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On Thu, 11 Nov 2004, Jason Thorpe wrote:

>
> On Nov 11, 2004, at 1:41 PM, Daniel Carosone wrote:
>
>> I (in clever sysadmin mode) can certainly see strong arguments for
>> multiple DBDIR's, such as the shared /usr (or shared /usr/pkg!)
>> examples.  I can also predict potential problems where dependencies
>> exist between packages in different shared filesystems that can be
>> seen and manipulated only in part from different machines, and that
>> the tools will need to help me figure out what i've done wrong at
>> least.
>
> I think I've come around to the opinion that "shared /usr" or "shared /usr/pkg"
> is a configuration that a power user should figure out for themselves, and not
> something that we should try to support in the base tools.

While I agree in general -- note that there is no `shared /usr' flag or 
pkgsrc metadata being discussed -- the tools we provide should not 
actively make this possibility harder.

In the current world order, pkg_info on a system where file systems 
are mounted from another host will show no information on pkgs thus 
obtained, and the symlink farming to make this work is relatively 
painful.

As simple a mechanism as allowing PKG_DBDIR to be a ${PATH}-style 
searchable list of package db dirs gives the clever admin the tools he 
needs to figure this problem out for himself without adding undue 
complexity to the default case, IMO.

- -- 
				Jim Wise
				jwise@draga.com
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