Re: policy changes toward Non-Interactive installation
>>"Joey" == Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org> writes:
Joey> If you have some specific complaints with debconf's design, please post
Joey> them, but I'm rather confused about what you're talking about right now,
Joey> especially since your whole message was very non-specfic and I often
Joey> couldn't tell if you were talking about whatever Goswin was talking about,
Joey> or about debconf.
I do apologize. I was not talkgin about debconf, since I am
not very knowledgeable about it (I have not been keeping up with it,
unfortunately). I do intend a flag day soon to convert all my
packages over.
Given my ignorance of things debconf, could you please
elucidate a few points?
>> How about this scenario: Package A needs to run a program from
>> Package B, and let the user choose between alternatives in order to
>> configure package A to be in a working state. Unfortunately, the
>> alternatives are not known before the program is run. Package A is a
>> daemon process, so we stop the daemon before unpacking, and we start
>> it after configuring. We pre-depend on package B, so that our program
>> is available to us.
Joey> Yes, debconf can handle this, with no behavior changes *at all*
Joey> from how it would have traditionally been done.
This is interesting. Since we do not know what the options
are, or even whether to ask the question, before unpacking, how do
you handle this?
Let me try a concrete example; the kernel image postinst, and
see how far we get. These are the questions the kernel image
postinstall asks, and I have tried to figure out if the question can
be pre asked.
======================================================================
------------- Question depends on test on fie system
/ ------------ Question important (IMHO)
|/ ----------- Depends on previous answer
||/ ---------- Needs run time test
|||/ __ can be pre asked
|||| /
|||| |
|||| |
X...........Y 1) Ask to remove /System.map files
.X Y 2) ask to prepare a boot floppy
XXX.........Y 3) ask which floppy drive to use
.XX.........? 4) do I need to format the floppy?
.XXX........N 5) Insert floppy, hit return
.XXX........N 6) failure, retry?
.XXX........N 7) failure, you have formatted floppy?
.XXX........N 8) you have floppy, hit return when ready
.XXX........N 9) Failure writing floppy, retry?
.XXX........N 10) failure, hit return when youhave new floppy
XX..........Y 11) if conf exists ask if we should run $loader with old config
XXX.........Y 12) Or else ask if a new $loader config
.XX.........Y 13) Or else ask if loader needed at all
.XX.........N 14) Install boot vlock on partition detected at runtime
XXXX........N 15) Install mbr root disk
.XXX........N 16) Failure writing mbr, do this manually, hit return
.XX.........N 17) make that partition active?
======================================================================
Being told that this should not be done during installation of
the kernel-image is not what I consider useful; installing kernel
images (yes, multiple images, in succession), and having a sane and
bootable system with the just installed image bootable is a good
thing (people who do not like this behaviour can already turn this
off).
manoj
--
You will gain money by a speculation or lottery.
Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org> <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/>
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