From: Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>
Date: Sun, 25 Dec 2011 17:15:17 +0000 (-0800)
Subject: Clarify policy for symlinks from inside one directory to another
X-Git-Url: https://git.donarmstrong.com/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=5973f6595ef445db0c170f65b12cf0030d0f8888;p=debian%2Fdebian-policy.git

Clarify policy for symlinks from inside one directory to another

* Clarify the requirements for symlinks from inside one top-level
  directory to another and add examples and a rationale.  Thanks,
  Carsten Hey.  (Closes: #626338)
---

diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index f55de24..8a61c44 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ debian-policy (3.9.3.0) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
     (Closes: #627490)
   * Fix the example of creating a /usr/local subdirectory to not fail if
     the chown or chmod fail.  Thanks, Joey Hess.  (Closes: #617315)
+  * Clarify the requirements for symlinks from inside one top-level
+    directory to another and add examples and a rationale.  Thanks,
+    Carsten Hey.  (Closes: #626338)
   * Add the release date of 3.9.2.0 to upgrading-checklist.
   * Fix ordering of the last entries in the 3.9.2.0 upgrading-checklist.
   * Fix typo in upgrading-checklist entry for multiarch paths.  Thanks,
diff --git a/policy.sgml b/policy.sgml
index 4aeae36..bfd39d5 100644
--- a/policy.sgml
+++ b/policy.sgml
@@ -7917,11 +7917,23 @@ fname () {
 	<heading>Symbolic links</heading>
 
 	<p>
-	  In general, symbolic links within a top-level directory
-	  should be relative, and symbolic links pointing from one
-	  top-level directory into another should be absolute. (A
-	  top-level directory is a sub-directory of the root
-	  directory <file>/</file>.)
+	  In general, symbolic links within a top-level directory should
+	  be relative, and symbolic links pointing from one top-level
+	  directory to or into another should be absolute. (A top-level
+	  directory is a sub-directory of the root
+	  directory <file>/</file>.)  For example, a symbolic link
+	  from <file>/usr/lib/foo</file> to <file>/usr/share/bar</file>
+	  should be relative (<file>../bar</file>), but a symbolic link
+	  from <file>/var/run</file> to <file>/run</file> should be
+	  absolute.<footnote>
+	    This is necessary to allow top-level directories to be
+	    symlinks.  If linking <file>/var/run</file>
+	    to <file>/run</file> were done with the relative symbolic
+	    link <file>../run</file>, but <file>/var</file> were a
+	    symbolic link to <file>/srv/disk1</file>, the symbolic link
+	    would point to <file>/srv/run</file> rather than the intended
+	    target.
+	  </footnote>
 	</p>
 
 	<p>