[arch-general] Dependency Hell
Hi all, I have ZFS (from AUR) and VirtualBox (from Community) installed. The problem is that these both dependend typically on very specific kernel versions, and usually ("usually" being a subjective and ill-defined term slanted by when and how often I update my system; at least once per day) cause dependency failures which prevent *ANY* upgrades from being processed. As such, my /etc/pacman.conf contains an ignore declaration: IgnorePkg = linux zfs-git spl-git virtualbox virtualbox-host-dkms virtualbox-host-modules So once in a while, I'll comment out my IgnorePkg and attempt a system update and expect it to fail because getting the kernel, ZFS, and VirtualBox all to line up at the same time feels like, to quote Scotty, "trying to hit a bullet with a smaller bullet, whilst wearing a blindfold, riding a horse." Is there any graceful solution here? Clearly the three won't (can't) ALL be bleeding edge simultaneously, but is there a sane workaround to keep them as-current-as-possible without pacman barfing on everything else. It's not immediately obvious to me how to combine IgnorePkg, HoldPkg, and NoUpgrade to achieve the desired result. Thanks, -Chris -- Chris Tonkinson 610.425.7807 "Lead, follow, or get out of the way." -Thomas Paine
On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 3:27 PM, Chris Tonkinson
Hi all,
I have ZFS (from AUR) and VirtualBox (from Community) installed. The problem is that these both dependend typically on very specific kernel versions, and usually ("usually" being a subjective and ill-defined term slanted by when and how often I update my system; at least once per day) cause dependency failures which prevent *ANY* upgrades from being processed.
As such, my /etc/pacman.conf contains an ignore declaration:
IgnorePkg = linux zfs-git spl-git virtualbox virtualbox-host-dkms virtualbox-host-modules
Looking at your IgnorePkg line, I assume you have both virtualbox-host-{dkms,modules} installed. Why? In the end they both provide the modules, only one is needed.
So once in a while, I'll comment out my IgnorePkg and attempt a system update and expect it to fail because getting the kernel, ZFS, and VirtualBox all to line up at the same time feels like, to quote Scotty, "trying to hit a bullet with a smaller bullet, whilst wearing a blindfold, riding a horse."
Is there any graceful solution here? Clearly the three won't (can't) ALL be bleeding edge simultaneously, but is there a sane workaround to keep them as-current-as-possible without pacman barfing on everything else. It's not immediately obvious to me how to combine IgnorePkg, HoldPkg, and NoUpgrade to achieve the desired result.
Yes they can, just install virtualbox-host-dkms and zfs-dkms-git, and build the modules via dkms. No need for ugly workarounds.
Thanks, -Chris
-- Chris Tonkinson 610.425.7807
"Lead, follow, or get out of the way." -Thomas Paine
Cheers, -- Maxime
On 07/15/2014 03:27 PM, Chris Tonkinson wrote:
Hi all,
I have ZFS (from AUR) and VirtualBox (from Community) installed. The problem is that these both dependend typically on very specific kernel versions, and usually ("usually" being a subjective and ill-defined term slanted by when and how often I update my system; at least once per day) cause dependency failures which prevent *ANY* upgrades from being processed.
As such, my /etc/pacman.conf contains an ignore declaration:
IgnorePkg = linux zfs-git spl-git virtualbox virtualbox-host-dkms virtualbox-host-modules
So once in a while, I'll comment out my IgnorePkg and attempt a system update and expect it to fail because getting the kernel, ZFS, and VirtualBox all to line up at the same time feels like, to quote Scotty, "trying to hit a bullet with a smaller bullet, whilst wearing a blindfold, riding a horse."
Is there any graceful solution here? Clearly the three won't (can't) ALL be bleeding edge simultaneously, but is there a sane workaround to keep them as-current-as-possible without pacman barfing on everything else. It's not immediately obvious to me how to combine IgnorePkg, HoldPkg, and NoUpgrade to achieve the desired result.
Thanks, -Chris
If vbox is installed from community, then its module should always be built against latest kernel in [extra]. That means that zfs-git is only one that causes the problems. Removing it, installing all updates, then reinstalling it might be a way forward. Welcome to Archlinux/AUR combination. -- Note: My last name is not Krejzi.
Tue, 15 Jul 2014 09:27:30 -0400
Chris Tonkinson
It's not immediately obvious to me how to combine IgnorePkg, HoldPkg, and NoUpgrade to achieve the desired result.
They have nothing to do with each other, so you don't "combine" them. 'NoUpgrade' is intended for local files (that are not specified in a 'backup' array in a package) which should never be overwritten by pacman. In 8 years with Arch I don't think I've ever used that option; it's usually only a matter of hours/days from filing a bug and convincing the maintainer to consider something as config/'backup' file to a new pkg. 'HoldPkg' is kind of a last resort measure to keep you from doing something really stupid and only concerns the package removal process. With what you're trying to achieve, 'IgnorePkg' is the only thing to consider. --byte
participants (4)
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Armin K.
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Chris Tonkinson
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Jens Adam
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Maxime Gauduin