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On 3/26/2019 10:22, Michał Górny wrote: |
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> On Mon, 2019-03-25 at 15:19 -0400, Joshua Kinard wrote: |
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>> Throwing a question out there on whether to keep both the net-fs/ncpfs and |
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>> net-misc/ipx-utils packages around any longer. Kernel upstream removed both |
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>> the IPX (Internetwork Packet eXchange) protocol and NCPFS (NetWare Core |
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>> Protocol Filesystem) support back in ~4.18 due to lack of maintenance. I |
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>> know the code in both generally worked fine back then, as I have a few |
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>> NetWare VMs that I was able to mount filesystems from in Linux, even on my |
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>> MIPS hardware. |
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>> |
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>> However, it is effectively a dead protocol and dead filesystem for a dead |
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>> operating system (NetWare). I don't see anyone resurrecting IPX/NCPFS and |
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>> updating to get it re-included it in the kernel, either. I was tempted once |
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>> to try, but I just don't have the time anymore. |
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>> |
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>> I think we're one of the last distros to even keep IPX/NCPFS-related |
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>> packages around long-term. With no viable upstream for ncpfs anymore, and |
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>> with no kernel support in Linux (or even FreeBSD; they deprecated IPX in |
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>> ~10.0-RELEASE), I think it's time to remove this package and any related |
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>> packages. |
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>> |
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>> One catch is, sys-kernel/gentoo-sources still keeps 4.4, 4.9, and 4.14 |
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>> stable kernel series around. These can still technically use IPX/NCPFS, and |
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>> therefore, there might be users using it. |
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>> |
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>> A quick poll of the portage tree suggests these changes are needed: |
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>> |
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>> Delete USE flag reference: |
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>> net-analyzer/hydra |
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>> profiles/use.local.desc (remove hydra's local 'ncp' entry) |
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>> |
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>> Remove ebuilds: |
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>> net-fs/ncpfs |
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>> net-misc/ipx-utils |
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>> |
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>> Remove filesystem reference?: |
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>> sys-apps/mlocate/files/updatedb.conf |
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>> |
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>> Remove reference to 'ipx-utils': |
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>> profiles/license_groups |
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>> |
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>> |
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>> Thoughts? |
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>> |
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> |
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> Last rite them with 60 day period. If someone actually uses them, |
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> you'll learn about it and get some data to decide how to proceed |
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> afterwards. Plus, users who actually might still use them would get |
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> a fair warning they're going to be dropped in the future. |
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> |
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|
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Thanks, good advice. I've created a bug for myself (#681820) and opted for |
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75 days, as 60 days is too close to a major US holiday period where I might |
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be preoccupied. |
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|
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-- |
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Joshua Kinard |
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Gentoo/MIPS |
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kumba@g.o |
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rsa6144/5C63F4E3F5C6C943 2015-04-27 |
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177C 1972 1FB8 F254 BAD0 3E72 5C63 F4E3 F5C6 C943 |
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|
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"The past tempts us, the present confuses us, the future frightens us. And |
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our lives slip away, moment by moment, lost in that vast, terrible in-between." |
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|
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--Emperor Turhan, Centauri Republic |
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