Re: [Xlog-discussion] Appology

[Ben Coleman]

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Karl F. Larsen wrote:
> As I indicate on the front page, you can set up you FC4 machine to
> retrieve
> packages from this repository by running
> 
> rpm -i http://nj8j.benshome.net/nj8j-release-1.0.0-1.fc4.noarch.rpm
> 
> as root.  This installs nj8j.repo in /etc/yum.repos.d/ and my gpg key in
> /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/.
> 
>>    Why would I need to do what you have above? I didn't do any of that
>> when I got fftw, hamlib and other RPM's.

Yes, because those are in the standard Fedora yum repositories (Base, Updates,
and Extras) that the yum package points to by default.  Mine is a
'third-party' repository.  For yum to know about it, the appropriate
configuration has to be installed.  I think I've made this pretty easy (and
actually, this method is fairly standard among sites providing third-party
repositories.  I should know, because I actively stole the idea from them 
<grin>).

If you want to make rpms easily available via yum, your basic choices are to
either set up a third-party repository like this, or to navigate whatever
procedures the Fedora people have set up to add packages to Fedora Extras.
The latter is what OH2BNS's reply was about.  I won't mind a bit if someone
goes through whatever's necessary to do that.

Note that me doing this isn't just a response to your question.  Several
things brought this about:

1.  Recently, I installed tqsllib and TrustedQSL on the FC4 computer in my
shack.  I couldn't find a FC4-specific rpm on the net, and had to go through a
 couple of hoops getting an rpm built for them (the source required a slight
change to get it to build on FC4.  Made me wish this had already been available.

2.  A business associate of mine recently decided to try and put together a
video system based on FC4, and in the process of hunting down rpms for it, I
discovered the existence of third-party Fedora yum repositories.

3.  This thread gave me a few more tips about building rpms (I hadn't realized
that 'make rpm' was available).

4.  Finally, your question about making your rpms available popped up.  This
was the final straw I needed to get me looking into what was needed to set up
my own third-party repository.

I'm figuring it would be useful if there was a third-party site/repository
handling what ham radio rpms aren't already in Fedora Extras.  It would save a
lot of time and hassle.  Maybe what I'm doing here will grow into that, or
maybe I'll just inspire someone who'll do a better job at it.


For pretty simple information on creating a yum repository, see
http://www.raoul.shacknet.nu/2005/12/11/local-yum-repository/.  The basics are
pretty easy.  The main change I made was that after creating the repository
data(running createrepo), I uploaded the whole directory structure to a web
site, and adjusted the baseurl entry to point to that directory.

I also signed the packages and added my gpg key to /etc/pki/rpm-gpg.

The really painful part was figuring out how to create the nj8j-release rpm
that installs the nj8j.repo files (which tells yum how to get to my
repository) and my gpg key.  I haven't dealt with creating rpm spec files
(which tell how to build the rpm) from scratch before.   I don't think I'd
recommend it to anyone who doesn't have linux development experience.

> If there's interest, I'd like to get more packages on it so we'll have a
> standard place to get FC4 (and FC5, etc) ham radio packages.
> 
>>    That will be fine Ben but I wanted the xlog and gmfsk that I made
>> today to be available to anyone who uses yum.

Without using a third-party repository, someone will have to qualify to become
a Fedora Extras contributor (whatever that takes).  If, in the meantime, you'd
like it in a third-party repository, I'd be glad to put them in mine.  If
you'd rather have it separate from what I'm doing, I can set up a separate
repository for you on my site, and create an rpm that will point yum to your
repository.

Ben
- --
Ben Coleman address@hidden
 "I love the way Microsoft follows standards.  In much the
same manner that fish follow migrating caribou."
                                            Paul Tomblin
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