Re: Use of dpkg to install powerpc .deb on x86 host

[Goswin von Brederlow <goswin-v-b@web.de>]

Sergei Poselenov <sposelenov@emcraft.com> writes:

> Hello all,
>
> We are developing a design for a Debian-based SDK distribution,
> targetting embedded systems.
>
> The SDK will be installed on a x86 host, using the dpkg utility.
> to install a set of binary packages, part of them for different
> architecture (powerpc) (the so-called target packages).
> By design, the SDK should be able to be installed to arbitrary
> directory, and should not interact with the host' /var/lib/dpkg
> database.
> We are thinking of "dpkg --root=<dir>", to install target-depended
> packages to. Will this work?
>
> I guess, dpkg will complain about wrong architecture of the powerpc
> packages? Can this be worked around with --force-architecture? Any
> other ways?
>
> Another question - when installing/removig the packages for different
> architecture, the scripts should not be allowed to be executed - 
> being chrooted to dir pointed to with "--root=" the execution would try
> to execute powerpc binaries on x86 host.
> Is it possible to disable scripts processing in dpkg?
>
> Thanks in advance.
> (Could you please reply me directly - I'm a Debian newbie and not
> (yet) subscribed to this mailing list.)
>
> Regards,
> Sergei

You might want to look at dpkg-cross and ask on the debian-embedded
list.

MfG
        Goswin