Re: base*.tgz is gone, and why it's gone

[Attila Nagy <bra@fsn.hu>]

Hello,

> debootstrap uses the Packages file to locate packages, is the Packages
> file present? is it also properly refernced in the Release file?
> debootstrap uses the Release file to find the Packages file.
The Packages file is present, the problem seems to be the Release file.

What is the exact command which would create the correct Release file?

In the Makefile of debian-cd the following touches the Release file:

./scanpackages scan /tmp/woody-i386/CD1
./scanpackages install /tmp/woody-i386/CD1

The production of these commands is the following Release file:
Origin: Debian
Label: Debian
Suite: testing
Codename: woody
Date: Sun, 01 Jul 2001 19:54:32 UTC
Architectures: i386
Components: main contrib non-free
Description: Debian Testing distribution - Not Released

What should the script produce? A plain file, containing only the above,
or the above plus the md5sums, the size and the name of the packages
files?

BTW, I changed added to the above this:
MD5Sum:
 md5sum_of_the_file size_of_the_file main/binary-i386/Packages

and ran:
debootstrap woody /target file:/target/shit

(/target/shit is on the HDD and holds the pool and dists directories from
the CD without any modifications, but the above)

After this, debootstrap wonderfully installs the base system from .debs.

So my question is:
does scanpackages produce empty (without the md5sums and filenames)
Release files for the other people too?

Because for me it seems that this is the problem, so debian-cd in the
current setup (as for myself) is incompatible with the bootfloppies,
because of its "empty" Release files.

BTW, I don't really understand scanpackages:

if [ -e "$MIRROR/dists/$CODENAME/Release" ]; then
    # Strip the MD5Sum and SHA1 fields
    sed -e "s/^Architectures: .*$/Architectures: $ARCH/" \
    $MIRROR/dists/$CODENAME/Release | \
    perl -ne 'if (/^(MD5Sum|SHA1):/i) { $f=1; next }
    if ($f) {
        unless (/^ /) { print; $f=0 }
    } else { print }' > dists/$CODENAME/Release
fi

This is what strips off everything under MD5Sum: line, hence produces the
bad Release file.
I know nothing about the Debian stuffs, but I wonder why don't this script
just make a good "md5sum size package_filename" format file. This would
help installing the bits from the CD :)

Raphael?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attila Nagy                                    e-mail:  Attila.Nagy@fsn.hu
Budapest Polytechnic (BMF.HU)                   @work: +361 210 1415 (194)
H-1084 Budapest, Tavaszmezo u. 15-17.           cell.: +3630 306 6758