Dearest yumsters,
I've been trying to shoehorn openoffice onto my laptop, which is
remarkably low on / diskspace, and have the following suggestions for
automagic that might be added, in the fullness of time, to yum to reduce
the amount of handiwork a systems person must perform when low disk
installs are required. If only I knew python, I'd attempt adding the
features myself; alas I do not. I therefore rely on the kindness of
strangers in all humility:-)
a) If yum fails the check for disk space, it should immediately check
to see if space can be recovered by cleaning the package caches (of all
packages that are NOT on the current install list) and offer to do so.
After being permitted to do so (permission will almost certainly be
granted), it should recheck for sufficient disk space and proceed if NOW
there is. Note that rerunning yum to clean the caches will trash the
(possibly large) files already downloaded for the new installation;
cleaning the caches by hand is tedious and slow. Automagic is
definitely called for and should be simple to implement as the tools are
already there -- the single "difficult" part will be retaining the
already downloaded packages during the clean (cleaning the difference
between two rpm/path lists).
b) If yum STILL fails the check for disk space, and has several
packages to install that are themselves quite large (and are in fact one
reason that the disk space check still fails, allowing for the
possibility that /var is or is not in the same partition that the
install is tight on space in) it would be lovely if yum would try to
discern a pattern for installation that would still permit the install
to proceed. This is a more difficult request, but two immediate
approaches, each embodying a certain degree of AI and arcanity, suggest
themselves:
i) looking on other root-writeable partitions for sufficient free
space to hold the rpm's themselves, and if it is found prompting the
user for permission to create a temporary toplevel ./yum/package cache
for the duration of the install. If received, create the cache
directory, move the packages there from the installation disk/partition,
and do the install, then remove the temporary cache directory and the
packages it contains.
ii) Trying to do an "in place" install where it installs package A,
removes rpm A (freeing the space for) package B (installed then rpm
removed) and package C (installed then rpm removed) etc. This could
theoretically "work" but is of course both less robust and may not be
possible at all, as the command to install the package list may have to
be effectively atomic or offend the Gods of Dependency.
The problems these additions would repair are not THAT uncommon. Many
people (including myself) create a / partition that is supposed to be
big enough to hold /usr for years and many distribution upgrades, but of
course that often turns out not to be enough. Or, as I encountered in
running an in-place upgrade, the yum package caches (ordinarily so
transparent and delightful) can suddenly turn out to be a 600 MB bolus
of files eating space needed for the install. Fixing problems generated
by having marginally sufficient space is always painful --
repartitioning likely requires a full reinstall with its attendant
effort and risks, removing packages or juggling packages forces hard
choices. Those choices may well eventually be necessary anyway, but it
would be lovely if yum automated at least some of at least some workable
solutions.
Thanks,
rgb
--
Robert G. Brown http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/
Duke University Dept. of Physics, Box 90305
Durham, N.C. 27708-0305
Phone: 1-919-660-2567 Fax: 919-660-2525 email:rgb@xxxxxxxxxxxx
