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NAME

       em_autogrip - create and maintain an Emdebian Grip repository

Synopsis

        Syntax: em_autogrip -b PATH [OPTIONS] [COMMAND [PACKAGES ...]]
                em_autogrip -?|-h|--help|--version

        Commands:
        -b|--base-path PATH:           path to the top level grip directory [required]

        -p|--package PACKAGES ... :    add binary package(s) to the repository
        -s|--source  PACKAGES ... :    add source package(s) to the repository
        -t|--testing:                  only work on testing instead of unstable
          --noskipold:                 reprepro option for newly added packages
          --missing:                   print a list of missing source packages
          --build-depends:             print a list of missing build dependencies
          --britney:                   print the status of testing migrations

        -?|-h|--help|--version:        print this help message and exit

       Options:
        -n|--dry-run:                  check which packages would be processed
        -m|--mirror MIRROR:            use a different Debian mirror for
       updates
                                       [default:
       http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian]
          --filter-name STRING:        alternative name for the filter
       repository
          --grip-name STRING:          alternative name for the grip
       repository
          --add-new:                   if a source package is found to be
       missing,
                                        or outdated in unstable, add it to the
       list.

Description

       The default is to update all the packages so far existing in the filter
       repository, in all architectures.

       After adding binary packages, ensure that em_autogrip is run without
       any options so that any missing source packages and any other Emdebian
       TDebs can be updated.

       Although em_autogrip will setup the initial configuration files for the
       repository, it will not modify any existing files *except* the pkglist
       filter that prevents the mirror adding unwanted packages.

       In particular, em_autogrip will only handle unstable by default.
       Migrations to testing and stable, even the creation of testing and
       stable, are not handled by em_autogrip. em_autogrip defaults to
       including packages into unstable and will only include packages
       directly into testing in "--testing" mode when updating to versions of
       packages uploaded into Debian via testing-proposed-updates or when
       catching up with a new (or stalled) repository. "--testing" mode
       requires a pre-configured testing configuration in "reprepro".

       Public repositories should also use Secure-Apt by adding a value for
       SignWith: to each distribution in the Grip repository (there is no
       point signing the filter repository as it should not be public).

       em_autogrip also updates the locale repository, shared by Emdebian Grip
       and Emdebian Crush.

       Note that em_autogrip will only update the *binary* package(s)
       specified, even when it includes the full source package. This is down
       to how reprepro runs the filtered update - all binary packages expected
       to be listed in ’dpkg --get-selections’ are included and even if a
       source package includes another binary, it will not be downloaded in
       the reprepro update. As em_autogrip does not actually build any
       packages from source, unless reprepro downloads the pre-built binary
       into the filter repository, that binary package will not be available
       to em_autogrip. This means that the same source package in Debian may
       be listed as generating a *smaller* number of binary packages in
       Emdebian Grip.

Bugs

       Problems with the automatic gripping of packages:

        1. Source packages need to complement binary packages.
        2. Binary packages with the same name as the source package cause both
           to be included
        3. Some such binary packages cause unwanted dependencies to be added.
        4. Some Architecture:all packages are dependencies of packages that only
           exist on some architectures, which breaks the edos-debcheck.

       An example of 3. is lsb. An example of 4. is acpi-support-base.

       The source package lsb is needed to complement lsb-desktop but the lsb
       binary package is a meta-package for the entire lsb suite which brings
       in all of Qt.

       acpi-support-base is Architecture: all but depends on acpid which is
       Architecture: any [i386 amd64] - i.e. acpi-support-base should only
       exist on i386 and amd64 but as it is Architecture: all, it gets added
       to arm, armel, mips, mipsel and powerpc as well - at which point it has
       to be removed. There are ongoing discussions about such packages.

        http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2009/01/msg002.html

Signal:Noise ratio in output

       One important point here - reprepro outputs a lot of messages and may
       include lots of statements about errors and checksum mismatches,
       ’skipping foo’ and ’downgrading bar’ from and to the same version. The
       problem is that the useful information is hidden within all the noise,
       so not all reprepro STDERR (or STDOUT) output can be simply ignored.
       For now, just go by effects. If something is broken, look for errors
       that relate specifically to that package but ignore "errors" where
       everything is fine. Something like that. More work in the
       Emdebian::Grip module should isolate duplicate operations and
       unnecessary work, which in turn, should cut out most of the noise.

Using add-new

       In --testing mode, em_autogrip checks for packages that have missing or
       outdated source packages in unstable and outputs a sample command that
       can be run to fill the gap. If --add-new is used, that sample command
       will be run - it does mean that --add-new requires --testing and that a
       second run of --testing without --add-new will be needed. This support
       is part of grip_cron.sh

Build dependencies

       In the absence of a quicker way to identify which real package
       Provides: a virtual dependency, apt-cache showpkg is used against the
       main system cache. If this machine is not running Debian unstable, the
       list may be inaccurate or skip dependencies that are provided by
       packages that are only available in unstable (or if running stable,
       packages which are only in unstable or testing).

Repetition

       If a package fails to build from source in Debian, "em_autogrip" will
       keep on trying to update it until the same version exists in the filter
       repository for all supported architectures.

       Equally, manual tinkering with packages in the Grip repository, e.g.
       adding modified versions for testing, will cause the original Debian
       version to keep appearing in the "em_autogrip" updates and reprepro
       will ignore the built package as long as the modified version is
       higher.

Old packages

       "em_autogrip" does not handle removals from the archive - these are
       manual within Debian too. Packages that only exist in stable or
       oldstable will confuse "em_autogrip", especially if the old package
       name is ’Provided’ by another package which already exists in Grip.
       e.g. postgresql.

Architecture list

       The list of architectures supported by a particular Grip setup cannot
       be easily changed - a lot of repository updates are needed before new
       architectures can be added to the array. Existing architectures can be
       dropped relatively easily. Sequence is unimportant.

        @archlist = qw/i386 amd64 arm armel powerpc mips mipsel/;

recursive edos considered risky

       Recursion is still risky so edos is left as a manual step.  The problem
       appears to be that once the repository gets out of step with Debian, an
       update must happen before edos can be resolved. Once the repository is
       up to date, edos can be run, apparently, without problems. Testing
       continues to see if simply moving the function lower in the flow
       resolves the problems.

Copyright and Licence

        Copyright (C) 2007-2009  Neil Williams <codehelp@debian.org>

        This package is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
        it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
        the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or
        (at your option) any later version.

        This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
        but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
        MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
        GNU General Public License for more details.

        You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
        along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.