Bug#780994: flash-kernel: Missing dependency on u-boot-tools fails initramfs-tools to fail

[Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com>]

On Tue, Mar 24, 2015 at 08:55:49AM +0000, Ian Campbell wrote:
>On Thu, 1970-01-01 at 00:49 +0000, Martin Stigge wrote:
>> That's easily resolved by installing the u-boot-tools package, but I would
>> have expected that do be a dependency in that case. I see that it's a
>> Suggests, but looks rather essential to me.
>
>u-boot-tools is not a strict requirement for flash-kernel since it is
>only needed on certain platforms, as expressed by the Required-Packages
>field in the flash-kernel database.
>
>Debian Installer (via the flash-kernel-installer udeb) will process that
>field and install what is needed but if you install things by hand (or
>are using debootstrap etc) then you may need to do so manually.
>
>So, I don't think a hard depends would be the right answer. Perhaps
>given that many boards do need u-boot-tools an upgrade to Recommends
>might be in order, but my preference would be for f-k to learn to check
>(at runtime and/or installation time) that the set of Required-Packages
>are present and issue a warning/error, or at least to check that mkimage
>is present before actually using it and printing an appropriate warning
>otherwise.

To be honest, why not just use the packaging system metadata and stop
trying to reinvent it badly? We've had bugs like this reported for
ages, and it's not doing our users any favours. Just add it as a
Recommends and be done. It's not like the u-boot-tools package is huge
or brings in a lot of other dependencies anyway...

-- 
Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK.                                steve@einval.com
Can't keep my eyes from the circling sky,
Tongue-tied & twisted, Just an earth-bound misfit, I...