How to use and handle masked packages
这篇文转自http://linuxreviews.org/gentoo/masked_packages/
老外写的实在是太清楚，太清楚了，太清楚了。。。。忍不住叹息。
This document explains how to use packages blocked by portage because they are flagged masked, meaning the ebuild for the package in question is new and waits proper testing, has known bugs or for some other reason is considered only to be used by experienced users.
What is a masked packages, and why are packages masked?
1.1. Stable v.s. Unstable
1.2. Project has not yet made a stable release
1.3. Some packages are "hard" masked for special reasons
How to install masked packages
2.1. Handy script for unmasking and installing software
2.2. How to install hard masked packages
- What is a masked packages, and why are packages masked?
Packages are masked when they are introduced to Gentoo Portage to ensure that the average user gets a stable, usable, working system when using the portage tree. A new version does not need to be better, faster or more stable. The Gentoo developers ensure that upgrading to the latest available versions will not break your system, open security holes or in any other way cause you harm. The masked packages are available to give you the freedom to choose between the latest development versions and the stable branches.
1.1. Stable v.s. Unstable
Most packages have several ebuilds available in portage. There is usually a latest stable version and a latest unstable version. emerge -p package will show you latest available stable version and ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="~x86" emerge -p package will show latest unstable (masked) version. Example:
1.2. Project has not yet made a stable release
Some ebuilds are for packages still in development and can not be installed without first being un-masked. Example:
1.3. Some packages are “hard” masked for special reasons
The “hard” masked packages are listed in the file /usr/portage/profiles/package.mask (view) and can not be installed without adding a # to comment out the package in question. This is generally a bad idea. The reason why the package is masked is stated next to the package.
netscape-communicator is listed in package.mask like this:
[email protected] 18 Aug 2004 # Masking due to security issues that will never be solved since there # are no new versions forthcoming, bug 56109 net-www/netscape-navigator net-www/netscape-communicator
- How to install masked packages
You can ask emerge to use the masked version available in portage by setting the variable ACCEPT_KEYWORDS to ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="~x86" before running the emerge command. It makes sense to set a command alias in roots .bashrc that goes alias aemerge=‘ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="~x86" emerge’.
The alias should be used for checking what version is the latest with --pretend (-p). Actually installing packages like this is a bad idea because the setting is not stored anywhere, meaning package will be downgraded the next time you do emerge -u world.
Gentoo uses the file /etc/portage/package.keywords to configure when to use the masked version. Simply list the package and add your arch to unmask packages.
/etc/portage/package.keywords can look like this:
app-emulation/wine ~x86 net-www/mplayerplug-in ~x86 media-libs/libquicktime ~x86 net-www/mozilla-firefox ~x86 media-video/transcode ~x86
You can add entries to this file using the echo command:
echo app-cdr/k3b ~x86 >> /etc/portage/package.keywords
Explanation: (I/O Redirection, Bourne Shell Reference)
pgm > file Output of pgm is redirected to file. pgm < file Program pgm reads its input from file. pgm >> file Output of pgm is appended to file.
2.1. Handy script for unmasking and installing software
Download: gimme
#################################################### # Script to add package names to package.keywords. # # Originally by Tekmanx, re-written by Hackeron # #################################################### source /sbin/functions.sh [ “$UID” -ne “0” ] && eerror “Must be root to run this script.” && exit [ -z “KaTeX parse error: Expected 'EOF', got '&' at position 6: 1" ] &̲& eerror "Pleas…(grep “^
” /etc/portage/package.keywords)” ]; then ewarn “$1 already exists in package.keywords” else einfo Adding $1 to package.keywords and emerging in 5 seconds. sleep 5 echo $1 ~x86 >> /etc/portage/package.keywords emerge $1 fi
Install the script and make it executable:
cp gimme /usr/local/bin/ chown root:wheel /usr/local/bin/gimme chmod 555 /usr/local/bin/gimme
2.2. How to install hard masked packages
Packages masked by the file /usr/portage/profiles/package.mask can be unmasked using the file /etc/portage/package.unmask the same way you normally unmask using package.keywords.
You can specify a version using the standard expressions (=, >=, >) or all by only entering app-category/package-name.Both >=mail-mta/postfix-2.1.1 and mail-mta/postfixon a single line will give you the latest postfix.
/usr/portage/profiles/package.mask may look like this:
=mail-mta/postfix-2.1.1 sys-apps/portage
Do not install masked packages by changing package.mask to make them available. The file is overwritten when you emerge sync.
Copyright © 2000-2004 Øyvind Sæther / LinuxReviews.org. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.
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