Which var dir to use?

[bmarkus]

Playing with mail MTA's, clients and other tools there is a question, where to put the spool directory. Usually on Linux it is /var/spool. postfix.tcz using /usr/local/var/spool directory. I'm fine with it, but would be good the standardize it across applications.

Question is valid not only for mail spool but more generic, as /var is used to store log files, different spools, PID's of running processes, web server roots, etc.

My vote is /var.

Please comment.

[curaga]

I'd think /var as well. Many of the uses are not supposed to survive a reboot, which would happen with a PPI and /usr/local/var.

[Jason W]

I lean slightly towards /usr/local/var since it is a normally persistent directory on HD install distros, though I have used /var for nfs-utils.

But I agree that we need to standardize, and I am willing to go with /var.

[bmarkus]

Can we agree on /var? If so, I will create a WIKI article.

[Juanito]

/var is good for me

[Jason W]

I will go along with /var, but I think that the approach of keeping extensions below /usr/local and base above it has served well and I hope we otherwise stick to it.  Keeps a clean line between base vs extensions, as well as the PPI thing.  Was a challenge at first with things like kernel modules and mount.xxx helpers that were never meant to be installed there, and can't be without adjusted utilities.  But is now pretty much a matter of routine.