Comment # 15 on bug 1125327 from Martin Wilck

Test of Michal's patch under SLE11-SP4-GA. TL;DR: It all works as designed.

> # uncomment and edit the "multiversion" settings in zypp.conf, like this:
> $ grep ^multiversion /etc/zypp/zypp.conf 
> multiversion = provides:multiversion(kernel)
> multiversion.kernels = latest,latest-1,running
> # install test package with patch from Michal
> $ zypper in mkinitrd-2.4.2-106.12.1.x86_64.rpm
> # add SLE11-SP3 repo to simulate a system with old kernels
> $ zypper ar http://dist.suse.de/update/build-ncc.suse.de/SUSE/Updates/SLE-SERVER/11-SP3/x86_64/update sp3-update
> # install a test package that requires "xen-kmp-default"
> $ zypper in ineed-0.1-2.1.noarch.rpm
> # install two kernels from SLE-11-SP3 (running kernel is SP4 one).
> $ rpm -qa kernel-default-base kernel-default xen-kmp-default | sort
> kernel-default-base-3.0.101-0.8.1
> kernel-default-base-3.0.101-0.15.1
> kernel-default-base-3.0.101-63.1
> kernel-default-3.0.101-0.8.1
> kernel-default-3.0.101-0.15.1
> kernel-default-3.0.101-63.1
> xen-kmp-default-4.2.3_02_3.0.101_0.8-0.7.9
> $ rpm -q --whatrequires xen-kmp-default
> ineed-0.1-2.1

Now purge-kernels should uninstall the oldest kernel, as the requirements of
xen-kmp-default are met by the latest-1 kernel (3.0.101-0.15.1). This succeeds:

> $ /sbin/purge-kernels
> Removed:
>     kernel-default-base-3.0.101-0.8.1.x86_64
>     kernel-default-3.0.101-0.8.1.x86_64
> $ /sbin/purge-kernels
> /sbin/purge-kernels: Nothing to do.

Now I remove "latest-1" from the multiversion configuration.

> $ sed -i 's/multiversion.kernels = latest,latest-1,running/multiversion.kernels = latest,running/' /etc/zypp/zypp.conf
> $ grep ^multiversion.kernels /etc/zypp/zypp.conf 
multiversion.kernels = latest,running
> $ /sbin/purge-kernels
> error: Failed dependencies:
> 	xen-kmp-default is needed by (installed) ineed-0.1-2.1.noarch
> /sbin/purge-kernels: giving up.

This is expected because of the ineed -> xen-kmp-default ->
kernel-default-base-
3.0.101-0.8.1.x86_64 dependency chain.

Note that this happens only if a newer xen-kmp-default package (for the SP4
kernel) is not installed. If I install that package, the SP3 kernel can be
uninstalled:

> $ zypper in xen-kmp-default-4.4.2_08_3.0.101_63-1.7.x86_64
> $ rpm -qa kernel-default-base kernel-default xen-kmp-default|sort
> kernel-default-3.0.101-0.15.1
> kernel-default-3.0.101-63.1
> kernel-default-base-3.0.101-0.15.1
> kernel-default-base-3.0.101-63.1
> xen-kmp-default-4.2.3_02_3.0.101_0.8-0.7.9
> xen-kmp-default-4.4.2_08_3.0.101_63-1.7
> $ /sbin/purge-kernels 
> Removed:
>     kernel-default-3.0.101-0.15.1.x86_64
>     kernel-default-base-3.0.101-0.15.1.x86_64
>     xen-kmp-default-4.2.3_02_3.0.101_0.8-0.7.9.x86_64