> > One more clarifying question: > > > > > > Thus a third thing the README could advise on is how Debian Developers > > > > and > > > > Debian sysadmins are advised to build CI systems and test upgrade paths > > > > for > > > > the next 10 years as what worked in the past 10 years does not apply > > > > as-is > > > > anymore. > > > People using CI systems will get an updated debootstrap in the next > > > point release and everything will be fine. > > > > Do you refer above to the next Bookworm point update (scheduled on Dec > > 9th according to https://release.debian.org/) or do you mean in > > general that all CI upgrades tests will start working after the next > > point release of both Bookworm and Bullseye and Buster? > > > > I am currently struggling to grasp how I should get for example > > MariaDB 10.5 / Buster to MariaDB 10.11 / Bookworm testing running > > again as usrmerge 38 removed the workaround the CI was relying on. > > Example of current CI run: > > https://salsa.debian.org/mariadb-team/mariadb-server/-/jobs/4945062. > > Are you saying that a point release of Buster is going to do something > > that CI systems can continue to operate? > > Just create the chroot for the CI with --merged-usr and all will be > fine. Debootstrap in Buster is not going to be updated to do it > automatically, only in Bookworm/Bullseye.
Thanks Luca for clarification. So seems we need to get bookworm removed from https://github.com/debuerreotype/debuerreotype/blob/60b625d1ce31bd81525bb67fc3a33f9686bc3433/examples/debian.sh#L183 so that the 'debuerreotype' will run debootstrap for both bookworm and bullseye with '--usr-merged'. Once that is done, we need to wait for to the code in https://github.com/debuerreotype/docker-debian-artifacts/tree/dist-amd64 to run to generate new images of official Debian Docker images at https://hub.docker.com/_/debian. This will fix upgrade testing from Bullseye to Bookworm if I understood correctly. Later the same needs to be done for other Debian derivatives as well (see https://github.com/search?q=repo%3Adebuerreotype%2Fdebuerreotype%20merged-usr&type=code). For that to be done somebody first needs to research what version of each derivative adopted usrmerge version 38, and for Ubuntu and others that carry patches we need to have researched and documented if those patches are material and change the distro release versions when usrmerge is forced or workaround (of usrmerge 38) is removed. And the usrmerge README should definitely be extended to be very clear about that globally everyone who administers Debian systems and have any kind of CI system to test upgrades no longer can do it for Buster to Bookworm tests. While Debian policy always has stated that jumping releases is not possible, it has in practice been possible and now with usrmerge 38 that expectation has a hard reset.
