From owner-freebsd-ports@FreeBSD.ORG  Tue Nov 30 18:58:44 2010
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-ports@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D88621065698
	for <freebsd-ports@freebsd.org>; Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:58:44 +0000 (UTC)
	(envelope-from david@vizion2000.net)
Received: from dns1.vizion2000.net (dns1.vizion2000.net [62.49.197.50])
	by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2B00D8FC39
	for <freebsd-ports@freebsd.org>; Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:58:43 +0000 (UTC)
Received: by dns1.vizion2000.net (Postfix, from userid 1001)
	id 5691434D404; Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:58:11 +0000 (GMT)
From: David Southwell <david@vizion2000.net>
Organization: Voice & Vision
To: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:58:10 +0000
User-Agent: KMail/1.13.5 (FreeBSD/7.2-RELEASE-p3; KDE/4.5.3; amd64; ; )
References: <201011301824.15550.david@vizion2000.net>
	<201011301841.35462.david@vizion2000.net>
	<3B286D1E-E7F8-4FF5-85E9-29309A8693C6@mac.com>
In-Reply-To: <3B286D1E-E7F8-4FF5-85E9-29309A8693C6@mac.com>
X-KMail-Markup: true
MIME-Version: 1.0
Message-Id: <201011301858.11175.david@vizion2000.net>
Content-Type: text/plain;
  charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.5
Cc: 
Subject: Re: Ports - installation & upgrade history
X-BeenThere: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5
Precedence: list
List-Id: Porting software to FreeBSD <freebsd-ports.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-ports>,
	<mailto:freebsd-ports-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-ports>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-ports@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-ports-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-ports>,
	<mailto:freebsd-ports-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:58:44 -0000

> On Nov 30, 2010, at 10:41 AM, David Southwell wrote:
> > I was thinking of something which is far more comprehensive and
> > systematic. Whilst installed options are obtained by examining
> > /var/db/ports the files do not do not provide the detailed historical
> > information which I envisage.
> 
> Correct.  Unless you've taken good backups, nothing else currently
> preserves all of the historical information you envision, but you can at
> least get some of the requested info just out of the current filesystem.
> 
> > The freshports/freebsd sites will tell us when the distributed ports tree
> > was changed but does not provide a historical record of changes to the
> > local ports tree.
> 
> Also correct.  Again, short of having periodic backups made at sufficiently
> rapid intervals, there is no way to track that information over time.
> 
> Regards,
Seems to me that a comprehensive record would be extremely useful on a local 
system. I am wondering how difficult it might be to collect data from 
applications such as: 
 
cvsup of ports tree
portupgrade/portmaster 
changes to /var/db/ports
changes to /usr/ports/distfiles

The results could be held in a mysql database.

David

Photographic Artist
Permanent Installations & Design
Creative Imagery and Advanced Digital Techniques
High Dynamic Range Photography & Official Portraiture
Combined darkroom & digital creations
& Systems Adminstrator for the vizion2000.net network