packages with kernel version dependencies

[tony mancill <tmancill@mancill.com>]

Greetings mentors,

I maintain the wanpipe package, which is a set of utilities for use with
Sangoma WAN router cards.  The binaries have to be compiled with a certain
version of the kernel.  Moreover, the kernel patches required for the
drivers are not part of 2.0.36 or 2.0.37 (the package distributes these,
and the admin must apply them against the kernel source).  Alan Cox is
working on integrating the patches into the 2.2.x kernel, but the effort
is not yet complete.  They are there, but the pristine source still
require patching.  What's worse, there are different patches for several
2.2.x versions.

Has anyone has experience working with a package that has this sort of
issues?  Most router admins are aware of the kernel issues, but I still 
have the need to have versions of the package compiled for both 2.0 and 
2.2.  Do I have to create a package with a new name?  Does wanpipe have
to conflict with certain kernel packages?  Should I try to get the
patches (and modules) integrated into the Debian kernel packages?

The current package works fine with 2.0.3[67], but I want to upload
something before the potato freeze if necessary.

Also, can anyone tell me when potato will freeze and what the target
kernel version is?  (Sorry, there's no way I could read debian-devel and
have enough time to do anything else for the project.)

Assistance is appreciated,
tony

  tony@mancill.com         |  An ounce of perception,
http://www.mancill.com     |     a pound of obscure...
                           |        (Peart)