Fedora "backports" repo?

[Björn Persson]

Michał Piotrowski wrote:
> 2010/9/21 Björn Persson <bjorn at xn--rombobjrn-67a.se>:
> > How hard would it be to "cherry-pick" from this backports repository? To
> > install a newer Firefox from there for example, but keep the PostgreSQL
> > from the ordinary Fedora even if there is a newer one in the backports
> > repository, and with a simple "yum update" receive bugfixes to
> > PostgreSQL from fedora-updates and new Firefox versions from the
> > backports repository?
> > 
> > If the backports repository would be an "all or nothing" thing, or if
> > cherry-picking would require special tweaking of Yum, then it's a bad
> > idea.
> 
> yum-plugin-priorities?

The first thing I notice is that that plugin comes with exactly zero 
documentation. A wiki page from CentOS and two posts on some random blogs give 
some configuration examples and also warn about dangers that only a Yum hacker 
will fully understand. Neither explains how to install selected packages from 
a lower-prioritized repository, but my crystal ball indicates that it would be 
troublesome compared to normal Yum usage.

Apparently all repositories have the lowest possible priority by default, so 
users would have to edit every single .repo file by hand to give them higher 
priorities than the backports repository. In other words, yes, special 
tweaking of Yum would be required.

If the default priority were to be changed, and if the backports repository 
would depend on yum-plugin-priorities and have a lower priority than the 
default, and if it would have detailed usage instructions, and if it would be 
carefully managed and tested to avoid the dangers of conflicts and obsoletions, 
then an implementation based on the priorities plugin might be workable.


Another solution would be to simply have separate repositories – stored on the 
same server and maintained by the same people, but with separately packaged 
.repo files. If I can't wait to have the very latest Openoffice, I install the 
fedora-backports-openoffice package which contains /etc/yum.repos.d/fedora-
backports-openoffice.repo, and then a simple "yum update" will upgrade all the 
Openoffice packages. If I don't want sudden changes to PostgreSQL, then I 
refrain from installing fedora-backports-postgresql. Mission accomplished.

Björn Persson
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