Score:2

Ubuntu

usrmerge of {/bin, /sbin, /lib}: How is the system supposed to be?

DarkTrick

4/8/23, 2:44 AM

It seems that

some systems have a symlinks like this

 /bin -> usr/bin
 /lib -> usr/lib
 /sbin -> usr/sbin

Some systems have single file-symlinks of executables in these directories like this:
```
/bin/some_exe -> usr/bin/some_exe
```
(this is what usrmerge seems to accomplish as well)
And some systems have some symlinks and some executables (including duplicates).

Questions

Which state is the one that's meant to be?
How do I get into the state that's meant to be from the other states?

0 + 0

filesystem

symbolic-link

21.10

sarnold

4/8/23, 3:27 AM

@user535733 except Ubuntu is typically more opinionated than Debian, so it seems fair to ask what "should be" the configuration. Debian has decided that [Debian 12 and beyond will all be merged-/usr](https://salsa.debian.org/debian/tech-ctte/-/blob/master/994388_merged_usr_advice/draft.md) and Ubuntu will presumably be the same in a future release. DarkTrick had some problems that looked like they were caused by a `usrmerge` failure; I don't know what the 'default state' should look like, to suggest a course of action.

user535733

4/8/23, 3:41 AM

Not quite sure why folks would be using `usrmerge` for anything other than testing and filing bugs on Debian (not Ubuntu) packages...usually done in a container or VM and wiped instead of repaired. Perhaps that could be clarified in the question.

muru

4/8/23, 3:46 AM

"Some systems have single file-symlinks of executables" ... can you give an example of a usrmerge system that's supposed to be like this? I don't remember seeing any distro discussing a layout like that for usrmerge

sarnold

4/8/23, 3:55 AM

@muru that was an approach openSUSE took back in 2012. I understand it did not go well. Here's a historical wiki page describing the effort: https://en.opensuse.org/index.php?title=openSUSE:Usr_merge&oldid=53591

N0rbert

4/8/23, 8:14 AM

This `usrmerge` modern glossy method creates serious problems for debugging with `dpkg -S` and `ldd`. So on my systems I prevent its installation by installing 18.04 LTS and then upgrading it. See https://askubuntu.com/a/1358790/66509 for details.

DarkTrick

4/9/23, 1:04 AM

@muru This is the state that usrmerge would create (and did create on my system) from your comment I also infer, that the link should be /bin -> /usr/bin (?)

muru

4/9/23, 1:10 AM

@DarkTrick I don't have a VM on hand to test, but installing it on an 18.04 Docker container, the message I get is "the /{bin,sbin,lib}/ directories are symlinked to their counterparts in /usr/" which would match (1), not (2).

Score:0

Ubuntu

Dennis

11/17/23, 3:05 PM

The eventual state is/will be 1. The three dirs symlinked to their /usr counterpart. Maybe sbin will be lumped in with bin as well. The only systems I have encountered where the executables are individually linked are BusyBox systems.

+ 0

Elon Musk

I sit in a Tesla and translated this thread with Ai:

EN: usrmerge of {/bin, /sbin, /lib}: How is the system supposed to be?

TH: usrmerge of {/bin, /sbin, /lib}: ระบบควรจะเป็นอย่างไร

RO: usrmerge of {/bin, /sbin, /lib}: Cum ar trebui să fie sistemul?

RU: usrmerge of {/bin, /sbin, /lib}: Какой должна быть система?

VI: usrmerge của {/bin, /sbin, /lib}: Hệ thống được cho là như thế nào?

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