pkgfs - Build packages from s(cratch|ource) It is a simple package system manager that uses Xstow to allow packages to be available at a master directory. Multiple versions of a package can be installed, because they can be enabled or disabled at the master directory anytime, to e.g allow testing different versions of the same package by "stowning" or "unstowning" them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HOW TO USE IT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once you download it, you should edit the configuration file located at the pkgfs directory. By default it uses the pkgfs directory in your $HOME. If PKGFS_CONFIG_FILE is not set or specified from the command line with the -c flag, it will first try to use the default location at /usr/local/etc/pkgfs.conf, and as last resort in current directory. Once that you read the "pkgfs.conf" file and configured it, you can start installing packages by using the command: $ pkgfs.sh install glib Please note that it's assumed that PKGFS_TEMPLATESDIR is properly defined and actually contains valid template files. While installing your first package, if pkgfs couldn't find the Xstow program specified at the configuration file with PKGFS_XSTOW_CMD, the Xstow package will be installed and "stowned". If the package is properly installed, it will be "stowned" automatically. ``stowned´´ means that this package is available in the master directory, on which ``Xstow´´ has created links from DESTDIR/. To remove a currently installed (and stowned) package, you can use: $ pkgfs.sh remove glib Please note that when you remove it, the package will also be removed from PKGFS_DESTDIR and previously "unstowned". pkgfs uses some db(1) btree files, to record what packages are currently "stowned". Once you install successfully or stown a package, the package will be registered in PKGFS_DESTDIR/.pkgfs-registered-pkg.db. While "unstowning" a package, it won't be available anymore in the master directory and therefore it probably won't work if used from PKGFS_DESTDIR/. Summary, to stow an already installed package (into PKGFS_DESTDIR/): $ pkgfs.sh stow glib and to unstow an already installed (stowned) package: $ pkgfs.sh unstow glib You can also print some stuff about any template, e.g: $ pkgfs.sh info glib To list installed (stowned) packages, use this: $ pkgfs.sh list To only extract the distfile, without configuring/building/installing: $ pkgfs.sh -i install foo To not remove the build directory after successful installation: $ pkgfs.sh -C install blah To only fetch the distfile: $ pkgfs.sh -e install blah To only install the package, _without_ stowning it into the master directory: $ pkgfs.sh -i install blob That's all for now folks. I hope you find it useful, as I do. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PERFORMANCE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ pkgfs is really fast, trust me. That was one of my reasons to make my own pkgsrc/ports alike system. If you want benchmarks, here is one; building libX11 (all deps installed) with pkgfs: 217.00s real 103.23s user 29.96s system versus pkgsrc (make install clean): 229.22s real 112.75s user 54.79s system The difference in this package might not be too big as I might think... but anyway, 12 seconds faster is not that bad. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HOW TO MAKE TEMPLATES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A template in pkgfs is just a small text file with a few variables that are required to build the package. pkgfs should be easy to work on, and making templates shouldn't be too hard... if you have made any pkgsrc, it should be trivial. The required variables are: pkgname, build_type, extract_sufx, url and checksum. Also there are some optional, like make_cmd, wrksrc, configure_args, configure_env, make_build_args, make_install_args, etc. Please take a look at the example.tmpl file located in the templates/ directory. Also to help you creating templates and dependencies, there's a script that will ask you some required information and will create the template file once the distfile is downloaded: mktmpl.sh. Try it and let me know if you have any problem or suggestion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Juan Romero Pardines