Re: [isar 0/1] Fix non-reproducible issue due to localepurge

[Henning Schild <henning.schild@siemens.com>]

Am Wed, 13 Apr 2022 12:15:47 +0000
schrieb <Venkata.Pyla@toshiba-tsip.com>:

> Hi Henning Schild,
> 
> Thank you for the comments.
> 
> Please find my comments inline.
> 
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: isar-users@googlegroups.com <isar-users@googlegroups.com> On
> >Behalf Of Henning Schild
> >Sent: 11 April 2022 16:24
> >To: pyla venkata(ＴＳＩＰ) <Venkata.Pyla@toshiba-tsip.com>
> >Cc: isar-users@googlegroups.com; jan.kiszka@siemens.com; dinesh
> >kumar(ＴＳＩＰ) <dinesh.kumar@toshiba-tsip.com>; hayashi kazuhiro(林
> >和宏 □ＳＷＣ◯ＡＣＴ) <kazuhiro3.hayashi@toshiba.co.jp>
> >Subject: Re: [isar 0/1] Fix non-reproducible issue due to localepurge
> >
> >Am Sun, 10 Apr 2022 22:32:28 +0530
> >schrieb venkata.pyla@toshiba-tsip.com:
> >  
> >> From: venkata pyla <venkata.pyla@toshiba-tsip.com>
> >>
> >> Hello all,
> >>
> >> Replying to this mail conversation,
> >> (https://groups.google.com/g/isar-users/c/JCgpWU_pFJU/m/IwlYTmzQBQAJ)
> >>
> >> For the problem "debconf cache non-reproducible", I figured out a
> >> solution in isar system itself.  
> >
> >Generating configuration items and placing them before a package gets
> >installed is very common. It is not only done by Isar but very
> >likely by many packages in debian that cater for other packages.
> >
> >What you are suggesting is not a generic solution to "debconf cache"
> >being non-reproducible. It is just a quirk to hide the problem in
> >that one case for that one package.  
> 
> Yes I agree with you, Ideally this should be fixed from each package
> if they have such non-reproducible behaviour.

I would want to bet that there are some packages which show similar
problems directly from upstream, but likely more in downstream isar
layers. Because a debian package on its own will simply bring its
default config, every deviation will come from something else ... like
ansible, puppet, isar ... 

> I reported a bug today in the Debian package bug-tracking system,
> though I don’t have solution for that, but I want to start discussion
> and get some solution going forward.
> https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1009639

I am not sure that is a valid debian but either, they could just tell
you to install first and configure later. The non default config is not
coming from debian.

> Meanwhile we can use this trick to bypass non-reproducible problem,
> what's your opinion?

I would prefer a way/idea to deal with such problems in
general. Like a quality checker script that would warn about a
populated conf cache, or a postprocess rule to clear the cache.

That would be a real good thing, while your patch is only a workaround
for an exotic potential problem most people do not really care too much
about.
We know anyways that an isar build is never 100% reproducible ... just
try a wic run and binary diff the resulting images instead of diffing
the files on mounted partitions.

regards,
Henning

> >
> >Maybe the cache just needs to be excluded from the image, or cleaned
> >or whatever.
> >
> >And i guess we should have some infrastructure in Isar to find "non-
> >reproducible" build issues also available for any layers. Because
> >layers is where the real complexity is, not those relatively boring
> >example images you find in isar.
> >
> >regards,
> >Henning
> >  
> >> The problem is that, in isar system, in-order to remove unwanted
> >> locales from the system image, it is installing the localepurge
> >> package after its configuration is copied, due to this when the
> >> package post-installation script triggered the ucf check, it
> >> creates a debconf cache entry with the new configuration change
> >> (which is non-reproducible).
> >>
> >> This would be avoided if localpurge package is installed first and
> >> then copy required configuration to remove unwanted to locales from
> >> the system image.
> >>
> >> Created below patch to fix non-reproducible problem, please review
> >> and provide your feedback.
> >>
> >> venkata pyla (1):
> >>   image-locales-extension: Do localepurge configuration after
> >>     installation
> >>
> >>  meta/classes/image-locales-extension.bbclass | 33
> >> ++++++++++---------- 1 file changed, 17 insertions(+), 16
> >> deletions(-) 
> >
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