At 2012-06-20 0:00:21, Tony Sidaway <tonysida...@gmail.com> wrote: Summary: I want to turn my main system into a semi-automatic follower of "-current" and I think this strategy may useful to the project. Is this something that is already being done?
My rationale here is that it's a good thing for OpenBSD users who have the technical skills to follow development as closely as possible, Running from a tightly synchronized copy of "-current" enables the user to produce the most useful bug reports in a timely manner. Seeing a list of CVS updates also helps the user to understand how the project is ticking. While not a system expert, I've got a lot of application development skills to offer but I'm also lazy enough to want to script the laborious process of following "-current". I've searched for automated update tools for "-current" but I don't see what I think should be there. What I have in mind is a layered set of tools that keeps the /usr/src, /usr/xenocara and /usr/ports trees up to date by regular synchronization, then builds a kernel if a successful sync occurs. I have enough slack time to make this easy on my main system. The idea is that the system regularly (nightly) synchronizes all three main source directories, then rebuilds and installs the latest GENERIC kernel if synchronization is successful. As owner I can decide whether or not to reboot into the new kernel. I then have the option of starting a rebuild of the userland to synchronize it with the kernel. The same procedure can perhaps try to sync the installed packages (# pkg-add -u). Perhaps also an automated script to rebuild installed packages from the synchronized ports tree. This would enable users like me to quickly check our bugs against the latest build with kernel, userland and ports all synchronized thus encouraging us to make a bug report in the knowledge that it will be useful. If there is an RSS feed for the "Following current" page that can be folded in. I've got a prototype that tries to do most of these steps. Am I reinventing the wheel? Does this kind of thinking fit in with OpenBSD project requirements? Please let me know. I'm interested in helping OpenBSD in any way I can. Up to now I've followed Snapshots, but I find that less than satisfactory because from that point of view the development process is removed and rather opaque. My scripts enable me to watch the workflow across the project, and give me a feeling of involvement that I could not get from upgrading from binary image every few days. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> What may be a slightly faster method of tracking close to current: http://www.tedunangst.com/snapper.html I haven't used it in a while, because I used to build the kernel with NTFS support, and never got back to using it after that became part of GENERIC. -- Ed Ahlsen-Girard Ft. Walton Beach FL
