Public SourceMage Discussion List

[Robin Cook <rcook AT wyrms.net>]

How does this handle things like the
gnome /etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults/%gconf-tree-*.xml files where the
programs install script updates the file to add it's part to the file?
As those files won't exist in the stage area, and it's not just a simple
append to the end of the file.

CuZnDragon
Robin Cook


On Mon, 2006-05-15 at 20:06 -0700, David Brown wrote:
> === Background ===
> Okay for a few months now I've been working on stage root sorcery.
> The idea behind stage root sorcery is to install a package to a stage
> root transparently to the package.  Meaning the package doesn't know
> it's installing to a stage root location.  Then sorcery can handle
> moving the files back into the system or install root.
> 
> === Why It's Needed? ===
> This feature will fix several bugs currently open in bugzilla slated
> for 1.14. Including fixing shell redirection to create files not being
> tracked and proper config file handling.  Also this will allow spells
> to not need to implement and use the INSTALL_ROOT variable.  However,
> for the time being they will because we plan on supporting turning off
> stage root.
> 
> === General Info on Use ===
> This feature will only be supported in build api2 spells and there
> will be a way for spell gurus to access the staged files before they
> are put into the system.  In order to cast using stage root (once I
> tell you how to set it up) you have to compile and install, ressurrect
> doesn't use it (even though it could I suppose but that may come
> later).
> 
> === Spell Access to Stage Root ===
> With stage root POST_INSTALL will have a new meaning, POST_INSTALL
> will have the sorcery environment and the current working directory
> will be at the root of the stage root.  This will allow you to use
> POST_INSTALL to check for file permissions move or remove files that
> you don't want in the install log for the package.  This means spells
> could get really nutty and look like debian packages where there's the
> main package then a -dev package that contains all the libs and
> headers, and everything will be compile from source.  You can see
> further examples in the gcc set of packages in stage_root grimoire.
> 
> === Additions to Manage Stage Root ===
> There's two things added for users of stage root, the script confmeld
> and the variable STAGED_INSTALL.  Configuration files are
> automatically put in a special stage area so they can be merged into
> the system by the user.  The script confmeld is there so this can be
> accomplished without doing things manually (even though you can
> manually everythings in /var/state/sorcery/staged_configs).  The
> script is assumed to be called as root user, the code for asking for a
> password then recalling itself via su -c isn't in place yet.  The
> basic sequence for confmeld is to run find on the directory looking
> for regular files then merging them back into the system with
> install_config_file.  The variable STAGED_INSTALL is to turn off the
> stage root feature when using cast.  To turn things off simply
> `STAGED_INSTALL=off cast -c <spell>`. Setting STAGED_INSTALL to "off"
> and only "off" will turn off the stage root feature, anything else
> will keep stage root on.
> 
> === What I'm Expecting From Alpha Testers ===
> Some of the things I'm looking for from alpha testers are as follows:
> 1) does a cast look okay, try different color configurations?
> 2) do things like cast with screen still work well? other features
> from the feature menu?
> 3) does confmeld work? does it need additions? look of the output okay?
> 4) do install logs, md5sum logs, and archives still look okay?
> 
> === How to Set Stage Root Up ===
> Follow these instructions in order and you should get stage root
> sorcery working.
> PRECONDITIONS: You should have test grimoire and devel sorcery
> currently running on the system.  It's recommended to use this in a
> chroot environment first (simply because I'm not too sure about issues
> converting back to normal devel sorcery and test grimoire).
> 1) Get Stage Root Sorcery:
> bzr branch http://scm.sourcemage.org/smgl/sorcery/stage-root
> or if Andrew would publish a source tarball somewhere then get that. ;)
> 2) Install Stage Root Sorcery:
> nothing about the install is different from any other version of
> sorcery, so if you don't know how to do this you probably shouldn't be
> an alpha tester...
> 3) Get Stage Root Grimoire:
> it's in perforce //sgl/grimoires/stage_root
> 4) make sure stage_root grimoire is above your test grimoire:
> so something like this in your /etc/sorcery/local/grimoire file.
> GRIMOIRE_DIR[0]=/var/lib/sorcery/codex/stage_root
> GRIMOIRE_DIR[1]=/var/lib/sorcery/codex/test
> GRIMOIRE_DIR[2]=/var/lib/sorcery/codex/z-rejected
> 5) Install the New Installwatch
> cast -c installwatch
> POSTCONDITIONS: gcc and g++ versions will have changed so if you like
> you can install the parallel installs of gcc and g++.  However, if you
> don't want to do this hold them.  I haven't tested the update from
> current install of gcc to parallel so it probably won't be very
> smooth.
> 
> Thanks a bunch for any comments.
> 
> - David Brown
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