TLS: documentation: refer to $HOME but it is inexact

[loganmzz]

TLS documentation refers to $HOME but if -C is specified it is searched in in this place instead of $HOME:

By default, the MinIO server looks for the TLS keys and certificates for each node in the following directory:

${HOME}/.minio/certs

It would be to refer to a generic or internal parameter name instead.

Expected Behavior

Refer to a generic or internal parameter name instead of ${HOME}

Current Behavior

Refering to ${HOME}

Possible Solution

Steps to Reproduce (for bugs)

https://min.io/docs/minio/linux/operations/network-encryption.html

Context

As log doesn't mention where it tries to lookup certs, it just mentionned not found. Finally found a /etc/default/minio generated by RPM installer for SystemD service, which mentions /etc/minio directory with -C (not found in documentation, but hard to find out such small option)

Regression

No

Your Environment

• Version used (minio --version): RELEASE.2023-08-29T23-07-35Z (commit-id=07b1281046c8934c47184d1b56c78995ef960f7d)
• Server setup and configuration:
• Operating System and version (uname -a): Linux RHEL 8 (4.18.0-477.10.1.el8_8.x86_64)

[jiuker]

--certs-dir have you tried this params? @loganmzz

[loganmzz]

--certs-dir have you tried this params? @loganmzz

@jiuker As state in title and description, issue comes from documentation. Not software.

[ravindk89]

I'll clarify the section a bit to note the existence of --certs-dir and how to use it.

[ravindk89]

That said

By default, the MinIO server looks for the TLS keys and certificates for each node in the following directory:

The key word here is "By default". Of course, if you set -c or --certs-dir you are no longer using the default.

Thus the followup graf,

For deployments using minio server --certs-dir to set a custom TLS directory, use that directory instead of the default. Also, if the user running the process does not have a home directory, you must specify a directory with --certs-dir.

I'm going to tab the section out to completely separate the default search path from the custom search path.

[loganmzz]

The key word here is "By default". Of course, if you set -c or --certs-dir you are no longer using the default.

As stated in my initial "post", I haven't found on https://min.io/docs/minio/linux/reference/minio-server/minio-server.html the meaning of short option -C (not -c).

The same link states the short variant for --certs-dir is neither -C or -c but -S (https://min.io/docs/minio/linux/reference/minio-server/minio-server.html#minio.server.-certs-dir):

--certs-dir, -S
Omit to use the default directory paths:

Linux/OSX: ${HOME}/.minio/certs

Windows: %%USERPROFILE%%\.minio\certs.

More, the defaults points directly to certs/ subdir while my -C path doesn't, but certs are looked up inside certs/ subdir. Meaning -C is replacing ${HOME}/.minio and documentation of this option might also reference to some "MINIO_CONFIG_PATH variable" instead:

--config-dir, -C
(also known as Minio config directory, MINIO_CONFIG_DIR) ... blabla ... blabla
Defaults:

Linux/OSX: ${HOME}/.minio

Windows: %%USERPROFILE%%\.minio.

--certs-dir, -S
Omit to use the default directory paths (See MINIO_CONFIG_DIR, --config-dir, -C):

Linux/OSX: ${MINIO_CONFIG_DIR}/certs

Windows: %%MINIO_CONFIG_DIR%%\certs.

Thus the followup graf,

For deployments using minio server --certs-dir to set a custom TLS directory, use that directory instead of the default. Also, if the user running the process does not have a home directory, you must specify a directory with --certs-dir.

Quoted text sounds good but lacks link and a good description of --certs-dir (that was my issue as I never used this params and user home directory exists).

[ravindk89]

Yeah there are a few things to tidy up here - I should have it all in the linked PR.