Make ppc64 secondary arch - don't block builds (was: Dealing with ppc64 BRs)

[David Woodhouse]

On Mon, 2007-08-06 at 16:35 +0200, Axel Thimm wrote:
> And shouldn't ppc64 (or any half-built arch) had been automatically
> introduced as a secondary arch anyway to not mess with normal
> packaging workflow?

ppc64 is a bit of a special case. We never used to build Extras for
ppc64, and with the merge we suddenly started to do so. Mostly things
just work, but anything 'special' like ocaml needed to be ported (which
I've mostly done but needs more testing and final debugging --
freetennis segfaults after startup).

So it's not like any other 'new' arch would be, where we would attempt
to build all the packages offline and would have all necessary
ExcludeArches in place _before_ we add the new arch to the build system.

You should just add the ExcludeArch, with corresponding bug on the ppc64
ExcludeArch tracker. When we get ocaml built, we'll round up the
dependent packages and rebuild them too.

>  Even if the intention were to elevate it later to
> a primary arch someday? What will happen with the next arch that will
> be added? Have all packages ExcludeArch it to start with?

All packages which don't build would have the necessary ExcludeArch and
corresponding bug filed in advance, yes. And the packages which _do_
build would be present in the builder's repository when it comes online.

Any package which fails to build when it _used_ to build OK is probably
worth at least glancing at, because it's actually quite likely to be a
generic problem . But you don't _have_ to -- nothing prevents package
maintainers from just filing an ExcludeArch if they can't be bothered to
look, just as nothing prevents them from closing all bugs WORKSFORME
just because they don't happen to trip them up in their own usage of the
package.

For packages which have never built on ppc64 and which don't build when
you first try them, I don't think anyone can fault you for just
excluding ppc64 and waiting for the arch team to deal with it. Please do
remember to file the bug and put it on the tracker though.

-- 
dwmw2