[arch-releng] dual arch CDs [was: A TODO draft for next installation media]

[Dan McGee]

On Thu, Feb 18, 2010 at 2:16 PM, Aaron Griffin <aaronmgriffin at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Feb 18, 2010 at 2:04 PM, Dan McGee <dpmcgee at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Thu, Feb 18, 2010 at 1:14 PM, Thomas Bächler <thomas at archlinux.org> wrote:
>>> That would leave us with:
>>> - kernel x86_64
>>> - initrd x86_64
>>> - kernel i686
>>> - initrd i686
>>> - packages core-any
>>> - packages core-i686
>>> - packages core-x86_64
>>> - squashfs base system i686
>>> - maybe overlay-any
>>
>> All 3 of the "packages" things can go in one big directory anyway- the
>> filenames are all unique since we put the architecture in the package
>> filenames. That would make the mounting process a lot less complex as
>> nothing would need to change between what kernel, processor, etc. you
>> are booting up on or want to install. Only the installer would care.
>
> Eh, maybe not. We'd have two "core.db.tar.gz" files that'd overlap.
> It's doable, just a little more hairy than it seems.
>
> Something like core-i686.db.tar.gz and core-x86_64.db.tar.gz would
> need [core-*] sections in the pacman.conf

Oh man, I almost know the package manager. Whoops.

Looking at it another way, just throw all the above in a single
directory, and leave the "repo" bare with just the DB only. Use the
single directory as a package cache and it will work (and should never
actually have to download any packages). This also keeps the FTP
install from needing to download packages that are on the CD. I'm sure
we do something similar but this does reduce the complexity again.

-Dan