From 23cf3d94a253f1142fcd97d39320419b1014448d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:26:50 -0800
Subject: [PATCH] Clarify policy on named pipes in packages

Make explicit the requirement that packages not include named pipes in
addition to device files.  State that named pipes must be created in
postinst and removed in prerm or postrm as appropriate.  Suggest in a
footnote using mkfifo rather than mknod to avoid false positives from
package checkers.
---
 policy.sgml | 16 ++++++++++++++--
 1 file changed, 14 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/policy.sgml b/policy.sgml
index 9fcb660..34a45d5 100644
--- a/policy.sgml
+++ b/policy.sgml
@@ -7256,8 +7256,8 @@ ln -fs ../sbin/sendmail debian/tmp/usr/bin/runq
 	<heading>Device files</heading>
 
 	<p>
-	  Packages must not include device files in the package file
-	  tree.
+	  Packages must not include device files or named pipes in the
+	  package file tree.
 	</p>
 
 	<p>
@@ -7282,6 +7282,18 @@ ln -fs ../sbin/sendmail debian/tmp/usr/bin/runq
 	  <file>/dev/cu*</file> devices should be changed to use
 	  <file>/dev/ttyS*</file>.
 	</p>
+
+	<p>
+	  Named pipes needed by the package must be created in
+	  the <prgn>postinst</prgn> script<footnote>
+	    It's better to use <prgn>mkfifo</prgn> rather
+	    than <prgn>mknod</prgn> to create named pipes so that
+	    automated checks for packages incorrectly creating device
+	    files with <prgn>mknod</prgn> won't have false positives.
+	  </footnote> and removed in
+	  the <prgn>prerm</prgn> or <prgn>postrm</prgn> script as
+	  appropriate.
+	</p>
       </sect>
 
       <sect id="config-files">
-- 
2.39.5