vcron renamed to vixie-cron?!?!

drumgod · n00b Joined: 12 Dec 2003 Posts: 61

Hi all,

I have a system I started an "emerge world" on last night. All my systems have vcron installed. I get in this morning and notice it's giving an error about not being able to add vixie-cron to the dependancies because vcron is already providing cron service. Sure enough env-update does this:

lisa · Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2003 7:34 pm Post subject:

Vixie-cron was added to replace vcron. It is the same package it just has a new name to distinguish it from another package called vcron.
_________________
Distcc guide
Visit my website
I maintain Distcc, Ccache, Memcached, and some others (i think)

drumgod · n00b Joined: 12 Dec 2003 Posts: 61

Um okay,

I have several questions now.

1. So what is the vcron I see now with "emerge -s vcron"?

2. Is that going to go away to be replaced with a new vcron that isn't vixie-cron?

3. If 2. is "yes", when?

4. If 2. is "yes", what is the proper method to migrate from the "vcron" that is on my seven other Gentoo boxes to the "new" vixie-cron?

5. Why did this one box decide to migrate to vixie-cron by itself?

6. Why was this self induced migration unsuccessfull?

7. How do I repaire/finish this unsuccessfull self induced migration attempt?

8. Is there a mailing list for "Upcoming updates that could potentially screw up your system"?

Questions 7. and 4. are the most important to me at the moment...
Followed by 8.

I'm thinking that since the system that tried to migrate itself has installed "vixie-cron", but that all of the service dependencies and init scripts are from "vcron", I should do a "rc-update del vcron default" followed by a "rc-update add vixie-cron default" and then manually remove the vcron script from /etc/init.d?

Would that safely and appropriately clean up this boo boo?
Again, how would I go about it on the other machines (still showing vcron installed)?

drumgod · n00b Joined: 12 Dec 2003 Posts: 61

Doh! Okay, I just noticed your link to the dev mailing list archive. That answers the first few questions and sort-of the last. I have no intention of developing for Gentoo but would *really* like to know when this sort of stuff is going to happen. (I got bit pretty hard when the Apache directory structure stuff changed as well.) Is there a list for just that? Or, do I have to filter through all the dev stuff to pull out the change notices?

TIA

EDIT: Okay, double-doh! I just found the mailing-lists list on gentoo.org. I'm not sure how I missed that the first time I looked. :oops:

I'm going to try out gentoo-announce and see if that has what I'm looking for.

I'm still hoping for some insight as to the best way to fix/migrate to the newly named vcron package from the old.

Thanks.

zeek · Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2003 3:03 am Post subject:

I shudder when I see problems like this.

What good could come out of renaming vcron vixie-cron? Are dcron and fcron being renamed also? No they are not.

Whoever did this needs to learn that endless refactoring of code and directory re-organization isn't progress. All those lost cycles of people figuring out the new format could've been better spent elsewhere.

I love Gentoo, but I've been bitten by similar BS in the past.

ciaranm · Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2003 3:33 am Post subject:

The name 'vcron' is incorrect, and the package should always have been called 'vixie-cron'. The name change fixes this naming bug. 'dcron' and 'fcron' are the correct names for the apps, so no change is needed there.

HTH

zeek · Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2003 4:42 am Post subject:

seemant · Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2003 4:46 am Post subject: MY FAULT

Hi Guys,

OK, this was my screw up because I got confused after I did the move. Let me explain. vcron is actually vixie-cron strictly speaking. That is to say "vixie-cron" is its proper name. It's not been an issue until I realised that if you look up "vcron" at freshmeat.net you see a visual cron editor of some sort. So the naming "vcron" for "vixie-cron" is clearly incorrect.

Therefore, I decided to move it to vixie-cron (using /usr/portage/profiles/updates/4Q-2003). As part of the move, it fell on me to adjust the installation instructions. Except, I didn't realise how GRP works. Now I do. It turns out that GRP installers get a static portage tree so they still have to do emerge -k vcron, NOT emerge -k vixie-cron because the latter will fail. Anyway, currently both vcron and vixie-cron are in the tree and the updates file has been updated again with the move information.

For any inconvenience caused, please feel free to send me hate mail or set up hate sites about me.

I do sincerely apologise for this kerfuffle.

ciaranm · Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2003 4:54 am Post subject: His fault!

drumgod · n00b Joined: 12 Dec 2003 Posts: 61

seemant · Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2003 7:14 pm Post subject: vcron->vixie-cron

Hi drumgod

OK, the situation as it stands currently:

root sephora # grep vcron /usr/portage/profiles/updates/4Q-2003
move sys-apps/vcron sys-apps/vixie-cron

So, whenever you emerge sync next, your boxes will automatically migrate to vixie-cron from vcron. What will remain, however, is the /etc/init.d/vcron script, which you'd be better off to rename to vixie-cron.

As a matter of policy, we don't touch files in /etc so I can't do this move automatically for you, however, I am seriously considering making the exception in this case.

If you already have vcron emerged and do emerge vixie-cron, you'll get the messages you saw. In that case, you'll have both a vixie-cron initscript and a vcron initscript in /etc/init.d So, first:

rc-update del vcron default
rm -f /etc/init.d/vcron
rc-update add vixie-cron default

Hope that answers your questions

mOjO_420 · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2003 12:15 pm Post subject:

FYI... part of the fallout from this is that i now get this:

masseya · Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2004 5:55 pm Post subject:

tomk pointed out that there are a lot of people having issues with this. The official solution thread is here: Minor service dependancy annoyance... Please post there for further assistance on this topic.

Moving from Portage and Programming.