[Mageia-dev] Proposed Feature:Backports_update_applet

Sat Jun 9 04:41:34 CEST 2012

Samuel Verschelde wrote:
+
+> Following Backports opening due soon, and since our policy is that
+> backports are supported (security, bugfix), we need a way to push backport
+> updates for users who installed backports. Otherwise, we can't really say
+> that we're providing security updates to our backports.
+> 
+> My feature proposal is to implement something similar to what mgaonline +
+> MageiaUpdate does for updates, but for backports, with some changes due to
+> the fact that users will rarely want that "all" packages on the system be
+> updated from backports when the backports media are activated.
+> 
+> https://wiki.mageia.org/en/Feature:Backports_update_applet
+> 
+> I don't think I can do the dev myself. I can work on more detailed
+> specifications with a developer though.
+> 
+> Samuel
+
+There are a multiple ways that this problem could be handled.  
+Yours is one.  
+
+Samuel's way: 
+
+Need "something" to know that a backport package 
+has been installed, to remember that fact, and to do an extra 
+backport update search when looking for updates.  
+
+It would need to keep working if the user changed desktop 
+environments, or even stopped used a desktop and just used 
+the command line.  Does mgaonline do this?  There could be 
+room to improve that.  
+
+If it can be detected that a backport package has been installed 
+(or less efficiently, detect that a backports repository 
+has been activated) set up a cron job (or reconfigure mgaonline) 
+and leave it like that for the life of the installation.  
+
+Geeks way: 
+
+Only use urpmi as a command line tool and edit urpmi.cfg with vi.  
+
+When activating a backports repository mark it as an update 
+repository.  Then update with "urpmi --excludemedia [backport media, ...]"
+accepting all suggestions, followed by "urpmi --auto-select" 
+and look at what is offered before accepting.  
+
+My suggestion: 
+
+Add "bp" to the package name and have separate backports update 
+repositories.  
+
+Users would then be able to cherry pick from backports and 
+updates should _just work_ without extra intervention.  
+
+The only difficulty that I can think of is, when a backport 
+(or backport update) package is pushed to updates.  It would 
+not be necessary to do a real update but the rpm database 
+should be updated such that version N-bp supersedes version N.  
+(And the N-bp packages should be removed from the repositories.)  
+
+Can anyone see any holes in the logic?  
+
+What would be easiest to implement?  
+
+-- 
+blind Pete
+Sig goes here...  
+
+