Al Stone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > I've got packages I'm maintaining -- oprofile and prospect -- that > both need a particular kernel module to work. > > Right now, these packages only "Recommend:" the kernel module (in > this case, oprofile-module0.6.1). > > I did not want to make it a "Depends:" since I did not want to force > a Debian user to install the kernel module and in turn force them to > install a Debian kernel-image package -- the module is only needed > for 2.[24].x kernels, and will not be needed at all in 2.6.x kernels > (it's now a standard part of the kernel and Herbert has agreed to > include the module in kernel-image packages by default). And, if > you're not using the kernel-images packages at all and have a custom > built kernel, you'd be forced to install at least one kernel-image > in order to install oprofile or prospect. > > OTOH, by not making it a "Depends:", I could end up with a situation > where installing oprofile or prospect would work, but the tools > themselves would not because the kernel module is missing.
I think "recommends" is, in fact, the correct package relationship here. In particular, this does allow the perfectly functional case of "userspace package plus 2.6 kernel". It also allows the non-functional but probably desirable case of "userspace package plus module source", after which the user can build the module, install it, and have a functional state. > (2) Enforce the dependencies via "Depends:", > requiring the kernel module and at least one > kernel-image to be installed. Also note that there are people who always compile their kernels by hand and don't believe in kernel-package. If you depend on a Debian-packaged module, they'll be sad. (I think it is correct for foo-module-2.4.23-1-386 to depend on kernel-image-2.4.23-1-386, though.) -- David Maze [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://people.debian.org/~dmaze/ "Theoretical politics is interesting. Politicking should be illegal." -- Abra Mitchell -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
