Re: preseeding question (yes, re. systemd / sysvinit-core)
Jonathan Dowland wrote:
On Wed, Oct 15, 2014 at 07:49:08AM -0400, Miles Fidelman wrote:
1. There is now an essential metapackage called init that depends on
one of systemd-sysv, or sysvinit-core, or upstart. (parenthetical
question: What distinguishes a metapackage from a virtual package?
Or perhaps, more precisely, why is init defined as a metapackage
rather than a virtual package?)
A virtual package doesn't exist, but is listed in Provides: or Requires: fields
in other packages.
A metapackage does exist, but doesn't contain any files, so only it's metadata
is relevant.
You may need a metapackage rather than a virtual package for upgrade
situations. A metapackage can provide: something else, can Replaces: something
else, etc.; whereas a virtual package can't (because it doesn't exist.)
Thanks for the clarification!
Re. ....
4. How, in a preseed file, does one identify one's preferred choice
for meeting the dependencies of a virtual package or metapackage (in
this case, specifically installing sysvinit-core to satisfy init's
dependencies) - either by:
a. over-riding package priorities, or,
b. making an explicit selection of the real package to meet a dependency
I *think* that if the dependency is already satisfied by another package
selection, the resolver won't go out and try to satisfy it with another, as of
yet unmarked package. So if you have "d-i pkgsel/include string sysvinit-core
systemd-shim" or similar, the resolver shouldn't then select systemd to satisfy
the init dependency, as it is already satisfied.
any thoughts re. conflicts between what's in, say
tasksel tasksel/first standard, web-server
and
d-i pkgsel/include string sysvinit-core systemd-shim
If I understand the installer, tasksel, the definition of the "standard" task description
------
Task: standard
Section: user
Description: standard system utilities
This task sets up a basic user environment, providing a reasonably
small selection of services and tools usable on the command line.
Packages: standard
Test-new-install: mark skip
-------
properly, then the line "tasksel tasksel/first standard, web-server" is going to install all packages with priority "standard."
Which leads to a couple of questions:
1. Since the priorities for sysvinit and sysvinit-core are
sysvinit:admin/optional
sysvinit-core:admin/extra
and I assume that the priority for systemd is set to standard, does the installer do:
a. install systemd as part of the tasksel phase, the uninstall systemd and install sysvinit when it hits the pkgsel step, or,
b. configure the list of packages for both the tasksel step and the pkgsel step before actually doing any installs?
2. If b., all is copacetic. If a., then are there any directives that might adjust the operation of the tasksel step, other
than to either create a custom task description or bypass this step and designate all packages manually? [There's a line
in the tasksel documentation that says "Debian derived distributions can add a new .desc file to /usr/share/tasksel/ to add
additional tasks, or modify/divert debian-tasks.desc to remove tasks" but how one might do that at install time is not discussed anywhere
that I can find.]
3. Is there a way to list all packages with priority "standard" - preferably via the package repo or one of the staging servers rather than
having to first setup up a jessie installation and pulling in the source list?
Thanks,
Miles
--
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is. .... Yogi Berra
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