[lxc-users] Question about existing defaults

[Michael H. Warfield]

On Wed, 2014-04-16 at 22:04 -0400, CDR wrote:
> I am using Fedora 20 and try to compile the very latest sources,
> because they bring new utilities that are very useful.
> You would assume, I think, that by using ./configure
> --with-distro=fedora, the right defaults would be pulled over. It is
> not the case. I need to know how to apply the existing defaults if the
> software is already running in the box, so the libraries and utilities
> do not get written to a different places. Particularly annoying is the
> location of the config files.

> In summary, don't we agree that by using the distro name, the software
> should either extract or know the right defaults? Unless somebody has
> a secret way to extract that information from the RPM offered by the
> distribution.

Interesting.  I guess this is one I might field, since I'm responsible
for the Fedora template (which does NOT imply the Fedora build).  I
don't know who the Fedora package manager for the LXC package is and I
haven't heard from him or her.

I, for one, would NOT expect "./configure --with-distro=fedora" to pull
the correct results.  That's from experience, although I've never used
it myself.  It's just something none of us have thought to maintain and
I have never looked into it.  I didn't even know the option was there in
configure.

The Fedora Project itself does not even use the default lxc.spec rpm
spec file from the project but chooses their own .spec file and
packaging.  Largely, the defaults are similar...

I had been using an explicit build based on our .spec file to create tar
files and build rpm files using "rpmbuild -ta" but another contributor,
Dwight (Oracle), pointed out to me that I could just do a "make rpm" in
a source directory and it would to the correct things to create a Fedora
rpm.  I've been very successful doing that and now that's all I do.  It
does the right things.  It uses slightly different packaging from the
"official" Fedora packages but one that's compatible with the Fedora
packaging.

If you are manually running "./configure" and "make" on our sources on
Fedora, my first advice would be DON'T.  You're doing things the hard
way.  I don't even do that with any stock rpm packages I'm working on.
Work through the yum/rpm system.  Run "make rpm" and install the rpms
using "yum localinstall".  That will prevent you from ending up with
conflicting binaries in differing locations.

In this case, it's actually easier to do the right thing than it is to
do the manual thing the hard way.  You're trying too hard.

> Philip

Regards,
Mike
-- 
Michael H. Warfield (AI4NB) | (770) 978-7061 |  mhw at WittsEnd.com
   /\/\|=mhw=|\/\/          | (678) 463-0932 |  http://www.wittsend.com/mhw/
   NIC whois: MHW9          | An optimist believes we live in the best of all
 PGP Key: 0x674627FF        | possible worlds.  A pessimist is sure of it!

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