Date: Fri, 2 Aug 2002 00:09:51 -0400 From: Jeremy Faulkner <gldisater@gldis.ca> To: Peter Leftwich <Hostmaster@Video2Video.Com> Cc: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Fwd: cvsup vs cvsupd? Message-ID: <20020802000951.A59187@constans.gldis.ca> In-Reply-To: <20020801201831.J13072-100000@earl-grey.cloud9.net>; from Hostmaster@Video2Video.Com on Thu, Aug 01, 2002 at 08:32:31PM -0400 References: <20020801201831.J13072-100000@earl-grey.cloud9.net>
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On Thu, Aug 01, 2002 at 08:32:31PM -0400, Peter Leftwich wrote: >From the Handbook on the freebsd.org website: > "The term CVSup, capitalized just so, refers to the entire software > package. Its main components are the client cvsup which runs on each user's > machine, and the server cvsupd which runs at each of the FreeBSD mirror sites." > > ! I was under the impression that cvsup'ing would simply do a series of > anonymous ftp's to a remote directory. Does the cvsupd [daemon] run on a > particular port, using its own specific [newfangled] protocol? CVS and CVSup accomplish much more than ftp is capable of. They compare the versions of the files on the server and the client and modify them as necessary. > "Note: If you are going to be using CVSup on a machine which will not have > XFree86 installed, such as a server, be sure to use the port which does not > include the CVSup GUI, cvsup-without-gui = http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/url.cgi?ports/net/cvsup/pkg-descr.nogui/" > > ! I think after this sentence, there ought to be a hyperlink or explanation > about how to use a GUI version of CVSup (xcvsup?) Note to the webmaster, How to run cvsup is outlined later on that page (section A.6.4). The use of cvsup (with GUI) does not differ from the use of cvsup (without-GUI). The GUI displays information about the process. > the word XFree86 ought to be a link to www.xfree86.org or that section of > the FreeBSD online handbook. I disagree, there would be little point in doing so as it is only being mentioned, not used, thus instructions on what XFree86 is and how it is used are not required. Secondly, it is assumed that the handbook is read in order. Updating the source is covered in section 19, while XFree86 is covered in section 5. > "If you do not know anything about CVSup at all and want a single package > which will install it, set up the configuration file and start the transfer" > > ! Wait wait wait, what's a configuration file? A file that is read by a program which modifies the behaviour of that program. > You mean one for pkg_add? No. > "...via a pointy-clicky type of interface, then get the net/cvsupit > package. Just hand it to pkg_add(1) and it will lead you through the > configuration process in a menu-oriented fashion." > > ! I did `pkg_add -r cvsupit` and that threw me immediately (successfully) > into a sysinstall type of application (so I would recommend the Handbook > mention this precise command line). And spoil the fun of having the reader actually read the man page for pkg_add? Again, it is assumed that the handbook is read in order; pkg_add is covered in section 4. > Also, a complaint about the cvsupit > menu -- it isn't clear how to drill down beyond /usr/ports/src or /usr/src > (I get mixed up) and update just one source. If you want to update a single source file you should use cvs, but if you are having this much trouble with cvsup you probably won't be able to handle cvs. > ! For example, in my case, I just sent it whirring away then ran `du -hs > /usr/ports` and was told it was 12M then 13M (megs) and so interrupted it. > All I need [require] to do is update KDE 2.2.2 to 3.0.1 but the task > stretches before me monumentally. :( KDE (in the ports collection) is merely a metaport, meaning it's listed dependances are all of the subcomponents of KDE. These components are spread throughout the ports collection, you really should update the entire ports collection at once. > "A.6.3 CVSup Configuration - CVSup's operation is controlled by a > configuration file called the supfile. There are some sample supfiles in > the directory /usr/share/examples/cvsup/." > > ! That last path there is a hyperlink to exactly what it says, rather than > to something like http://www.freebsd.org/handbook/usr/share/examples/cvsup > - because when I click it, the PWD (present working directory) becomes > /usr/share/examples/cvsup and an `ls -al` shows > > total 4 > drwxr-xr-x 2 root wheel 512 Jun 10 21:17 . > drwxr-xr-x 41 root wheel 1024 Jul 15 08:51 .. > > ! So I don't get to see what a supfile looks like this time around. Grrr. If you had a complete installation you would have the supfiles in that directory. The handbook also goes on to to explain the syntax of the supfile in section A.6.3, and has a completed example at the end of that section. > "The information in a supfile answers the following questions for cvsup: > Which files do you want to receive? > Which versions of them do you want? > Where do you want to get them from? > Where do you want to put them on your own machine? > Where do you want to put your status files?" > > ! Isn't it simpler to just say something like 'files, versions, remote_dir, > local_dir, and status files' (whatever status files are!) No. First rule of documentation: Assume the reader is an idiot. Simply stating "files, versions, etc." is far to cryptic. Secondly, the questions themselves are used as headers for their associated explainations later on that page. > -- > Peter Leftwich > President & Founder > Video2Video Services > Box 13692, La Jolla, CA, 92039 USA > +1-413-403-9555 P.S. Your use of "!" to mark your own text made for a poor visual cue, indenting your own text would have been preferred. -- Jeremy Faulkner http://www.gldis.ca To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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