Re: [CFT] packaging the base system with pkg(8)

On Wed, Apr 20, 2016 at 11:57:47AM -0400, Paul Mather wrote:

> On Apr 20, 2016, at 10:54 AM, Slawa Olhovchenkov <slw_at_zxy.spb.ru> wrote:
> 
> >> A packaged base is just another way of describing the state of the
> >> system.  People on mailing lists will still be able to help people
> >> fix their problems, but they'll just use different information to
> >> pinpoint the precise components affected.
> > 
> > How identify this systems? By 800-line lists of package versions?
> 
> 
> In my experience, troubleshooting usually proceeds from the
> description of the symptoms.  So, if someone says, "I just updated
> and Sendmail has stopped sending e-mails," or "I just updated and I
> can no longer SSH into my system," then the logical question is to
> ask what versions of the packages they're running that pertain to
> those binaries.  In other words, you start at the symptom and work
> outwards from there.  In my experience, it's not necessary to have
> an exact inventory of a system to be able to solve a problem with
> it.

I see you point. Now try this, for some example, semi-hypothetical.
Some time ago we have troubles with sshd, fetchmail and other software
after r296462. pkg don't show any useful for versions of
sshd/fetchmail/etc because root cause will be breakin ABI in
libcrypto. For useful information pkg need to show version of quering
package and version of all depened packages. Is this allow now by
simple command?

Also, how to naming individual packages?
For port software we have released version, for STABLE -- rollover
release. Currently used naming is useless, using svn revision of
top-level dir usefull only for two-package case.

Using svn revision of individual dirs need addtional patches and
addtional rules:

/usr/src/sys/modules/aio # svnlite info
Path: .
Working Copy Root Path: /usr/src
URL: svn://svn0.eu.freebsd.org/base/stable/10/sys/modules/aio
Relative URL: ^/stable/10/sys/modules/aio
Repository Root: svn://svn0.eu.freebsd.org/base
Repository UUID: ccf9f872-aa2e-dd11-9fc8-001c23d0bc1f
Revision: 295564
Node Kind: directory
Schedule: normal
Last Changed Author: jhb
Last Changed Rev: 185878
Last Changed Date: 2008-12-10 23:56:19 +0300 (Wed, 10 Dec 2008)

/usr/src/sys/modules/aio # less Makefile
# $FreeBSD: stable/10/sys/modules/aio/Makefile 185878 2008-12-10 20:56:19Z jhb $

.PATH: ${.CURDIR}/../../kern

KMOD=   aio
SRCS=   vfs_aio.c opt_vfs_aio.h vnode_if.h opt_compat.h

EXPORT_SYMS= aio_init_aioinfo aio_aqueue

.include <bsd.kmod.mk>

i.e. actual revision is max(vfs_aio.c opt_vfs_aio.h vnode_if.h opt_compat.h) or even
max(deps(vfs_aio.c opt_vfs_aio.h vnode_if.h opt_compat.h))

Is this posible?

> A tool like pkg makes it easy to know which package is associated
> with a given file and also which packages that package depends upon
> and which are dependencies of it.  So, pkg makes it relatively
> painless to zoom in or out from a given symptom (i.e., binary or
> library that might have changed).  I don't believe this is possible
> in the current FreeBSD setup.  This is a huge gain in functionality.

You are lost may point. I am not against of pkg, I am just try more planing
before implementation. Changing in distribution scheme is very expensive.