Re: RFC: kernel packages cleanup

[Martin Schulze <joey@infodrom.org>]

Adrian Bunk wrote:
> below is a proposal for some cleanup of the kernel packages in unstable:
> 
> 
> 1. remove kernel 2.2 sources/images/patches
> 
> The last stable releases of Debian always supported two major kernel
> releases, and supporting 2.4 and 2.6 seems to be sufficient for
> Debian 3.1.

It is insane to believe the security team has any chance to support
Linux 2.2, Linux 2.4 and Linux 2.6 once sarge is released.

> Is there any architecture that _really_ requires kernel 2.2 today?

The following architectures have 2.2.x in woody:

alpha    --> superseded by 2.4
arm      --> superseded by 2.4
i386     --> superseded by 2.4
m68k     --> I heard there may be problems with 2.4 *sigh*
powerpc  --> superseded by 2.4
apus     --> superseded by 2.4
sparc    --> superseded by 2.4

m68k has some 2.4 kernels so I hope that 2.2 isn't required anymore.
Also it is quite likely that 2.2.x doesn't compile with tools in
sarge anymore.  We've faced this with the powerpc/apus update.

> 3. reduce the number of 2.4 kernel versions

Yes please.  The situation is totally insane at the moment already.

We have to support 4+4 kernel versions in woody.  I don't want to
know how many there are in sarge already.  8 is WAY TOO MUCH.  If
the situation doesn't change, we have ABSOLUTELY NO chance to support
security updates to kernels in the released distribution.

> In unstable, there are currently kernel sources for six different 2.4 
> kernels (2.4.{19,20,21,22,24,25}). I'd like to see the number of such 
> packages reduced.

Mee too!!!

> Please respond if you object to these suggestions.

Not at all.

But I'd like to add two more proposals

4. Remove all source kernel-foo packages that contain the kernel
   source but aren't named kerne-source-$(version) and create at
   least one kernel-source-$(version)*_all.deb.

   This may already be the case but in woody there are some of these,
   called kernel-image-foo but contain the entire kernel source.

5. Try to build as many architectures from one source package, so
   that kernel-image packages can be autobuilt by the buildd network
   and that the number of source packages reduces.

   This would help the security team a lot.

Regards,

	Joey

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