Re: [gentoo-user] Delayed update semantics

[Alan McKinnon]

On 14/02/2013 21:26, James wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Context: Stable Systems with a few newer packages
> (unmasked) in portage.
>
> Some of the recent discussion threads bounce around the issue
> of solutions being completed a few days after new packages are release.
> Hey, it's Gentoo, we're all keenly aware of this. No problem.
> But, from time to time, I get really distracted from Gentoo
> with other engineering, social and financial issues, as most on this
> list (humanoids refer to this as "having a life") ymmv.
>
>
> So, being the lazy, aging admin/hack/engineer that I am,
> every time I try another distro, it just does not work for
> my needs, so like it or not, I'm stuck with Gentoo.....
> (dont get me wrong, I love Gentoo, just sometimes
> I neglect that (gentoo admin) part of my life for sporadic periods).
>
>
> So, my latest ideas is to "sync up" and then wait one week
> before acutally installing those new packages. This would
> allow the fodder that the good folks on this list catch,
> bitch about (um, I mean file bug reports) and fix, to
> occur first; then I can complete the package update
> cautiously avoiding an "emerge sync".


This is the one that will give you what you want

> But when you "emerge sync" if to do the updates immediately, they'll be
> the latest packages.

So don't do that

> If I do a "emerge sync" and wait
> 7 days to begin updating the packages, I'll be delayed
> by one week, and have a one week  of buffered fixes for added
> problem filtering. But those fixes might not be available
> without a fresh "emerge sync"?

If you see everyone else whinging about X and you want X, then sync and
emerge right now. You will potentially get a bunch of current stuff that
breaks stuff, and you will have to deal with that on the rare occassion
it happens


> When time permits I CAN CHOOSE to "emerge sync" and then immediately
> update the packages and parse through the issues mostly. Call
> this the stable-stable approach to gentoo updates.
>
> Does anyone see any problems or a better way to stay one-week-delayed ?

no, there is no better way.

gentoo does not support partial syncs so you can't be picky


>
> I'm increasingly managing more Gentoo systems, particularly embedded
> and server based gentoo systems and that is the source that compounds these
> time-sink-issues for me.  Maybe some external-integrated management approach
> such as CFengine is my answer?
>
> Your comments and thoughts are most welcome.
>
>
> James
>
>


-- 
Alan McKinnon
alan.mckinnon@×××××.com