asterisk users - Jun 2013 - Sample config files installed to /etc

The sample config files in the Asterisk distribution and packages are
really good for getting the demo up and running quickly, for example, to
extend the demo to run behind a WebRTC proxy only required about 6 lines
of extra code to define a peer in sip.conf and enable TCP

However, I'm not sure that they should be installed by default by packages.

Most package managers provide a way to diff the files and merge new
config options that appear in a new release

However, because a lot of things have to be ripped out of the default
config to harden it and disable the demo, a simple diff doesn't really
help somebody upgrading to a new version, because usually they've
altered the files quite dramatically

I'd suggest that the config for the demo could be placed under
/usr/share/asterisk/samples while the configs installed to /etc/asterisk
should be fairly minimal

My own workaround at the moment involves tracking the released configs
in a git repository and tracking my changes on a branch.  However,
working with the package manager diff output would help a lot more
people and make it much more like other packages they are familiar with.

On Fri, Jun 07, 2013 at 11:53:57AM +0200, Daniel Pocock
wrote:
> 
> The sample config files in the Asterisk distribution and packages are
> really good for getting the demo up and running quickly, for example, to
> extend the demo to run behind a WebRTC proxy only required about 6 lines
> of extra code to define a peer in sip.conf and enable TCP
The "sample" config files are mostly reference. They are also examples
for some sorts. But they are the best documentation installed in a
typical installation.
> 
> However, I'm not sure that they should be installed by default by
packages.
> 
> Most package managers provide a way to diff the files and merge new
> config options that appear in a new release
Rather: dpkg is rather unique with this feature, IIRC.
> 
> However, because a lot of things have to be ripped out of the default
> config to harden it and disable the demo, a simple diff doesn't really
> help somebody upgrading to a new version, because usually they've
> altered the files quite dramatically
> 
> I'd suggest that the config for the demo could be placed under
> /usr/share/asterisk/samples while the configs installed to /etc/asterisk
> should be fairly minimal
s|/usr/share/asterisk|$astdatadir|

Some folks like the value of /var/lib/asterisk for astdatadir.

To complement that you'd need to have a simple way to revert back to the
"standard" configuration.

Do you think it's a good idea to have asterisk look at
$astdatadir/configs/ first if the file in $astetcdir does not exist?

Failing that, you could use something along the lines of

#include /path/to/astdatadir/configs/<origname>.conf
[content to override]


This could be handy for the likes of cli_aliases.conf and say.conf where
you really don't like to start from scratch.

Do you think it would be a good idea to have a directive that will
include a file from under $astdatadir/configs , so the above would
become:

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
#includedef ali_aliases.conf
[general](+)
template = myown

[myown](asterisk11)
restart now = core stop now
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

The downside of this is that on upgrades you don't see the real
changes.
> 
> My own workaround at the moment involves tracking the released configs
> in a git repository and tracking my changes on a branch.  However,
> working with the package manager diff output would help a lot more
> people and make it much more like other packages they are familiar with.
-- 
               Tzafrir Cohen
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