[CentOS-devel] Re: CentOS Errata

Wed Sep 5 15:49:03 UTC 2007
Kevan Benson <kbenson at a-1networks.com>

On Wednesday 05 September 2007 07:25, Karanbir Singh wrote:
> Kevan Benson wrote:
> > A side venture of mine.  A centralized heterogeneous update notification
> > system.  Instead of listing package names, it links directly to the OS's
> > supplied errata page, condensing multiple packages to the single errata
> > the references them.  Email me off list if you want more info than that.
>
> Could you not achieve the same result with a yum plugin that just displays
> the update portion of a package changelog, along with its name and version
> when you ask for a 'yum list updates'?

If I was relying on yum entirely, probably.  I really meant heterogeneous.  As 
in windows, OS X, Solaris, as well as yum, apt and urpm based systems.  
Besides that, does the RPM metadata have names and links to errata?

> > There may not be a need, but it is very nice to be able to go to your OS
> > vendor's web page and search for anything that might affect your system,
> > or for info regarding a specific package and actually have information
> > available.
>
> We have spoken about this a few times, in various forums, and there really
> isnt a sane mechanism to get package list, machine state, extra non-rpm
> apps and other security related info from a machine - tunel it out over a
> secure link into ( for example ) a centos mirror network, and then give the
> user feedback on whats due and what the relevent errata state for the
> machine is -> unless we adopt a rhn like ( or redcarpnet / zenworks like )
> agent process. Call me odd, but at this stage I am not all that keen on
> implementing something of that nature.

Yeah, it does take an agent, and that's what I did.  I'm not really referring 
to the update notification system as being a CentOS thing, that's a separate 
commercial venture I have.

> > I'll admit, it does fit my above stated goal, but that's not the only
> > reason I think it's worthwhile.  Every other enterprise OS has their
> > errata listed online.  CentOS seems to be in the somewhat unique
> > situation of having an upstream provider that has most the errata listed,
> > so there's been less of a drive for this.
>
> not sure I understand, http://lists.centos.org/ has a list you can get to
> via a webbrowser and even search around there for info if you like.

I think one of us is referring to apples, the other apple pie.

I'm not questioning the availability of the information, just it's 
presentation and accessibility.

-- 
- Kevan Benson
- A-1 Networks