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Installing packages that provide kernel modules in Gentoo is a real pain. |
| 2 |
Several packages that are among the annoying ones are mplayer and svgalib. They |
| 3 |
only provide a single module, but would require complete recompilation on a |
| 4 |
kernel upgrade. Since they are not SLOTted, reverting to an older version of |
| 5 |
the kernel requires another recompilation. |
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|
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I want to suggest a different system in respect to installing kernel modules. |
| 8 |
|
| 9 |
- Kernel modules are not to be recorded in /var/db/pkg/category/package/CONTENT |
| 10 |
at all. This is the point that may be the most conflicting, but I personally |
| 11 |
do not think that this would affect things a great deal. The |
| 12 |
/lib/modules/<version> directories have plenty of files that are not recorded |
| 13 |
anywhere anyway (files created by "make -C /usr/src/linux/ modules_install) |
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|
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- Introduce new functions that can be included in ebuilds called something like |
| 16 |
compile_modules() install_modules(). Also introduce a --modules (or similar) |
| 17 |
switch to portage that will only execute those functions and thus effectively |
| 18 |
only install the modules that a package provides. |
| 19 |
|
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- emerge --modules cannot be executed if a package is not emerged already. |
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|
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- Emerging a package would, of course, also install the modules. (i.e. "emerge |
| 23 |
--modules" is a subset of "emerge") |
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|
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- Since emerge --modules can only be run on an already emerged package, and |
| 26 |
since the files it installs are not recorded in CONTENTS there is no need to |
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touch the files in /var/db/pkg on an "emerge --modules". |
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|
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- Emerging a package that provides kernel modules records the package to |
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/var/cache/edb/modules in a manner similar to world. This way the user can |
| 31 |
simply "emerge --modules modules" and they can install modules to their new |
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kernel. |
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|
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Expecting your comments and I hope we reach some kind of solution. |
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|
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-- |
| 37 |
/\ Georgi Georgiev /\ Ignorance must certainly be bliss or there /\ |
| 38 |
\/ chutz@×××.net \/ wouldn't be so many people so resolutely \/ |
| 39 |
/\ +81(90)6266-1163 /\ pursuing it. /\ |
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|
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-- |
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