[elrepo] Announcement: EL7 Updated kmod-nvidia package for RHEL7.6

[Rejean Lepage]

Hi Phil, thank you for your reply.

As you said below, I am not upsetting but do have concern about this. It's
because yum-cron will not be able to apply any update or security at all time
Whenever elrepo issue an impossible patch. Because of this I had to disable
elrepo and use it as required only.

Orion's idea to skip_broken=1was a good start.
Otherwise it will fails leaving all systems unable to install any updates.

---> Package kmod-nvidia-340xx.x86_64 0:340.107-1.el7_5.elrepo will be updated
---> Package kmod-nvidia-340xx.x86_64 0:340.107-2.el7_6.elrepo will be an update

In your reply I had the feeling you assume I am merely a single user - as I
manager several hundred EL systems including Scientific Linux, CentOS and Redhat
Enterprise linux, Solaris and Windows all together. All systems must have
security updates at all time those EL76 updates will stop that.

I disagree, 7.4 or 7.5 are not are simply points in time. They are supported
separate configurations... If you look at Scientific Linux
http://ftp.scientificlinux.org/linux/scientific/ you will see that we can choose
to install any specific version and keep with it. Some do need to be frozen at a
specific version 7.4 for example... and unless we use 7x or 7rolling which is
always the latest.

Why? some EDA CAD tools that are qualified to specific version on EL7.4 for example.
Other case when systems wasn't auto updated offline for a while... then yum-cron
would fail to updates because of nvidia's missing kernel....thus requiring
manual intervention.

more comment below...

On 2018-11-09 2:07 a.m., Phil Perry wrote:
> On 07/11/2018 22:07, Rejean Lepage wrote:
>>
>> There is a good chance I am wrong and I am sorry for that
>> (my first language is french-canadian so sorry if something does not make sense)
>> but I really think there is something wrong.
>>
>
> Yes, there is something wrong. The thing that is wrong is that CentOS and SL
> have yet to release their clones of RHEL7.6. As soon as they do the issues you
> are experiencing will just disappear.
>
>> 1)
>> for every version SL or CentOS systems (that are not yet 76) having elrepo
>> enabled will cause a failure if we try to install or update nvidia-340xx
>>
>> % yum --enablerepo=elrepo install kmod-nvidia-340xx
>>
>> elrepo | 2.9 kB  00:00:00
>> Resolving Dependencies
>> --> Running transaction check
>> ---> Package kmod-nvidia-340xx.x86_64 0:340.107-2.el7_6.elrepo will be installed
>> --> Processing Dependency: nvidia-x11-drv-340xx = 340.107 for package:
>> kmod-nvidia-340xx-340.107-2.el7_6.elrepo.x86_64
>> --> Processing Dependency: kernel(sg_alloc_table_from_pages) = 0xf25d238b for
>> package: kmod-nvidia-340xx-340.107-2.el7_6.elrepo.x86_64
>> --> Processing Dependency: kernel(i2c_del_adapter) = 0x28a636e9 for package:
>> kmod-nvidia-340xx-340.107-2.el7_6.elrepo.x86_64
>> --> Processing Dependency: kernel(i2c_add_adapter) = 0xa6f8da46 for package:
>> kmod-nvidia-340xx-340.107-2.el7_6.elrepo.x86_64
>> --> Processing Dependency: kernel(drm_legacy_pci_init) = 0xc30e01c8 for
>> package: kmod-nvidia-340xx-340.107-2.el7_6.elrepo.x86_64
>> --> Processing Dependency: kernel(drm_legacy_pci_exit) = 0x0a05a9f3 for
>> package: kmod-nvidia-340xx-340.107-2.el7_6.elrepo.x86_64
>> ...
>>
>
> Correct, because the Required kernel version is not yet available on
> CentOS/SL. As soon as CentOS/SL catch up, the problem will disappear. There is
> nothing here for us to fix.


some don't want it to catch up AND some can't catch up because skip_broken is
not set.

>
>> 3)
>>> Alternatively, you can add a temporary wildcard exclude for all el7.6 elrepo
>>> packages until you have el7.6 available to install:
>>>
>>> exclude=*el7_6.elrepo* 
>>
>> exclude=*el7_6.elrepo*       yes does work for now.
>>
>> Although it does work it require us to reconfigure several hundred of systems
>> and change a repo config file on all system that may be power on or off.
>> We also need to prevent issues for future version and in example el7_[6,7,8,9]
>> and instead of excluding 7*6 is there a way to include ONLY *7_5* ? (for EL75
>> systems)
>>
>
> We have been looking at technical solutions to this issue for a long time. I
> tried to write a yum plugin to prevent yum offering packages where the
> prerequisite kernel requirements could not be met, but unfortunately my python
> skills are not quite up to the job (we would welcome contributions here from
> anyone with python experience).
>
> Another less elegant solution might be to ship a simple rpm package (something
> like elrepo-centos-compat) that provides a yum conf file with a wildcard exclude:
>
> exclude=*el7_6.elrepo*
>
> and then as soon as CentOS/SL release their el7.6, we update the package to
> update the exclude to anticipate the next release:
>
> exclude=*el7_7.elrepo*
>
> It would be then be your choice if you wanted to install that and allow us to
> manage your yum configuration, or whether you want to manage the configuration
> of your own systems.

I would love to contribute but my python experience is limited and writing yum
plugin skill is existent.

They way I see it - a simple solution would be, for you to change how the repos
work. The current way only support latest 7rolling, 7x on RHEL.
Others like Scientific Linux does it as 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5 so some can freeze
their install to a specific version.

>
>> 4)
>> I think
>> Having elrepo to be directly available by major and minor version would be a
>> way to fix this and it as Nothing that I now to do with CentOS.
>> Scientific Linux repos are provided to be accessible by major and minor
>> version 7.3, 7.4 , 7.5  or latest 7x version if we want.
>> So a system running 7.4 or 7.5 will not update to 7.6 unless 7x repo is made
>> available on that system.
>>
>> Sorry to insist but this update does fail all your CentOS and Scientific
>> Linux user.
>> Releasing el7_6 update is an impossible version to us - all clone users.
>>
>
> We have a choice to make here, in the absence of a technical solution. We
> support RHEL and compatible clones. You are only viewing the issue from your
> own perspective, as a CentOS user. If we were to cater for CentOS users and
> not release 7.6 updates until CentOS have released their version of el7.6
> (maybe a month later), then users who are running genuine RHEL would really
> have a broken system. In the case of nvidia packages, once they update to
> rhel7.6, their graphical systems would not boot X and they would be left with
> a broken system. This is very different to the issues you are experiencing.

I am seeing this as someone who support several OS = Scientific Linux, CenOS and
RedHat users.

Instead of saying "We support RHEL and compatible clones" you should say "We
support RHEL first"  ;)


>
> You, on the other hand, simply have a few warning messages in yum that are
> relatively easy to silence if you can not bear to see them for a few weeks
> whilst CentOS catches up. All the warning messages are telling you is that
> CentOS has yet to catch up, something you knew anyway, so I really do not
> understand why you are so upset about that. Your system is not 'broken' in the
> same way as the RHEL user's system would be broken above.


As I said above, systems using yum-cron got broken when no updates are able to
continue...


>
>> 5)
>>> The way it is configured now *PREVENTS* you from breaking your system.
>>
>> I have been using elrepo for years but I am new on the list ...
>> I do fail to see the new way that *now PREVENT* from braking systems...
>> To me the way it is configured now does brake systems because EL7_6 is made
>> available to all EL7.4 and EL7.5 systems.
>> errors are  liste in 1).
>>
>> What is supposed to be updated that is not ?
>>
>> Please tell me what am I missing here.
>>
>
> EL7.4 and EL7.5 systems (or any point release) are simply points in time and
> are not supported configurations. Elrepo supports el6 and el7. It is only
> possible to support the latest release. It is simply not possible for us to
> support any number of previous configurations from some point in time.

I am wondering if it's so hard ? create a new directory and everything for 7.6
goes into directory 7.6

it's maybe taking a bit more disk space. 
lastest pkg goes to 7x.
all 7_6 goes in 7.6 or soft link to 7x until 7_7 is out.
all 7_5 goes in 7.5
all 7_4 goes in 7.4


> What we need to do is find a technical solution that makes it easier for you
> to manage the period where you are not running the very latest release because
> your distro is lagging behind RHEL.

As I also said I do manage several distro... ELrepo may have the side effect of
working for CentOS and Scientific Linux but in fact the way I see it - it only
really support latest RedHat Linux Enterprise. And don't get this wrong, it's
pretty good too. I just can't keep ELrepo enabled by default for any repo even
RHEL except if it's RHEL configured with 7x.

May be tweaking the ELrepo a bit would not be that difficult. but I don't really
know.

I am not here to complain just suggesting.

best regards and thank you for all the good work you guys do.

-- 
Réjean Lepage, M.Sc.
Analyste GR2M/VLSI, génie Électrique.
Chargé de cours/Lecturer Z-410, Z-415
http://www.grm.polymtl.ca/~lepage
. Tel: (514) 340-4711 Ext: 4837
. Polytechnique Montreal
. Pavillon Lassonde, Local: M-5115
. 2500 Chemin de polytechnique
. Montréal, Québec, H3T-1J4  


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