Why is editing a file by renaming the new one safer? Post: 303042580

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Top Forums UNIX for Advanced & Expert Users Why is editing a file by renaming the new one safer? Post 303042580 by Neo on Monday 30th of December 2019 11:35:38 AM

12-30-2019

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Practically speaking,

It depends on your risk management model.

If your system is prone to crashing or locking up, then it might be a better idea to copy the file to another server and do the edits, then load it up to the server and move it into place.

Sounds fishy, however, if your server is so unstable that it is prone to crashing or has such resource problems.

Normally, and I mean everyday on remote, production servers, I copy the file I want to edit and add a ".backup" or ".neo" extension on it, or something like that. But I generally edit the original file and save it to disk when I'm done.

When editing, you are editing a copy in memory, not the copy on disk; so if the system crashes while you are editing, you only lose the changes in the editor, not the file on disk.

I guess, one could say that when you cross the street, you should look right, then left, then up, and then down, and to be safe, look behind you too. However, most of us look right and left. If you want to edit copies and move them that's cool but it is not going to change much in your life compared to editing the original and saving it.

What is important, as mentioned by others and also by me again here, is to make a quick backup copy of a file before . you edit. I do this most of the time, even when I have offsite backups.

Making a copy, editing the copy, and moving it to replace the original file is still "not perfect" because you have still written over your original. You should at least make a copy, edit the original, and save it, knowing you have a fresh backup. If you copy the original, edit the copy, and move it to overwrite the original, where is your fresh backup? You don't have one (in this scenario). Ditto if you copy the file you just edited over the original, you then have two potentially "fat fingered" copies.

So, what's the point? What is the risk? What is the system vulnerability you are trying to mitigate?

Last edited by hicksd8; 12-30-2019 at 01:10 PM..

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LEARN ABOUT LINUX

edit-patch

EDIT-PATCH(1)                                                 General Commands Manual                                                EDIT-PATCH(1)

NAME

       edit-patch, add-patch - tool for preparing patches for Debian source packages

SYNOPSIS

       edit-patch path/to/patch

       add-patch path/to/patch

DESCRIPTION

       edit-patch is a wrapper script around the Quilt, CDBS, and dpatch patch systems. It simplifies the process of preparing and editing patches
       to Debian source packages and allows the user to not have to be concerned with which patch system is in use.   Run  from  inside  the  root
       directory of the source package, edit-patch can be used to edit existing patches located in debian/patches.

       It can also be used to incorporate new patches.  If pointed at a patch not already present, it will copy the patch to debian/patches in the
       correct format for the patch system in use.  Next, the patch is applied and a subshell is opened in order to edit the patch.   Typing  exit
       or pressing Ctrl-d will close the subshell and launch an editor to record the debian/changelog entry.

       edit-patch  is  integrated  with  the  Bazaar  and Git version control systems.  The patch will be automatically added to the tree, and the
       debian/changelog entry will be used as the commit message.

       If no patch system is present, the patch is applied inline, and a copy is stored in debian/patches-applied.

       add-patch is the non-interactive version of edit-patch.  The patch will be incorporated but no editor or subshell will be spawned.

AUTHORS

       edit-patch was written by Daniel Holbach <daniel.holbach@canonical.com>,  Michael  Vogt  <michael.vogt@canonical.com>,  and  David  Futcher
       <bobbo@ubuntu.com>.

       This manual page was written by Andrew Starr-Bochicchio <a.starr.b@gmail.com>.

       Both are released under the terms of the GNU General Public License, version 3.

DEBIAN                                                           Debian Utilities                                                    EDIT-PATCH(1)