System Restore

[Vram]

Eric S. Johansson wrote:

> Martin J Hooper wrote:
>
>> Eric S. Johansson wrote:
>>
>>> I propose separating the base system and the site-specific 
>>> modifications into two separate regions.  The base OS plus any 
>>> changes to the base (security, bug fixes etc.) go into the base 
>>> region.  Any site-specific changes such as applications or 
>>> configuration changes go into the site-specific region. The two 
>>> regions are merged dynamically (unionfs?) such that anything in the 
>>> site-specific region is dominant and supersedes anything in the base 
>>> region. making changes to files or directories should be 
>>> automatically placed in the site-specific region.
>>
>>
>>
>> I was just thinking about partitioning being something along these 
>> lines.
>>
>> I have a root and a home partition - Wouldn't it be easier as well to 
>> have a small etc partition too.  Then if you needed to reinstall the 
>> OS you would just tell the installer to mount without formatting.
>>
>> Or would that not work??
>>
>>
> it's only the first step.  For example if you have two partitions 
> site-etc and base-etc, you need some form of a file system overlay to 
> dynamically merge site-etc and base-etc such that if the file is 
> present in site-etc, it will take primary over the version in 
> base-etc.  If you edit a file which comes from base-etc and save the 
> changes, the changes will be saved in site-etc.
>
> At the same time you want to be able to have site-etc and base-etc 
> accessible as separate file systems without the merging process 
> getting away for purposes of backup.
>
> Anyway, that's just a little more of the thoughts on the path.
>
>
I think if you rename /etc/ to /site-etc and /base-etc you will break 
the system.

Or maybe I misunderstood you.  Have you seen someone do this?  Or have 
you tried it.

Applications you install will look for configuration in /etc.  The base 
system is set up to work this way.  

Now this being Linux, Open-Source, you could make yours work anyway you 
wanted to.... Just take a bit of C++ and scripting.  <I am WAY to lazy 
to even th ink of that much work>

My Thoughts..

Vram