Re: PATCH: Re: dpkg-reconfigure base-config

[Richard Hirst <rhirst@linuxcare.com>]

(this relates to an http install of unstable on hppa)

On Thu, Jun 07, 2001 at 10:50:33PM -0400, Adam Di Carlo wrote:
> Joey Hess <joey@kitenet.net> writes:
> 
> > Richard Hirst wrote:
> > > base-config now runs and I selected an http source for APT.  Unfortunately
> > > it chose to go for 'stable' without asking.  I want unstable, for hppa.
> > > I installed kernel+modules and base system from an unstable tree on a
> > > local http server.
> > >
> > > I'm guessing that is because of the following line in base-config/apt-setup
> > > specifying 'low':
> > > 
> > >                 db_input low apt-setup/distribution || true
> > 
> > Well, the boot floppies have a "quiet" mode that asks less questions. If
> > that mode is on, it writes VERBOSE=quiet to /root/dbootstrap_settings,
> > and base-coonfig picks up on it and sets up debconf to only ask critical
> > questions.
> > 
> > I didn't think quiet mode was the default though.
> 
> No, it's not.
> 
> > I thought it was enabled with a boot flag.
> 
> Indeed.
> 
> > You can test by doing an install, and when base-config comes up, log
> > in on another tty (erm, if you can -- serial console may present
> > difficulties here),
> 
> dbootstrap lets you start a shell.

Yes, and /root/dbootstrap_settings contains:

BUILDTIME='2001.06.07-20:10+0000'
DEBIAN_MIRROR_HOSTNAME='beast'
DEBIAN_MIRROR_PATH='cd/debian'
DEBIAN_MIRROR_PORT='80'
SERIALCONSOLE='true'

> Or else 'cat /proc/cmdline' and see if it says quiet.

It doesn't.  I tried an install with 'verbose' on the cmdline, and that writes

VERBOSE='yes'

to /root/dbootstrap_settings, and then I do get asked a stable/unstable
question.  So, it seems that no VERBOSE setting results in 'low' questions
not being asked.

On the system where I didn't specify verbose or quiet I have:

merlin:~# grep -A3 debconf/priority /var/cache/debconf/config.dat                                
Name: debconf/priority
Template: debconf/priority
Value: medium
Owners: debconf

On the system where I did specify verbose I have:

apollo:~# grep -A3 debconf/priority /var/cache/debconf/config.dat                                
Name: debconf/priority                                                          
Template: debconf/priority                                                      
Value: low                                                                      
Owners: debconf                                                                 

I have debconf 0.9.62 andf base-config 1.00  installed.

Regardless, this is a change in behaviour from a little while ago when
I had base_config 0.64 and debconf 0.9.58, where I was asked the question
without having to specify 'verbose'.  With that older install, I get

merlin:~# grep -A3 debconf/priority /var/cache/debconf/config.dat
Name: debconf/priority
Template: debconf/priority
Value: medium
Owners: debconf

so maybe something was broken back then, and I should have always
specified verbose if I wanted a choice of stable/unstable.

Richard