Pkg Documentation and Mailing List Highlights

I've been trying to get up-to-speed on IPS, the Image Packaging System used by OpenSolaris. The project page has a lot of useful information, including the initial one pager and the manual pages.

There is also a discussion list. They have archives that go back to last September when the list was created. Over the last couple of weeks I've been wading my way through them. I've done this for the same reason that P.J. O'Rourke read The Wealth Of Nations: so you wouldn't have to. There is a lot of stuff there. Megabytes of it. A lot of it is really not interesting unless you are a pkg Python developer. What I've tried to do below is just give pointers to the things that I found interesting, above and beyond what the pkg project pages provide.

This isn't going to be the same things that are useful to others. There have been long debates on various design decisions. If you get off on this kind of thing, then please, just view the archives by thread, and find what excites you the most. If you don't have that kind of time, then maybe some of the links below will get you to the juicer bits.

Personally I would have like to have seen a separate pkg-bug-discuss (or some such name) list for the discussion of the various bug fixes. It would have made it a lot easier to get to the other stuff.

The links are in chronological order. The oldest first. I realize that because IPS/pkg is still being actively developed and is therefore "in flux", that some of these things are going to be out of date or just plain wrong. If you find any such links and have a pointer to better or correct information, then please comment.

Many thanks to the original posters who took the time to write up all this useful information.

• pkg info for developers [link].
  pkg files associated with converting SVR4 packages to IPS repository format [link].
  (archive post).

• Steps used to boot from an image built by IPS [link].

• Multi-platform aspects of image packaging [link].

• How to try Update Center (which is integrating the IPS Packaging system) [link].

• An article by Peter J. Denning: "Mastering the Mess." [link 1]. [link 2].

• An example of how to create an OpenOffice IPS package from the various SVR4 packages [link].

• Early Prototype of what Update Center became [link].

• SFW Buildable Source for OpenSolaris [link]
  (original post).

• How to create my own packages for my application [link].

• Best Practices for Developers document [link].
  (original post).

• Requirements for an OpenSolaris endorsed/reference distro [link]
  (original post).

• Where to submit bugs when you find them [link]

• Latest thoughts on converting package formats [link].

• An example of how to use the solaris.py script [link].

• Indiana IPS and "Imagine Prototype" #2 [link].
  (original post).

• Latest pkg bug list [link].

• Another example of using the solaris.py script [link].

• Using IPS to create minimal OpenSolaris configs [link].

• Setting up Cadmium [link]

• Create your own OpenSolaris IPS repository in a Weekend [link]
  (original post).

• 10 Steps to Caiman Development on Indiana [link].
  (original post).

• Tools to help build an SVR4 package [link].

• How to use the pkg list and search commands [link].

• How to submit a potential fix [link]

• Plans for web interface? What would you like to see? [link]

• Files associated with the Indiana project [link]
  (original post).

• BE library for Snap Upgrade [link]
  (original post)

• Revamping the server Web UI: Basic Action Plan [link].

• Link to Package Manager Screencast [link].

• Getting started with the Image Packaging System [link]
  (original post).

• Packaging rules /guidelines and HOWTO [link]
  (original post).

• How to handle hg (Mercurial) merges [link].

• IPS supported actions [link].
  (original post).

• A field guide to zones in OpenSolaris 2008.05 [link]
  (original post).

• Script to make a copy of pkg.opensolaris.org repository [link].
  (original post).

• An example of how to install a package into a different location [link].

• Tool to generate file lists in format compatible with pkgsend include files [link 1] [link 2] [link 3]

• How to determine what your direct dependencies are [link].

• How to define dependencies [link]

• /contrib repository rough proposal [initial post].
  (Also read the numerous replies in this thread, to get a fuller picture of the challenges involved).

• Is this an SVR4 package or an IPS package? [link]

• Simple example of how to publish an SVR4 package [link].

• Example of IPS packaging [link].
  (original post).

• Building JDS on OpenSolaris [link].
  (original post).

• IPS Packaging Best Practices When Using the Update Center Toolkit [link].
  (original post).

• Finding the dependancies of a package [link].

• Suggestion on how to debug ksh quoting problems [link].

• Getting involved with contributing packages to IPS [link]

• Sample Python script for testing progress on two data threads [link].

[Technorati Tag: OpenSolaris]

[Technorati Tag: IPS]

[Technorati Tag: Packaging]

( Aug 11 2008, 01:59:13 PM PDT ) [Listen] Permalink Comments [1]