New version of kernel-package to create image packages using debconf
Hi,
A new version of kernel-package is imminent, it is undergoing
boot camp out in experimental. For the impatient, this release brings
the log awaited debconf usage for kernel image packages -- and the
raison d'etre of this mail. Below are the new features of the
upcoming kernel-package -- but first, since the kernel image package
asks questions in the preinst, and uses debconf now, is it OK for
kernel image packages to pre-depend on debconf? Or should I resurrect
the old preinst code and laternately ask questions manually?
Back to the regularly schedules press release.
This version of kernel-package has been largely
reorganized. The crusty old mechanism has beenremoved, the targets
are now streamlined. One of the factors that made the build mechanism
so complex was that the rules file had a dual purpose: Initially,
when ./debian was not present or not populated, it was responsible
for populating that, and then it was responsible for building the
kernel packages, incorporating any user customizations.
Also, this version implements the new ramdisk generation tool
finding plan. The ramdisk variable in /etc/kernel-pkg.conf or
/etc/kernel-img.conf can now be a space separated list of init ram
disk creation commands, which need to also support the
--supported-host-version and --supported-target-version options, just
like mkinitrd does. The list in /etc/kernel-pkg.conf is used to set
defaults (by setting INITRD_CMD). However, the defaults are set to a
subset of "mkinitrd mkinitrd.yaird mkinitramfs", the subset being
decided based on the version of the kernel being built, so one should
refrain from setting this manually -- unless one knows what one is
doing. The list in /etc/kernel-img.conf is the list tried at
installation time.
The stem used for the kernel-related packages is now set to
$DEB_HOST_OS -- so we create kfreebsd-image-foo or linux-image-foo
packages, for instance.
The kernel image maintainer scripts now use debconf; and a
number of questions have been moved to the config file while others
are asked conditionally in the postinst. The postinst has also become
far less verbose.
The postinst gets rid of the code that generated boot floppies
and created lilo.conf (that latter was probably illegal under current
policy anyway). The do_boot_enable and do_boot_floppy configuration
variables in /etc/kernel-img.conf are now invalid.
Also, the source tree is not automatically cleaned; the
do_clean configuration variable, and the environment variable
CLEAN_SOURCE, now control if the source tree is optionally cleaned
after the kernel image package is built.
We now take special care of the case in which the
kernel-headers are installed after the kernel-image has been; and the
build symlink is not setr. In this case, the header postinst now
correctly installs the build symlink.
Another fallout from the kernel-package generated packages
being made lintian clean is that it was noticed that the default
versioning was such that the packages appeared to be Debian native,
obviously not the case. It now generates a proper $version-$debian
version, unless over ridden.
manoj
--
A hammer sometimes misses its mark - a bouquet never.
Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org> <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/>
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