[Pkg-zfsonlinux-devel] Comparing the Debian and Ubuntu version of spl-linux

[Petter Reinholdtsen]

I had a look at the Ubuntu package of spl-linux, to see if we could
reduce the difference between the packages.  This is the diffstat:

 spl-linux-0.6.5.8/.pc                        |only
 spl-linux-0.6.5.8/debian/changelog           |  302 ++++++++++++++++++++++-----
 spl-linux-0.6.5.8/debian/compat              |    2 
 spl-linux-0.6.5.8/debian/control             |   75 ++----
 spl-linux-0.6.5.8/debian/copyright           |    2 
 spl-linux-0.6.5.8/debian/dkms                |    2 
 spl-linux-0.6.5.8/debian/gbp.conf            |    5 
 spl-linux-0.6.5.8/debian/patches             |only
 spl-linux-0.6.5.8/debian/rules               |  128 ++---------
 spl-linux-0.6.5.8/debian/spl-dkms.install    |    2 
 spl-linux-0.6.5.8/debian/spl.install         |    2 
 spl-linux-0.6.5.8/debian/spl.postinst        |only
 spl-linux-0.6.5.8/debian/tests/check.sh      |only
 spl-linux-0.6.5.8/debian/tests/control       |    4 
 spl/.git                                     |only
 spl/debian/README.Source                     |only
 spl/debian/control.in                        |only
 spl/debian/control.modules.in                |only
 spl/debian/source/options                    |only
 spl/debian/spl-dkms.lintian-overrides        |only
 spl/debian/spl-dkms.postinst                 |only
 spl/debian/spl-modules-_KVERS_-di.dirs.in    |only
 spl/debian/spl-modules-_KVERS_-di.install.in |only
 spl/debian/spl-modules-_KVERS_.dirs.in       |only
 spl/debian/spl-modules-_KVERS_.install.in    |only
 spl/debian/spl-modules-_KVERS_.postinst.in   |only
 spl/debian/spl-modules-_KVERS_.postrm.in     |only
 spl/debian/watch                             |only
 28 files changed, 314 insertions(+), 210 deletions(-)

The ubuntu version have two patches:

0001-Revert-Remove-etc-hostid-missing-warning.patch

  This one reinsert a print statement warning about missing /etc/hostid.
  It was written in 2011 by Darik Horn <dajhorn at vanadac.com> and
  included in Ubuntu by Tim Gardner <tim.gardner at canonical.com>.  The
  reverted commit is found in
  <URL: https://github.com/zfsonlinux/spl/commit/6b3b569df30d13ed7bbbff877cffc71290a52f12 >.
  I fail to understand why the change was reverted, but notice the
  Ubuntu package have more code related to /etc/hostid.  The rules file
  claim and the postinst to provide a dummy hostid in the package.  No idea why.

  I have no idea if we want this patch or the rest of the /etc/hostid
  handling in Debian.  I do not understand what problem it is solving,
  as it sound like a fatal problem and we obviously are not seeing it in
  Debian.

0002-Add-COPYING-to-EXTRA_DIST

  The changelog claim this patch should "Add COPYING to EXTRA_DIST var
  so COPYING file lands in package".  But as far as I can tell from
  testing, 'make dist' will include the COPYING file independent of the
  content of EXTRA_DIST, so I fail to understand what problem Ubuntu was
  solving here.

  This patch seem redundant to me, and I doubt we want it in Debian.

In addition to these patches, there is an new autopkgtest check and
changes to the d/rules and d/control setup.  I did not check the details
with the rules and control file changes, but believe we want the new
test code and commited it to git.

Ubuntu uses debhelper level 7/8, while we use level 9.  We have longer
package description than Ubuntu and a fix for the dkms problem I suspect
Ubuntu would like.

All in all, I suspect it should be doable to merge the two packages and
join forces with Ubuntu for maintaining it.  No idea if the people
involved in Ubuntu is interested, though.

-- 
Happy hacking
Petter Reinholdtsen