openssh unix dev - Mar 2002 - --prefix at runtime

Does OpenSSH support using a different --prefix at runtime? I have
different customers installing ssh in different locations, and I'd really
prefer to maintain one build for them, and only have them change their
runtime environment as appropriate.

Usually, the order is

1. Is --prefix defined on the command line? If not,

2. Is prefix defined via an environment variable? If not,

3. Use compiled in --prefix


I was wondering if something similar already exists, or do we need to code
this in...haven't dug through the code to check..thanks :-)

Mandar Mirashi
Maintainer: ftp.undernet.org, Undernet IRC FAQ.
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Circa 2002-Mar-07 18:21:07 -0600 dixit mandar at webchat.chatsystems.com:

: Does OpenSSH support using a different --prefix at runtime? I have
: different customers installing ssh in different locations, and I'd really
: prefer to maintain one build for them, and only have them change their
: runtime environment as appropriate.
: 
: Usually, the order is
: 
: 1. Is --prefix defined on the command line? If not,
: 
: 2. Is prefix defined via an environment variable? If not,
: 
: 3. Use compiled in --prefix
: 
: I was wondering if something similar already exists, or do we need to code
: this in...haven't dug through the code to check..thanks :-)

The only locations that OpenSSH depends on compiled-in values for are
the files in $(sysconfdir).  For example:

  $(sysconfdir)/ssh_config
  $(sysconfdir)/sshd_config
  $(sysconfdir)/ssh_known_hosts

Check the ssh(1) and sshd(8) man pages for the complete list.

Everything else can be installed wherever you'd like.  Of course, it
takes a bit more trouble to configure things if they don't go in the
compile-time location, but there are several different parameters to
take care of:

  ssh:

    - The location of ssh-askpass.  Configurable via the SSH_ASKPASS
      environment variable.

  sshd:
  
    - The location of sftp-server.  Configurable in sshd_config.
    
    - The default PATH (needed to find the scp program).  Configurable
      in $(sysconfdir)/environment.
    
    - The location of the pidfile.  Configurable in sshd_config.

    etc.

Use the man pages.  You should be able to do this without modifying
source code, as long as $(sysconfdir) remains consistent.

-- 
jim knoble | jmknoble at pobox.com   | http://www.pobox.com/~jmknoble/
(GnuPG fingerprint: 31C4:8AAC:F24E:A70C:4000::BBF4:289F:EAA8:1381:1491)
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