Hi, A new version of kernel-package is imminent, it is undergoing boot camp out in experimental. For the impatient, this release brings the log awaited debconf usage for kernel image packages -- and the raison d'etre of this mail. Below are the new features of the upcoming kernel-package -- but first, since the kernel image package asks questions in the preinst, and uses debconf now, is it OK for kernel image packages to pre-depend on debconf? Or should I resurrect the old preinst code and laternately ask questions manually?
Back to the regularly schedules press release. This version of kernel-package has been largely reorganized. The crusty old mechanism has beenremoved, the targets are now streamlined. One of the factors that made the build mechanism so complex was that the rules file had a dual purpose: Initially, when ./debian was not present or not populated, it was responsible for populating that, and then it was responsible for building the kernel packages, incorporating any user customizations. Also, this version implements the new ramdisk generation tool finding plan. The ramdisk variable in /etc/kernel-pkg.conf or /etc/kernel-img.conf can now be a space separated list of init ram disk creation commands, which need to also support the --supported-host-version and --supported-target-version options, just like mkinitrd does. The list in /etc/kernel-pkg.conf is used to set defaults (by setting INITRD_CMD). However, the defaults are set to a subset of "mkinitrd mkinitrd.yaird mkinitramfs", the subset being decided based on the version of the kernel being built, so one should refrain from setting this manually -- unless one knows what one is doing. The list in /etc/kernel-img.conf is the list tried at installation time. The stem used for the kernel-related packages is now set to $DEB_HOST_OS -- so we create kfreebsd-image-foo or linux-image-foo packages, for instance. The kernel image maintainer scripts now use debconf; and a number of questions have been moved to the config file while others are asked conditionally in the postinst. The postinst has also become far less verbose. The postinst gets rid of the code that generated boot floppies and created lilo.conf (that latter was probably illegal under current policy anyway). The do_boot_enable and do_boot_floppy configuration variables in /etc/kernel-img.conf are now invalid. Also, the source tree is not automatically cleaned; the do_clean configuration variable, and the environment variable CLEAN_SOURCE, now control if the source tree is optionally cleaned after the kernel image package is built. We now take special care of the case in which the kernel-headers are installed after the kernel-image has been; and the build symlink is not setr. In this case, the header postinst now correctly installs the build symlink. Another fallout from the kernel-package generated packages being made lintian clean is that it was noticed that the default versioning was such that the packages appeared to be Debian native, obviously not the case. It now generates a proper $version-$debian version, unless over ridden. manoj -- A hammer sometimes misses its mark - a bouquet never. Manoj Srivastava <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/> 1024D/BF24424C print 4966 F272 D093 B493 410B 924B 21BA DABB BF24 424C -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]