From owner-freebsd-hackers Tue May 23 22:25:32 2000 Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Received: from apollo.backplane.com (apollo.backplane.com [216.240.41.2]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6E9A537BBDE for ; Tue, 23 May 2000 22:25:29 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from dillon@apollo.backplane.com) Received: (from dillon@localhost) by apollo.backplane.com (8.9.3/8.9.1) id WAA71338; Tue, 23 May 2000 22:25:23 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from dillon) Date: Tue, 23 May 2000 22:25:23 -0700 (PDT) From: Matthew Dillon Message-Id: <200005240525.WAA71338@apollo.backplane.com> To: "Jordan K. Hubbard" Cc: Mohit Aron , protozoa@locutus.ghs.ssd.k12.wa.us (Dan Feldman), freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: FreeBSD kernel as a replacement for Linux kernel References: <24142.959140502@localhost> Sender: owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG :> But seriously, I think the problem can be fixed with a more transparent :> interface for Linux programs. Rather than requiring Linux libraries to be put :> in /compat/linux, it would be much easier if everything could be put in :> /usr/lib. Which probably means having the SAME interface as Linux. : :That would also result in a highly undesirable mish-mash of binaries :in one's /usr/lib, nor do I see the real advantage since the linux :compatability shim will look in /compat/linux/usr/lib first anyway. : :Perhaps we should go just a bit further with that approach and make :things _write_ into that hierarchy first as well, e.g. if you run :/compat/linux/bin/bash and then install something with rpm, it will :install (as far as it's concerned) into /usr/bin, /usr/lib, etc. but :really be chrooted into the /compat/linux hierarchy and only affect :things there. : :- Jordan I see the ports system as being our saving grace here, at least in regards to installing commercial linux applications. I don't like the idea of 'writing to /compat/linux' first, if only because the 'try reading from /compat/linux then give up and try /' idea that we are already using doesn't have a good track record -- it creates a lot of confusion already. The writing will create even more. I think the best solution is to have the linux compatibility code chroot to /compat/linux right off the bat (when a FreeBSD binary exec's a linux binary), and then we get rid of all the 'try /compat/linux first' junk from the kernel. Things that we want to share, like /usr/home, we can mount under /compat/linux... all it requires is a someone to finish cleaning up the null device (I am not volunteering, I don't have time :-( ). In any case, with just a few strategic directories shared like that, in a chroot'd environment, I think the linux environment can be made to work very nicely under FreeBSD. -Matt Matthew Dillon To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message