Subject: Re: NetBSD System Packages: ORIGINAL PROPOSAL
To: Jim Wise <jwise@draga.com>
From: Chris G. Demetriou <cgd@netbsd.org>
List: tech-pkg
Date: 01/30/2000 22:05:24
Jim Wise <jwise@draga.com> writes:
> 1.2.1 Root/User/Share separation
> 
>   In order to support a variety of system configurations, it is crucial
>   that the new package system support the possibility of some part of
>   a system residing on a server and possibly being shared between
>   multiple machines on a network.  A machine which has some filesystems
>   local and some shared must, at the very least, be able to add and
>   remove packages from local filesystems, and should be able to
>   determine what packages have been added or removed from the volumes
>   mounted over the network.
> 
>   The most common shared configurations are to have a system share
>   /usr/share from the network, and have all other filesystems local,
>   or to share the entirety of /usr from the network, and maintain
>   local root and /var hierarchies, possibly as a single filesystem.
>   Other commonly shared hierarchies include /usr/X11R6 and /usr/pkg.

It would also be _very_ useful to install packages for diskless
systems on a server system with this mechanism.

"pkg_add -p ..." will probably do the right thing if nothing's done to
break it, but it's something that should be tested, etc.



chris
-- 
Chris Demetriou - cgd@netbsd.org - http://www.netbsd.org/People/Pages/cgd.html
Disclaimer: Not speaking for NetBSD, just expressing my own opinion.