easily facilitate OS rollback, without affecting /var.
  • Helps align Fedora variants with each other
    • rpm-ostree based systems (including CoreOS, IoT, Silverblue, Kinoite) already use /usr/lib/sysimage for rpmdb.
  • Consistency with another RPM-based distro, (open)SUSE has made this change

Scope

  • Proposal owners:
  • Other developers:
    • changes in rpm and dnf-data packages
      • create the new path instead of old
      • create symlinks for the old path to new path
    • changes in SElinux policy
  • Release engineering: #Releng issue 10441
  • Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change)
  • Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)
  • Alignment with Objectives:

Upgrade/compatibility impact

Change will be applied on upgrades to Fedora 36.


How To Test

  • Clean install or upgrade an existing Fedora system
  • Note the changed database paths (new location) and symlinks in the old location
  • Check that rpm and dnf commands work as expected, e.g.
dnf history  
rpm -qa


User Experience

Users will notice:

  • symlinks in the old locations for the databases, pointing to the new locations;
  • paths existing in the new locations.


Otherwise, the change should be invisible to users.

Dependencies

  • rpm-ostree probably should make /usr/share/rpm a symlink to /usr/lib/sysimage/rpm, rather than the reverse as it is currently.


Contingency Plan

  • Contingency mechanism: Revert the change, try again the next Fedora release.
  • Contingency deadline: Beta freeze
  • Blocks release? Yes

Documentation

Release Notes