Here is my proposal for a new Build Service feature that may prevent linking packages or projects just for rebuild with a new version. Virtual packages and virtual joint projects =========================================== Virtual packages and virtual joint project would be a special type of projects, that are part of a standard binary repository, but they have no source present in the project. It may have several typical use cases: Virtual dependency packages --------------------------- When a project intents to update a library to a newer version, virtual dependency packages and projects may determine packages that will have broken/changed dependencies after installing of a new library. How it should look. Either package or a project should have a new attribute: "Rebuild parent project packages" Possible values: "ignore": Rebuild only packages in this project and nothing else (just the current behavior) "rebuild broken": Rebuild parent project packages, that cannot be used with newer version any more (it typically happens for package, that require exact version it is built against, or packages that don't follow shared library packaging conventions) "smart rebuild": Rebuild packages that require package or symbol that are no more part of the output of the new package. "all dependencies": Behave just like a single repository and rebuild everything which uses the new in the build. Examples of use for particular values: "rebuild broken": Building some modules require the same version of the base package it was build with. When trying to update base package in a project, it will rebuild all such modules. "smart rebuild": Testing package poppler update: New poppler has a new soname and it requires to rebuild all packages that are linked with poppler. However it is possible to install these packages (and use shared library from the parent project), testing of the new library requires to rebuild these package with the new library). "all dependencies": Testing new core package (bison, gcc). All packages, that have this package in BuildRequires on build system will be rebuilt. Virtual package may become non-virtual. If you need to patch one of the packages to be able to rebuild it in the new repository, you have to link it physically to the joint repository. In this moment, package becomes equal to the normal link package, disabled by default. Virtual/non-virtual joint project --------------------------------- Just now, one can include two different projects, that have a disjunctive packages. Virtual joint project would determine packages that will build differently (or break) in one or another parent repository and rebuild them as a separate repository. Virtual joint project could be a separate project that contains rebuilds of packages in the intersection of both project. Virtual joint project may become non-virtual. If you need to patch one of the packages to be able to rebuild it with both projects included, you have to add it physically to the joint repository. In this moment, the joint project feature would be equal to the normal repository with "Rebuild parent project packages" set. Example: Suppose you have a testing repository of new poppler (different soname) and a multimedia:photo with a new version of GIMP (requires poppler). You can easily include both multimedia:photo and poppler test repositories, but you cannot test new gimp with a new poppler. Creating of virtual joint project will automatically detect these packages and rebuild them. There could be again the tag "Rebuild parent projects packages" with the same values as above. Benefits: Virtual packages: Now they are often substituted by links. Several years later, nobody knows, why such link was created and the link may rot there forever. Virtual joint project: It will allow to test result of a dangerous package check-in without actually doing it. -- Best Regards / S pozdravem, Stanislav Brabec software developer --------------------------------------------------------------------- SUSE LINUX, s. r. o. e-mail: sbrabec@suse.cz Lihovarská 1060/12 tel: +420 284 028 966, +49 911 740538747 190 00 Praha 9 fax: +420 284 028 951 Czech Republic http://www.suse.cz/ -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-buildservice+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-buildservice+help@opensuse.org