[gentoo-dev] Keeping net-fs/ncpfs and net-misc/ipx-utils around?

[Joshua Kinard]

Throwing a question out there on whether to keep both the net-fs/ncpfs and
net-misc/ipx-utils packages around any longer.  Kernel upstream removed both
the IPX (Internetwork Packet eXchange) protocol and NCPFS (NetWare Core
Protocol Filesystem) support back in ~4.18 due to lack of maintenance.  I
know the code in both generally worked fine back then, as I have a few
NetWare VMs that I was able to mount filesystems from in Linux, even on my
MIPS hardware.

However, it is effectively a dead protocol and dead filesystem for a dead
operating system (NetWare).  I don't see anyone resurrecting IPX/NCPFS and
updating to get it re-included it in the kernel, either.  I was tempted once
to try, but I just don't have the time anymore.

I think we're one of the last distros to even keep IPX/NCPFS-related
packages around long-term.  With no viable upstream for ncpfs anymore, and
with no kernel support in Linux (or even FreeBSD; they deprecated IPX in
~10.0-RELEASE), I think it's time to remove this package and any related
packages.

One catch is, sys-kernel/gentoo-sources still keeps 4.4, 4.9, and 4.14
stable kernel series around.  These can still technically use IPX/NCPFS, and
therefore, there might be users using it.

A quick poll of the portage tree suggests these changes are needed:

Delete USE flag reference:
    net-analyzer/hydra
    profiles/use.local.desc (remove hydra's local 'ncp' entry)

Remove ebuilds:
    net-fs/ncpfs
    net-misc/ipx-utils

Remove filesystem reference?:
    sys-apps/mlocate/files/updatedb.conf

Remove reference to 'ipx-utils':
    profiles/license_groups


Thoughts?

-- 
Joshua Kinard
Gentoo/MIPS
kumba@g.o
rsa6144/5C63F4E3F5C6C943 2015-04-27
177C 1972 1FB8 F254 BAD0 3E72 5C63 F4E3 F5C6 C943

"The past tempts us, the present confuses us, the future frightens us.  And
our lives slip away, moment by moment, lost in that vast, terrible in-between."

--Emperor Turhan, Centauri Republic