Arch Linux

soloport

Member

Registered: 2005-03-01

Posts: 442

[solved] Understanding /tmp

Something changed with /tmp when the kernel26-2.6.20.3-2.pkg.tar.gz was installed on a PC.  It now looks like this (i.e. regular folder?):

  drwxr-xr-x   8 root root  4096 2007-03-18 10:38 tmp

This results in the WM being unable to start, complaining about "/tmp permission denied" (xorg starts just fine).  When /tmp is changed with 'chmod 777' the WM starts, of course.

Have tried removing /tmp and re-booting to see if init would create it properly, but that results in no /tmp available.

On another pre-2.6.20.3-2 kernel PC, /tmp looks like this (true temp folder?):

drwxrwxrwt  4 root root  4096 2007-03-18 10:01 tmp

So, was wondering if someone could help explain how /tmp works in Arch.  Is it RAM-based?  What might have changed in 2.6.20.3-2 (what do I look for)?  Is there something that could be changed to restore it to its previous incarnation?  Should I report a bug?

It's very important to me that /tmp be RAM-based.  Was it ever so with Arch?  How can it be configured so?

Thanks!

EDIT: Actually, is not so important that /tmp be RAM-based;  tpmfs (RAM or swap) is ok.

Last edited by soloport (2007-03-18 19:26:38)

soloport

Member

Registered: 2005-03-01

Posts: 442

Re: [solved] Understanding /tmp

One way in which I might have screwed up was to 'cpio -ivp < initrd.img' before understanding what that would do.  A 'cpio --no-absolute-filenames -iv < initrd.img' worked, but spent several hours cleaning up the other.  Have a sense some things were missed.

So there is probably nothing wrong with 2.6.20.3.-2 kernel.  But how to restore /tmp?  Is it created at boot?  By what script?  Have looked at udev.rules, rc.sysinit, etc.  Just shooting in the dark, here.

Thanks.

EDIT: Installed 2.6.20.3.-2 kernel on another PC and /tmp didn't change (i.e. must have been the cpio thing).

Last edited by soloport (2007-03-18 18:53:22)

shilder

Member

From: Russia

Registered: 2007-02-13

Posts: 13

Re: [solved] Understanding /tmp

/tmp is just a directory usually writable by everyone. It usually cleaned at boot

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it is somewhat difficult for me to express my thoughts in english language... so sorry me for my english

somairotevoli

Member

Registered: 2006-05-23

Posts: 335

Re: [solved] Understanding /tmp

adding the following to your fstab will make /tmp "RAM-based" .

none                  /tmp           tmpfs     defaults            0      0

soloport

Member

Registered: 2005-03-01

Posts: 442

Re: [solved] Understanding /tmp

adding the following to your fstab will make /tmp "RAM-based" .

none                  /tmp           tmpfs     defaults            0      0

That makes perfect sense.  Thanks.  However, would still like to know how to restore the "official" way.  Updated the kernel on another PC and /tmp survived -- no changes.  So, am pretty sure the cpio thing wrote over /tmp.  So, again, how does one recover /tmp to normal?

Mr Green

Forum Fellow

From: U.K.

Registered: 2003-12-21

Posts: 5,911

Website

Re: [solved] Understanding /tmp

tmpfs                  /tmp          tmpfs     defaults            0      0

emmmm

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Mr Green

soloport

Member

Registered: 2005-03-01

Posts: 442

Re: [solved] Understanding /tmp

In /etc/rc.shutdown, just before:

stat_busy "Remounting Root Filesystem Read-only"
/bin/mount -n -o remount,ro /
stat_done

Added the following:

rm -Rf /tmp
mkdir /tmp

Rebooted and /tmp was auto-mounted as tmpfs again!

(Have removed the new lines from /etc/rc.shutdown, etc.)

Thanks for all the replies!