Arch Linux

Jacek Poplawski

Member

From: Poland

Registered: 2006-01-10

Posts: 736

Website

kernel26 package

Is it bad idea to split kernel26 package to few smaller packages?

Almost each time I do "pacman -Syu" there a new kernel26 version, I am not sure how it differs from previous one, but if I want to do full update, I need to download 20MB of "new" kernel.

Why not use many smaller packages, just like with xorg?

I am aware of fact that kernel modules and kernel itself must "fit", but still - I need just a kernel and some modules, I don't need all modules in the world, and I am downloading them with each update...

ingvildr

Member

From: Brighton, England

Registered: 2005-04-19

Posts: 203

Re: kernel26 package

you could always add "IgnorePkg=kernel26" to your pacman.conf so it doesn't get updated during a pacman -Syu and then just update it when you wish. Personally i dont like the idea of splitting up the kernel (is it even possible?) into different packages, i dont like the idea of the split xorg7 either  just means more to go through when i look at pacman -Qi 

Sander

Member

Registered: 2006-02-26

Posts: 138

Re: kernel26 package

I think you mean packages that are sorta "diffed" against the previous version, or something, and you download only the differences. Right? I think it's a nice idea, but I'm not sure how that would be implemented, if it's at all possible. Also it's probably a whole lot of work that nobody will want to do 8)

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tomk

Forum Fellow

From: Ireland

Registered: 2004-07-21

Posts: 9,839

Re: kernel26 package

I need just a kernel and some modules, I don't need all modules in the world

The best way to do that, IMO, is to build your own, omitting all the modules you don't need. If your main concern is download bandwidth, you save plenty of that too - download the kernel source (39M) just once, and build it as many times as you like. The trade-off, of course, is the compile time, but you can always schedule that around other activities.

vidal

Member

Registered: 2006-04-03

Posts: 12

Re: kernel26 package

I think you mean packages that are sorta "diffed" against the previous version, or something, and you download only the differences. Right? I think it's a nice idea, but I'm not sure how that would be implemented, if it's at all possible. Also it's probably a whole lot of work that nobody will want to do 8)

Am I wrong thinking that differential updates wouldn't be so difficult to implement? Don't send the whole <pkg>.tar.gz to the client. In stead, get mdsums for all the files in the package which already exist on the client, compare with the ones you have and only send files that are new or different.

Jacek Poplawski

Member

From: Poland

Registered: 2006-01-10

Posts: 736

Website

Re: kernel26 package

The best way to do that, IMO, is to build your own,

I am building kernels since 1998 :-) Arch is first distro where I use distribution kernel, and I am currently not interested in changing it.

colnago

Member

From: Victoria, BC

Registered: 2004-03-25

Posts: 438

Re: kernel26 package

There is just a lot of builds this week, mostly due to some sound server issues.  Usually there can be a long time between the kernel updates.