Re: Kernel dependencies
Christoph Lameter <clameter@waterf.org> writes:
> I would like to be able to do
>
> dosemu (number one)
>
> Depends: kernel (>=2.0.0) kernel (<<2.1.0)
>
> dosemu (number two)
>
> Depends: kernel (>=2.1.16)
>
> And also for ibcs since it does not work under 2.1.X
>
> Depends: kernel (<<2.1.0)
>
> And for the bridge packages:
>
> bridge (broken bridge support before 2.0.24!)
>
> Depends: kernel (>=2.0.24), kernel (<<2.1.16)
>
> bridgex
>
> Depends: kernel (>=2.1.16)
Can't you just compare the output of `uname -r' with the target kernel
version(s) in either the preinst or postinst script and either give a
warning message to the user (preferred) or refuse to install if the
appropriate kernel version is not running? Assuming that there is a
"kernel" package with an appropriate version number as you desire,
looking at the version of the kernel installed as a Debian package is
non-determinative for two reasons:
1) There could be more than one Debian kernel package installed and
although one kernel may be of the appropriate type (i.e., correct
version number), there is no way to know which kernel the user will
run later.
2) There still are users who build their kernels the old fashioned
way. That is, unpack the original kernel source, and do a `make
config clean dep zImage modules modules_install' and then run lilo,
thereby skipping the Debian packaging system altogether. This is
something that was being discussed on debian-user last week.
In light of these complications, I think that the best we can do is
advise users on what is likely to brake due to changes in the kernel
as new versions are released and not rely on the Debian dependency
system to handle such a pathological dependency problem.
--
Brian
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