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pkgbuild – building Solaris packages using RPM-like recipes

Damien Carbery, Laszlo (Laca) PeterDesktop teamSun Microsystems

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Building SVr4 packages the old way

• Build the code any way you want> typical OSS package: ./configure; make; make install

• Write a pkginfo file:> package metainfo, like name, version, description

• Write a prototype file:> list of files and attributes

• Write a dependency file• Run pkgmk

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Problems

• Lots of typing> boring> error prone

• Building a new version of the same package?> lots of typing again

• So tedious, people try to avoid packaging> binary tarballs> worse: “make install” (build from source)

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Building package the RPM way

• Building and packaging in one step• Simple text based build recipe (spec file):> metainfo (name, version, description, etc.)> sources and code changes (patches)> build instructions (tiny shell scriptlets)> package contents (globs)

• Reproducible build

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rpmbuild + Svr4 → pkgbuild

• Uses rpm-like spec files• rpmbuild CLI and messages• Builds the code just like rpmbuild• Produces SVr4 packages• Need a package?> write a spec file> run pkgbuild or pkgtool

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rpmbuild + Svr4 → pkgbuild

• Uses rpm-like spec files• rpmbuild CLI and messages• Builds the code just like rpmbuild• Produces SVr4 packages• Need a package?> write a spec file> run pkgbuild or pkgtool

> DONE!

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What's inside a spec file?

• Source code availability (URL)• Local code changes (unified or context diffs)• Build instructions• Lists of files to package up (globs)• Package scripts• Metainfo• Build-time and package dependencies• changelog

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Differences from rpmbuild

• Solaris specific metainfo• Support for class action scripts• Volatile/editable files• Multilevel spec files> %include - like #include in C> %use - combine multiple modules into a package (and

reduce # of packages).

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Demo!

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pkgbuild/pkgtool differences

• pkgtool copies source files and patches to SOURCES, and %use'd and %include'd files to SPECS. It doesn't copy the main spec file (the one specified on the command line).• pkgbuild does not copy any files – it expects the

files in SOURCES and SPECS.• pkgbuild does not create log file – displays output

on stdout.

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Advantages of spec files

• all info in one place• simple human and machine readable format• lots of docs and expertise available• easy to rebuild individual packages• easy to upgrade to a new version

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Demo!

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More Solaris spec files!

• JDS project• xfce project at opensolaris.org• spec-files-extra (a.k.a. SFE)> 200+ community contributed spec files> popular open source apps like emacs > spec files moved from SFE to JDS and vice versa

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Does SFE compete with Blastwave?

• No, different target audience• SFE only targets Solaris Nevada (SX:CE/SX:DE)• Builds based on the latest Solaris and GNOME bits• No duplication of Solaris components• Blastwave provides a build machine for SFE

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Would you like to help?

• Write a spec file for your favourite app• Build existing spec files• Report bugs• Update packages to the latest version available

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More info

• http://pkgbuild.sf.net/• http://pkgbuild.sf.net/spec-files-extra• http://opensolaris.org/os/project/jds• http://opensolaris.org/os/project/xfce