Re: patch or "sparse package" support under dpkg

[Aleksey Tsalolikhin <eesti@corp.earthlink.net>]

On Thu, May 16, 2002 at 04:21:50PM +0100, Colin Watson wrote:
> On Thu, May 16, 2002 at 07:32:31AM -0700, Aleksey Tsalolikhin wrote:
> >   I'm having trouble finding how to make patch packages under dpkg.
> > 
> >   Specifically I would like to make a package that would overwrite
> > only certain files in the original package, and possibly add several
> > new files.  The package has become so large that it's inconvenient
> > to ship/install all the files when only several of them have changed,
> > and a patch update would do very nicely.
> > 
> >   Is it possible to do such a thing with dpkg?
> 
> I think you're looking for dpkg-divert(8).

Dear Colin,

  Thanks for your reply.  Looks like dpkg-divert is a way to
"put a write-protect tab" on a particular file, as far as new
package installs are concerned...   From dpkg-divert(8):

      File `diversions' are a way of forcing dpkg not to
    install a file into its location, but to a `diverted'
    location. Diversions can be used through the Debian
    package scripts to move a file away when it causes a
    conflict. System administrators can also use it to
    override some package's configuration file, or whenever
    some files (which aren't marked as 'conffiles') need to
    be preserved by dpkg, when installing a newer version
    of a package which contains those files.

Looks like it's about primarily preserving files from being
overwritten by updates.

  
  What I'm trying to do is update certain files in a dpkg.
Let's say I have a letters-1.0.deb.
It installs:

/etc/a   3 bytes in size
/etc/b   3 bytes
/etc/c   3 bytes

Now I want to patch it.  I'd like to install letters-1.0p1.deb
which will install an update to /etc/c, which will result in

/etc/a   3 bytes in size
/etc/b   3 bytes
/etc/c   300 bytes

But all three files would still be part of the "letters" dpkg.
When letters-2.0.deb is installed, "a", "b" and "c" would be
replaced by the new files.

  Is there any way Debian packaging can provide patch support?
It doesn't look that way from going through the Debian Policy
Manual but I am asking in hope I missed something. :)

Yours Truly,
Aleksey.


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