Your message dated Sun, 17 Sep 2017 18:41:57 +0300
with message-id <[email protected]>
and subject line Re: automatic serial console configuration for jessie and above
has caused the Debian Bug report #850205,
regarding automatic serial console configuration for jessie and above
to be marked as done.
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850205: https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=850205
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--- Begin Message ---
Package: vmdebootstrap
Version: 1.7-1
Severity: wishlist
I see that in #800910 the --serial-console flag has been basically
disabled for platforms other than wheezy. That's fine to resolve the
bug described there (although I agree the fix should be sysvinit
specific), but it actually removes an interesting feature for newer
platforms.
I think vmdebootstrap should remove the --serial-console flag or make
it work in newer releases. In systemd, the way to configure the serial
console is to pass the serial port on the kernel commandline, as such:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="console=ttyS0"
Then systemd automatically picks it up and configures a getty on the
right port. More details here:
https://wiki.debian.org/systemd#Virtual_and_serial_console_changes
I am not sure how to do it myself in the vmdebootstrap
environment. Maybe it is trivial to add grub flags, but I didn't find
an easy way to do this. I feel hesitant in making a script that
will just overwrite the kernel commandline directly, as vmdebootstrap
may already deal with this file in its own ways...
-- System Information:
Debian Release: 8.6
APT prefers stable-updates
APT policy: (500, 'stable-updates'), (500, 'proposed-updates'), (500,
'stable'), (1, 'testing')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Kernel: Linux 4.7.0-0.bpo.1-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=fr_CA.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=fr_CA.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
Versions of packages vmdebootstrap depends on:
ii debootstrap 1.0.67
ii kpartx 0.5.0-6+deb8u2
ii libjs-sphinxdoc 1.4.6-1~bpo8+1
ii parted 3.2-7
ii python-cliapp 1.20150829-1~bpo8+1
ii python-distro-info 0.14
ii python2.7 2.7.9-2+deb8u1
pn python:any <none>
ii qemu-utils 1:2.1+dfsg-12+deb8u6
Versions of packages vmdebootstrap recommends:
ii dosfstools 3.0.27-1
ii extlinux 3:6.03+dfsg-5+deb8u1
ii grub2-common 2.02~beta2-22+deb8u1
ii python-guestfs 1:1.28.1-1
ii qemu-system 1:2.1+dfsg-12+deb8u6
ii qemu-user-static 1:2.1+dfsg-12+deb8u6
ii squashfs-tools 1:4.2+20130409-2
Versions of packages vmdebootstrap suggests:
pn cmdtest <none>
ii mbr 1.1.11-5+b1
ii pandoc 1.12.4.2~dfsg-1+b14
pn u-boot:armhf <none>
-- no debconf information
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I'm afraid I don't think this feature will ever land in vmdebootstrap.
Let me explain.
I initially wrote vmdebootstrap in 2011, and the first version was
very simple and straightforward. However, I quickly ran into
limitations, like not being able to log in as root. To solve this, I
added options such as --root-password. Unfortunately, this was a
mistake. It set a pattern where every time the image built with
vmdebootstrap needed a variation, I added a new option. When Neil took
over as the vmdebootstrap maintainer, he continued this tradition. As
a result, vmdebootstrap is littered with options, many of which are
only really useful for particular users of the program. To test one
build of an image, with one set of options, took me about half an hour
when I took over from Neil. There's at least ten yes/no type options
in vmdebootstap, so a test run that tests just a few of them, say
five, will likely take 2^5 * 0.5 = 16 hours. And that doesn't give
you much test coverage.
Further, this approach has made it difficult to add new features to
vmdebootstrap, and made the code difficult to follow.
To fix this, I've written a vmdebootstrap replacement, vmdb2, which
will be uploaded to Debian later this year. I am reluctant to make any
changes to vmdebootstrap, except to fix bad bugs. I won't be adding
new features.
Sorry.
I hope you will try vmdb2 (when it enters Debian, or see
https://liw.fi/vmdebootstrap/). It's not as featured as vmdebootstrap,
although that's partly by design. If you do try it, please send
feedback on what's good, and what you'd like to see improved. Thanks.
--
I want to build worthwhile things that might last. --joeyh
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