[CentOS] Anaconda allows x86_64 CD/DVD to be used to install i386 system

[Aleksandar Milivojevic]

Quoting Johnny Hughes <mailing-lists at hughesjr.com>:

> You shouldn't do an install in this manner, because it is broken ...
> however, you could choose to do it.  Anaconda is flexible to allow you
> to do this ... it would not install ia-64 packages (for example) in this
> way, nor will it install x86_64 packages on an i386 install in this way.
>
> What you are asking it to do is valid ... you can install i386 packages
> to x86_64 ... so the system assumes you know what you are doing.

I'm not really sure if this logic is good.  If installation is done  
from "specially designed" x86_64 tree.  Sure, fine, whatever.  The  
user obviously knows what he is doing.  However, if installation is  
attempted from pure i386 tree, I beleive it is better to complain  
(since in all probability, this is not what was intended).  Especailly  
since it is trivial to check what tree is used (second and third line  
of .discinfo).

Or alternatively, the installer should conclude intention was to  
install i386 distro (even if booted from x86_64 media) and configure  
things accordingly.  If intention was to install mixed i386/x86_64  
system (which I totally agree is perfectly legal), person installing  
it sure isn't going to point Anaconda to something that screams "I'm  
i386-only tree".  She's going to point to something that says "I'm  
x86_64 tree", and than customize it by replacing/adding i386 components.

In all likelyhood, this type of installation will be encoutered only  
in this two cases:

  - typo in ks.cfg (points to wrong tree)
  - sysadmin really wants i386 installation, but doesn't have i386 boot CD

Also, the yum should really be fixed.  If I have i386 package  
installed, and it detects x86_64 version of package is newer (but  
there is no corresponding newer i386 package available), it shouldn't  
install x86_64 package (since I know what I'm doing, right?).  At  
least not if my kernel can't run x86_64 (it doesn't help that my  
hardware is x86_64).

For example, this happens with vim-minimal package.  If you look into  
base repository, there's vim-minimal-6.3.046-0.40E.7.i386 and  
vim-minimal-6.3.046-0.40E.7.centos4.x86_64.  Yum will decide the later  
is "newer" (because of centos4 string), pull it, and install it  
(overwriting, not replacing the i386 package).

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