December 2023 - Arch-dev-public - lists.archlinux.org

Consolidating our mkinitcpio hooks
by Morten Linderud 03 Mar '24

03 Mar '24

Hi, Currently we have a lot of our mkinitcpio hooks in several packages which has never been consolidated. This makes it confusing where stuff belong and what is provided where, and I really want to consolidate everything. It would help keeping up the development of the hooks, patch everything and ultimately write a test suite for mkinitcpio. I also have long term plans on moving the default hooks from busybox to systemd, but this will happen at a later point. Initially I really want to move the hooks from `cryptsetup` and `systemd`: * encrypt and sd-encrypt from core/cryptsetup * systemd and udev from core/systemd We could maybe consider a few other hooks from [core] depending on peoples opinion? We are missing a good networking hook for systemd, and that should preferably be solved at some point. A list of possibly other relevant mkinitcpio stuff: Hook Package * btrfs btrfs-progs * dmraid dmraid * mdadm mdadm * mdadm_udev mdadm * lvm2 lvm2 * sd-lvm2 lvm2 * net mkinitcpio-nfs-utils * netconf mkinitcpio-netconf # Migration It's unclear to me how we should best move these hooks. We would need to merge them upstream into `mkinitcpio` first, then remove them from the packages. Is a news item is enough for this? Or do we want to include a couple of package constraints to ensure people are accidentally removing their hooks? What are peoples opinions? -- Morten Linderud PGP: 9C02FF419FECBE16

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RFC Final Comment Period: Make dbus-broker our default D-Bus daemon
by Jan Alexander Steffens (heftig) 16 Dec '23

16 Dec '23

An RFC has now entered its Final Comment Period. In 14 days, discussion will end and the proposal will either be accepted, rejected or withdrawn https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/rfcs/-/merge_requests/25 Please visit the above link for discussion. Summary: Make dbus-broker our default D-Bus daemon, while still allowing the venerable dbus-daemon to be used and minimizing the disruption of existing installations.

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RFC: Add -fno-omit-frame-pointer and -mno-omit-leaf-frame-pointer to default compilation flags
by Morten Linderud 16 Dec '23

16 Dec '23

A new RFC (request for comments) have been opened here: https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/rfcs/-/merge_requests/26#note_149849 Please visit the above link for discussion. Summary: Add ``-fno-omit-frame-pointer`` and ``-mno-omit-leaf-frame-pointer`` to the default compilation flags to improve the effectiveness of profiling and debugging tools. I'm sponsoring this on behalf of Daan De Meyer. -- Morten Linderud PGP: 9C02FF419FECBE16

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Stepping down as Python maintainer
by Felix Yan 13 Dec '23

13 Dec '23

Hello, For the past ten years (and several days) I have been the guy maintaining Python itself and some libraries in Arch. It's been a long journey and I learned a lot from it. I was a web back-end developer back then, and I used Arch as the base OS of our company's servers and system-wide Python packages as the runtime. The server and website are still running today, but I am no longer developing Python very frequently these days. Plus, Python's type-hinting has been a headache for me for years and lowered my interest in contributing to upstream projects a lot. In the past, the large cross-minor-version Python rebuilds were done with either Evangelos' rebuilder or my own island solution. I understand Arch's striving to improve bus factor and formalizing process, so I am making room for others to try on the 3.11 and 3.12 rebuilds. As Jelle has progressed a lot now, I feel it's approaching the right time for me to step down as the Python maintainer. I will be disowning many of my no longer used Python module packages in the following days, so that they could find a better maintainer either in the Arch team, or later in the AUR if they are going to be dropped. Please also consider adopting the main python package and let me know :) -- Regards, Felix Yan

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Arch Linux in November 2023
by Levente Polyak 12 Dec '23

12 Dec '23

## Arch Summit 2023 The Arch Summit took place in Hamburg, Germany, on November 4th and 5th, bringing together Arch Linux staff and invited guests. The summit provided an opportunity for the staff to connect, socialize, and delve into discussions regarding various aspects of our distro. A range of topics were explored including but not limited to infrastructure and mirror management, rebuilders for packages, signing enclave, mkinitcpio, packaging tooling improvements, and community building. Reports on these discussions will be published later. A special thanks to "adesso SE" for generously sponsoring the event, offering an excellent venue and catering support. ## Bug migration We are happy to announce that the migration from Flyspray to GitLab is complete. 🥳 Bug reports and Merge Requests for packages or Arch Linux projects can now be found on GitLab. For more details, check out the [related Arch Linux news post][0]. ## Testing Team To join the [Arch Testing Team][1], simply drop an email to `arch-testing-accounts(a)archlinux.org`. This transitions the process to a [team-based][2] approach that not only speeds up the account setup process but also provides a more collaborative environment through the GitLab service desk. If you're keen on diving into contributing to Arch Linux, joining the Arch Testing Team is a fantastic way to kickstart your involvement. 🚀 ## bugbuddy [Bugbuddy v0.2.0][3] has undergone significant updates, including the periodic refresh of maintainer and staff data from ArchWeb, ensuring the automatic reflection of package orphaning and adoption. Additionally, package maintainers can now opt-in to be assigned to unconfirmed issues for their packages. Furthermore, default labels for severity and priority have been added, and merge requests have been streamlined with automatic assignment to package maintainers. ## mkinitcpio mkinitcpio v37 has been released. Notable changes include the `consolefont` hook now using the kbd project's `setfont`, resolving past issues. Furthermore, the `autodetect` hook introduced a workaround for a race condition with `udevadm settle` and includes all possibly needed modules as an alternative fallback, preventing incomplete initramfs images and potential unbootable systems. Check out the [mkinitcpio v37 release announcement][4] for more details and additional changes. ## dbscripts Recent updates enhance atomicity by consolidating a unit of work and implementing robust error handling. Concurrency issues have been resolved by replacing outdated locking code with a modern, convenient API, and adopting less error-prone locking through flock. These changes collectively address various scenarios that previously resulted in inconsistencies between operations and had the potential to corrupt the repository state. ## alpm-types alpm-types has been released in version 0.4.0 introducing various smaller fixes and improvements. More information can be found in the [changelog][5]. ## Pacman Pacman is in the final stages of [preparing its next major release][6], version [7.0.0][7]. Additionally, collaborative efforts with an external auditor for the audit of the package manager and libalpm have been initiated. Stay tuned for more information and announcements around this exciting development in the near future. [0]: https://archlinux.org/news/bugtracker-migration-to-gitlab-completed/ [1]: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Arch_Testing_Team [2]: https://gitlab.archlinux.org/groups/archlinux/teams/testing/admins/-/group_… [3]: https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/bugbuddy/-/releases/v0.2.0 [4]: https://lists.archlinux.org/hyperkitty/list/arch-projects@lists.archlinux.o… [5]: https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/alpm/alpm-types/-/blob/0.4.0/CHANGEL… [6]: https://lists.archlinux.org/hyperkitty/list/pacman-dev@lists.archlinux.org/… [7]: https://gitlab.archlinux.org/pacman/pacman/-/milestones/1

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phoc phosh phosh-mobile-settings dropped from [testing]
by Jelle van der Waa 11 Dec '23

11 Dec '23

Hi all, I pushed 0.34 of phosh to [testing] but it sadly does not start on my x86 tablet, so I've pulled it out of testing until that is fixed. Greetings, Jelle

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Arch Linux in October 2023
by Levente Polyak 10 Dec '23

10 Dec '23

## Staff We would like to welcome [Christian Heusel (gromit)][0] to the Arch Linux DevOps team, expanding his responsibilities. ## bugbuddy The initial version of [Bugbuddy][1], our GitLab bug bot, has been introduced. This tool assigns package maintainers to confirmed GitLab issues in the packaging group. Notably, the code has undergone substantial improvement, now operating as a daemon process that can promptly respond to GitLab webhook calls. ## dbscripts The `db-remove` command has been streamlined, eliminating the need to pass an `arch` parameter by adding automatic resolution. Moreover, the `db-update` command now properly checks staged packages against staging/testing, addressing a loophole that previously caused state inconsistencies. Additionally we've enhanced the development process by parallelizing test execution, massively reducing unit testing duration. ## RFC In late 2021, an [RFC was proposed][2] to rename the `Trusted User` role to `Package Maintainer`, aligning it with the role's evolving nature within the Arch staff. The RFC, voted positively in late 2022, has now resulted in the successful renaming across various Arch resources, including the [Packaging Bylaws][3], [ArchWeb][4], [AURWeb][5], [ArchWiki][6], and the "[What can I do for Arch Linux?][7]" page. ## ArchWiki The [ArchWiki has been updated to MediaWiki 1.40][8], necessitating adjustments to the ArchLinux extension due to upstream changes in the Vector 2022 skin. This has prompted consideration of [switching to the Timeless skin][9]. Additionally, there has been a switch from PNG to SVG images in the wiki for article status templates and statistic histograms. The wiki now features the addition of [Extension:Thanks][10] and [Extension:DiscussionTools][11], offering users a streamlined way to express gratitude and heavily simplifying discussions on talk pages. ## ArchISO The ISO now provides a `/boot/grub/loopback.cfg` file which GRUB and Super GRUB2 Disk users can use to boot the ISO file without needing to manually specify the kernel, initrd and kernel command line parameters. Documentation on utilizing the `loopback.cfg` file is available both [upstream][12] and on [ArchWiki][13]. [0]: https://lists.archlinux.org/hyperkitty/list/arch-devops@lists.archlinux.org… [1]: https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/bugbuddy/ [2]: https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/rfcs/-/merge_requests/7 [3]: https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/package-maintainer-bylaws/-/merge_re… [4]: https://github.com/archlinux/archweb/pull/478 [5]: https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/aurweb/-/merge_requests/755 [6]: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=ArchWiki_talk:Requests&oldid=790… [7]: https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/neoasknot/-/merge_requests/84 [8]: https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/infrastructure/-/merge_requests/747 [9]: https://github.com/archlinux/archwiki/pull/71 [10]: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Thanks [11]: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:DiscussionTools [12]: https://www.supergrubdisk.org/wiki/Loopback.cfg [13]: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Multiboot_USB_drive#Arch_Linux_monthly_rel…

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RFC: Make dbus-broker our default D-Bus daemon
by Jan Alexander Steffens (heftig) 08 Dec '23

08 Dec '23

A new RFC (request for comment) has been opened here: https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/rfcs/-/merge_requests/25 Please visit the above link for discussion. Summary: Make dbus-broker our default D-Bus daemon, while still allowing the venerable dbus-daemon to be used and minimizing the disruption of existing installations.

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Proposal: Automating release artifacts signing and deployment
by Kristian Klausen 02 Dec '23

02 Dec '23

Hi all, nl6720 has proposed[1] that DevOps create a CA for signing the iPXE and initramfs release artifacts. The goal is to be less dependent on a single person's signing key. After dialogue on IRC, we came to the conclusion, that maybe automating signing of the release artifacts (ISO included) is feasible. So the plan we came up with: 1. DevOps creates a CA with a lifetime of 10 years and stores it in their vault 2. DevOps binds a private key to the TPM on secure-runner1.archlinux.org[2] and create a CSR 3. DevOps signs the CSR with the created CA 4. DevOps creates a dedicated GitLab runner, on the mentioned server, with direct access to the TPM and restricted to specific GitLab projects 5. DevOps assigns the runner to the releng project[3] 6. The releng team set up automation for signing the release artifacts with the TPM To keep the implementation simple, the plan is to sign the ISO with `openssl cms` instead of OpenPGP. With that done, the next step would be the automatic synchronization to the mirros and archweb integration. We would like some input on the approach mentioned. If no concerns are raised, we will start implementing it. [1] https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/infrastructure/-/issues/548 [2] Server for running pipelines for trusted Arch Linux projects [3] https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/releng/ Cheers, Kristian Klausen

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News Draft: "Bugtracker migration to GitLab completed"
by gromit 01 Dec '23

01 Dec '23

Hello everyone, as we have completed the bugtracker migration it would be good to post a news item about it. Please give feedback if you have any about the draft below! Cheers, klausenbusk & gromit --- # Bugtracker migration to GitLab completed We are happy to announce that the migration of the bugtracker to GitLab is done! 🥳 This means the issue tracker and merge requests on the Gitlab package repos are now enabled. The old bugtracker will subsequently be closed down. For archiving reasons there will be a static copy so that links (for example the randomly picked [Task #56716][0]) are still stable, migrated bugs have a closing comment pointing to the new URL on GitLab. Packaging bugs are now opened on the repo hosting the corresponding packaging sources, the "Add a new Bug" Button on the package page on archlinux.org will automatically direct you to the correct place to open the issue. The workflow afterwards is mostly the same, first our [Bug Wranglers][1] will have a look at the issues and triage them and then they will be handed over to the respective [Package Maintainers][2] to fix. A list of all issues can be found [here][3]. If you do not have an account for GitLab already please write us a mail with your desired username to accountsupport(a)archlinux.org as advised in the banner! Thanks to everyone who has helped during the migration! [0]: https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/56716 [1]: https://gitlab.archlinux.org/groups/archlinux/teams/bug-wranglers/-/group_m… [2]: https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/teams/package-maintainer-team [3]: https://gitlab.archlinux.org/groups/archlinux/packaging/-/issues

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