[expert] Adding other RPM's to the CDROM installation.

[=?x-unknown?q?Pe=F1a_Arellano_Fabian_Erasmo?=]

        Hello experts,

        I have some questions on adding RPM's to the standar installation
procedure. I got a README file from

                http://www.linux-mandrake.com/drakx/README

I suppose some that some of you experts have automated the 
installation procedure for a large number of computers and 
have read that file. It describes some files nedded by DrakX to work.
                
        The problem is that I cannot find the files such guide claims to
exist in the CDROM installation. I downloaded the ISO images of Linux-Mandrake
7.2. My main interest is to add other RPM's to the Mandrake/RPMS directory of
the installation CDROM. Here are some instructions taken from the README file:
  
>If you have your own rpms you want to add, or make your own updated cdrom, you
>just have to update:
>- Mandrake/base/hdlist: use ``misc/genhdlists --distrib .''
>- Mandrake/base/depslist: use
>  ``misc/gendepslist2 -o Mandrake/base/depslist Mandrake/base/hdlist.cz2''
> 
>Optionnally, you can modify Mandrake/base/compssList and compssUsers.
>Also, mdkinst_stage2.gz must be remade if you modify files in Mandrake/mdkinst.
>See below for information about these files. 

Below I find the following among other information:

>Mandrake/base/hdlist.cz2
>        table of rpm's headers.
>        ! Need to be remade when Mandrake/RPMS changes (with
>        ``misc/genhdlists --distrib .'') !   

>Mandrake/base/depslist
> for each packages, tell which package it depends on. Also contains the
> size for some (obscure) bloody reasons.
> ! Need to be remade when Mandrake/RPMS changes !
> (with ``misc/gendepslist2 -o Mandrake/base/depslist
> Mandrake/base/hdlist.cz2'')

>Mandrake/base/depslist.ordered
>        more compact depslist with closure done, internally indexed

>Mandrake/base/mdkinst_stage2.gz
>        for the ramdisk. live sytem in ext2 filesystem gzipped.
>        generated from Mandrake/mdkinst tree using misc/make_mdkinst_stage2
>        See ``Ramdisk or not'' below for more.   

In short, to add other rpm's to Mandrake installation one must follow the next
steps:

step one: Place the RPM's in the Mandrake/RPMS directory
step two: Do the following commands

        misc/genhdlists --distrib .
        misc/gendepslist2 -o Mandrake/base/depslist Mandrake/base/hdlist.cz2

Questions and observations.

1.      I don't have any hdlist.cz2 file, only hdlist1.cz and hdlist2.cz.
        What's the difference?

2.      I don't have any Mandrake/base/depslist file. The one I have is
        Mandrake/base/depslist.ordered. Why is the first one missing?

3.      What commands should I issue then if I add other RPM's to the Mandrake/RPMS
        directory?

4.      What happens if a program the new added RPM depends on is not in the
        Mandrake/RPMS directory? Will a warning message appear?

5.      I have noticed that some files are obsolete. Why does those files still
        appear in the Mandrake/base/ directory?

>Mandrake/base/hdlist
>        obsolete in 7.1
 
>Mandrake/base/compss
>        obsolete in 7.1
 
>Mandrake/base/compssUsers
>        obsoletes comps. It contains the different user classes like
>        ``Graphics
>        Manipulation'' and ``Games''      

6.      What are the Mandrake/base/compssUsers and Mandrake/base/compssList files for?
        The explanation below is pretty obscure.

>Mandrake/base/compssUsers
>        obsoletes comps. It contains the different user classes like
>        ``Graphics
>        Manipulation'' and ``Games''
 
>Mandrake/base/compssList
>        for each packages, it gives the appreciation for each type of user.
>        used to choose packages
>        (see beginning of perl-install/pkgs.pm for more) 

7.      What is the Ramdisk ? What does that have to do with the mdkinst_stage2.gz
        file ? 

>********************************************************************************
>* Ramdisk or not
>********************************************************************************
>The DrakX install is much bigger than the newt one. So the ramdisk which was
>used is getting big, and costs a lot in memory
>(eg: the mdkinst_stage2 is 14MB - 23/09/99)
> 
>|       | newt    | DrakX
>|-------+---------+----------------------------------------------------------
>| nfs   | live    | live
>| ftp   | ramdisk | ramdisk
>| http  | ramdisk | ramdisk
>| hd    | ramdisk | live if Mandrake/mdkinst/usr/bin/runinstall2 is a link,
>|       |         |   ramdisk otherwise
>| cdrom | ramdisk | live if memory < 40MB, ramdisk otherwise
> 
>When i say live, it means that the install1 stage will *mount* the
>Mandrake/mdkinst and use it that way.
> 
>The ramdisk is used in place of the live in some cases. This ramdisk is filled
>with mdkinst_stage2.gz
> 
>For cdrom install, the ramdisk is used to speed up things (access time is quite
>high on cdrom drives)
> 
>For pcmcia, it depends on the type of install.   

8.      I don't have any file /modules/modules.cgz. The one I have is 
        Mandrake/mdkinst/lib/modules.cz. Why is the first one missing? 

>********************************************************
>* modules
>********************************************************
>Modules can be found in at least 2 places:
>- in /modules/modules.cgz
>- in /lib/modules.cz2
> 
>/modules/modules.cgz is used in stage1. It contains only modules interesting
>for
>one kind of install. For example in an hd install, it contains scsi modules.
>For an network install, it contains network card modules.
> 
>/lib/modules.cz2 contains every module, it is used in stage2.
> 
> 
>To install a module, use modprobe which is in /usr/bin. It's a perl wrapper
>around /usr/bin/insmod. It uses the dependencies found in
>/modules/modules.dep (stage1).
> 
>/usr/bin/insmod is a wrapper around /usr/bin/insmod_. It just extracts the
>module out of /lib/modules.cz2 in /tmp. Then it calls insmod_.
> 
>/usr/bin/insmod_ is the real prog (which you usually find in /sbin/). You need
>to give it the complete path.                                                       

        Thanks in advance for reading this e-mail.

        Fabian.