[CentOS] Why so many updates already for CentOS 5

Sat Apr 14 18:04:01 UTC 2007
Stephen John Smoogen <smooge at gmail.com>

On 4/13/07, John Summerfield <debian at herakles.homelinux.org> wrote:
> Johnny Hughes wrote:
> > On Fri, 2007-04-13 at 12:03 +0100, Karanbir Singh wrote:
> >> Mário Gamito wrote:
> >>> Hi,
> >>>
> >>> I've just installed CentOS 5.
> >>> I issued a yum update, and to my astonishment there are already 75 MB of
> >>> updates.
> >>> And i didn't even installed X.
> >>>
> >>> Why is this ?
> >> These are packages that have been updated since the time CentOS-5's
> >> package tree was frozen upstream. Btw, you might want to check what the
> >> updates are - its possible you have more software installed on the
> >> machine than you need.
> >>
> >> - KB
> >
> > To explain this a little more ... here goes:
> >
> > 1.  People want the versions of files on the CentOS to discs to match
> > the upstream versions for software control
>
> Some do, some don't. Some download at work and install at home. There's
> 75 Mbytes of updates wouldn't get to my machines at home.
> An updates repo in the collection would be a handy compromise, I think I
> suggested this a while ago.
>

It sounds nice but has too many problems in implimintation:

1) Anaconda does not deal with updates during install. Upgrades need
to be placed in the main trees and the disk would need to be respun
regularly.  My memory is a bit weak here, but I think that trying to
add the code to deal with 'updates' during install seems to have
caused a lot of 'exceptions' in the Fedora code and causes anaconda to
be even more memory happy.

2) Respinning the disks breaks upstream compatibility that a lot of
ISV software looks for to see if a system is 'supported' and will run
on it.

3) If a person installs in 3 weeks from now when say another 75-200 MB
of updates are available.. it doesnt help any (especially if those
updates cover a lot of what was on the disk).

4) An updates iso might be possible, but it is more disk space on
overtaxed servers and more work for the 3-10 core people.

-- 
Stephen J Smoogen. -- CSIRT/Linux System Administrator
How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed
in a naughty world. = Shakespeare. "The Merchant of Venice"