From Fedora Project Wiki

Relocate RPM/DNF databases to /usr

Summary

Currently, the RPM and DNF databases are located in /var. Let's move them to /usr.

Owner


Current status

  • Targeted release: Fedora Linux 36
  • Last updated: 2021-12-06
  • FESCo issue: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
  • Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
  • Release notes tracker: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>

Detailed Description

Current location

/var/lib/rpm 
/var/lib/dnf

New location

/usr/lib/sysimage/rpm 
/usr/lib/sysimage/dnf


Feedback

Benefit to Fedora

The RPM and DNF databases describe the state of (primarily) /usr. Storing these databases in /usr will more easily facilitate OS rollback, without affecting /var.


Scope

  • Proposal owners:
  • Other developers:
    • change in rpm and dnf-data packages
      • create the new path instead of old
      • create symlinks for the old path to new path
    • changes in SElinux policy
  • Release engineering: #Releng issue 10441
  • Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change)
  • Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)
  • Alignment with Objectives:
    • Helps align Fedora variants with each other
      • rpm-ostree based systems already use /usr/lib/sysimage for rpm.

Upgrade/compatibility impact

Change will be applied on upgrades to Fedora 36.


How To Test

  • Clean install or upgrade an existing Fedora system
  • Note the changes


User Experience

Users will notice:

  • symlinks in the old locations for the databases, pointing to the new locations;
  • paths existing in the new locations.

Otherwise, the change should be invisible to users.

Dependencies

Contingency Plan

  • Contingency mechanism: (What to do? Who will do it?) N/A (not a System Wide Change)
  • Contingency deadline: N/A (not a System Wide Change)
  • Blocks release? N/A (not a System Wide Change), Yes/No


Documentation

N/A (not a System Wide Change)

Release Notes