Re: Bulk builds do not run on NetBSD 9.2

[David Brownlee <abs%absd.org@localhost>]

On Tue, 10 Aug 2021 at 13:31, Greg Troxel <gdt%lexort.com@localhost> wrote:
>
> Martin Husemann <martin%duskware.de@localhost> writes:
>
> > On Tue, Aug 10, 2021 at 11:52:00AM +0000, nia wrote:
> >> > It still seems needed to me.   My view is more or less (and I think this
> >> > is all #if NetBSD):
> >>
> >> >   - a system with /var/db/pkg that is not explicitly configured to use
> >> >     it (mk.conf and pkg_install.conf both) is misconfigured
> >>
> >> This means NetBSD is misconfigured by default :/
> >
> > Hey, I have an idea ...
> >
> > couldn't each repo of binary pkgs (for NetBSD) come with a x509
> > certificate chain and some config files to drop into the empty system
> > (or merge if reasonable) that configure pkgs for the PREFIX used and
> > set up proper PKGDB config?
> >
> > And then make the bin pkgs signed (with a certificate in that chain
> > and the other end of the chain being a master NetBSD bin pkg
> > certificate, pre-installed with the NetBSD distribution).
> >
> > We just need to agree on a name and contents for that info and then have
> > a script that gets things going before the first binary pkg is added.
>
> I am not sure if you are serious.
>
> As I see it pkgsrc decided to change the standard location for pkgdb.
> So while it's possible now, as it was before, for any individual person
> to change all manner of deafult settings, it's nonstandard to have the
> db in /var/db/pkg.
>
> We have always had the view that bulk builds for distribution should be
> built with default options, for NetBSD at least.
>
> Concrete improvement steps (some of these may be done already; I don't
> install that often)
>
>   If pkg_add is ok with starting from no database, change 8/9/current to
>   not install any pkgdb directories.
>
>   If pkg_add is not really ok with no database, or maybe anyway, change
>   8/9/current to install /usr/pkg/pkgdb.
>
>   In installer for upgrade, warn and point to pkgdb-change if
>   /var/db/pkg exists.
>
>   Configure all TNF builders to have databases in /usr/pkg/pkgdb and no
>   /var/db/pkg.
>
>   Maybe, adjust checks for /var/db/pkg to be more of "/var/db/pkg exists
>   and this is a bug" flavor.

100% in favour of the above.

A possible addition would be to make the /var/db/pkg check only
trigger if there is metadata for any packages in /var/db/pkg, rather
than just the directory existing, which would probably avoid the issue
which started this thread.

>   Continue to tell poeple that PKG_DBDIR should be set in mk.conf and
>   install.conf.   So far I think people doing that are not having
>   trouble.

I have slightly mixed feeling on this - I feel that unless someone is
wanting to customise PREFIX or similar they should not need to be
pointed towards PKG_DBDIR

David