Subject: configuring packages as a separate step

From: [email-masked] (Bruce Perens)
Date: Tue, 20 Aug 96 21:45 PDT

From: Casper BodenCummins <[email-masked]>
> I like your suggestion of configuring packages as a separate step.

There may be a bit of misunderstanding here. I did an update of my system
from the "rex" (unstable) directory today using the FTP method of dselect.
Updating from "rex" is a good way to get new bugs, but developers have to
do that. Anyway, the system downloaded and installed all the updated packages
and then configured all of the updated packages. Is this not what your system
does?

In any case, you can use "dselect" to _select_ all of the packages you
want, and then exit dselect and run "dpkg" to install and then select
the ones you've selected. You'll have to figure out the right flags,
but you should be able to separate the installation and configuration
steps. I think this is exactly what "dselect" does - it just runs
"dpkg" once to install, and once to configure.

Am I not understanding the problem?

	Thanks

	Bruce

---

From: Casper BodenCummins <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 15:28:46 +0100

Perhaps I misunderstand the dselect installation process, but I thought
that dselect unpacks the all selected packages before running the
installation and configuration scripts. If one configuration goes badly
wrong, doesn't this leave a bundle of unpacked and unconfigured packages
lying about?

Probably confused,
Casper Boden-Cummins.

>----------
>From: 	[email-masked][SMTP:[email-masked]]
>Sent: 	21 August 1996 05:45
>To: 	Casper BodenCummins; [email-masked]'
>Subject: 	configuring packages as a separate step
>

---

From: [email-masked] (Bruce Perens)
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 96 15:54 PDT

> wrong, doesn't this leave a bundle of unpacked and unconfigured packages

The scenario you are describing is:
1. All dependencies are satisfied by the set of packages you're installing.
2. Dselect unpacks them, and starts to configure them.
3. One of the configuration scripts returns error status.

If it's an upgrade that breaks, it's supposed to back out the upgrade
cleanly. I don't know how well that works, but it's what I I think I read
in the (new, excellent!) programmers documentation in the dpkg 1.3.6
package (in the "rex" distribution).

A number of packages that depend on the broken package may be left in the
unconfigured state. If an upgrade was backed out successfully and they
don't require the _new_ version, they should configure.

Now, no doubt this does not all work as well as it should. If you'd like
to help out (and stick out your neck a bit), you might try installing
dpkg-1.3.6 and running it through its paces. Bug reports would be greatly
appreciated as we want to release this software in Debian 1.2 . Do read the
existing bug reports on it first, and consider if you want to subject your
system to untested software of this critical a nature.

	Thanks

	Bruce