Base image dependencies

Base image dependencies

[Rod Whitby]

Koen Kooi wrote:
> As part of the OE-testlab I wrote a .dot generator for image contents
> and made a png of
> Angstrom-base-image-glibc-ipk-2007.11RC2-ixp4xxbe.rootfs.tar.gz:
> 
> http://ewi546.ewi.utwente.nl/tmp/test-nolibc-noupdate-nq8.png
> 
> This shows the Depends: (solid lines) and Recommends: (dashed lines)
> fields of the installed packages, but with 'libgcc', 'libc6' and
> 'update_' filtered out for readability.

As a result of this excellent analysis by Koen (thanks!), I'm trimming
task-distro-base and task-machine-base out of base-image.  There are too
many things that distros and machines add using DISTRO_EXTRA_* and
MACHINE_EXTRA_* which are not strictly required to boot, get networking
up, and run ipkg install.

For example, the x86.conf file adds "kernel-modules" to
MACHINE_EXTRA_RDEPENDS which would mean that a base-image for x86 has
*all* kernel modules included in the rootfs.  Things like avahi, whilst
very convenient, are also not strictly required and can be installed
later using tasks.

In my opinion, anything that a machine needs to boot, be accessible by
the default network interface, and be able to run a package manager (if
one happens to be installed by some other means) should be included in
MACHINE_ESSENTIAL_* (and therefore becomes part of task-boot).

Perhaps we also need a corresponding DISTRO_ESSENTIAL_* set of variables
for things that distro requires to boot and be accessible by the default
network interface, and be able to run a package manager (if one happens
to be installed by some other means).  Feed configs would fit into this
category.

-- Rod

Re: Base image dependencies

[Paul Sokolovsky]

Hello Rod,

Monday, December 24, 2007, 2:52:00 AM, you wrote:

> Koen Kooi wrote:
>> As part of the OE-testlab I wrote a .dot generator for image contents
>> and made a png of
>> Angstrom-base-image-glibc-ipk-2007.11RC2-ixp4xxbe.rootfs.tar.gz:
>> 
>> http://ewi546.ewi.utwente.nl/tmp/test-nolibc-noupdate-nq8.png
>> 
>> This shows the Depends: (solid lines) and Recommends: (dashed lines)
>> fields of the installed packages, but with 'libgcc', 'libc6' and
>> 'update_' filtered out for readability.

> As a result of this excellent analysis by Koen (thanks!), I'm trimming
> task-distro-base and task-machine-base out of base-image.  There are too
> many things that distros and machines add using DISTRO_EXTRA_* and
> MACHINE_EXTRA_* which are not strictly required to boot, get networking
> up, and run ipkg install.

> For example, the x86.conf file adds "kernel-modules" to
> MACHINE_EXTRA_RDEPENDS which would mean that a base-image for x86 has
> *all* kernel modules included in the rootfs.

  And this is apparently wrong. Worse, we have even some images which
pull entire kernel module set as if they really had a need for that.

$ grep kernel-modules *
x11-gpe-image.bb:    kernel-modules \
x11-office-image.bb:    kernel-modules \
x11-pimlico-image.bb:    kernel-modules \

  I'm really stumped on how to treat it - as a convenience for user
(please, please let's add mp3 to x11-image then - that will be real
convenience!) or case of older images not migrated to task-base yet.
Even if assume "convenience" case, x11-gpe-image shouldn't really
included them all - that image is on "small" size of images, and kernel
modules, most of which won't be ever used by common user.
office/pimlico images probably can go by with that, as they already
include way too much stuff.

[]

-- 
Best regards,
 Paul                            mailto:pmiscml@gmail.com