/var/spool contains data which is awaiting
some kind of later processing. Data in
/var/spool represents work to be done in the
future (by a program, user, or administrator); often data is deleted
after it has been processed.
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The following directories, or symbolic links to directories,
must be in /var/spool, if the corresponding
subsystem is installed:
| Directory | Description |
|---|---|
lpd | Printer spool directory (optional) |
mqueue | Outgoing mail queue (optional) |
news | News spool directory (optional) |
rwho | Rwhod files (optional) |
uucp | Spool directory for UUCP (optional) |
The lock file for lpd,
lpd.lock, must be placed in
/var/spool/lpd. It is suggested that the lock
file for each printer be placed in the spool directory for that
specific printer and named lock.
This directory holds the rwhod information for other systems on the local net.
Some BSD releases use /var/rwho for this
data; given its historical location in /var/spool
on other systems and its approximate fit to the definition of
`spooled' data, this location was deemed more appropriate.