Request for Comments: updating RPMs using binary deltas.

[Lamar Owen]

On Thursday 08 January 2004 04:37 pm, Chris Adams wrote:
> I think you'd be much better off not trying to diff and then patch the
> binary package (especially on the fly).  A better way would be something
> that compares the exploded package and just ships the files that are
> different (or maybe even diffs of the raw files), installs the changed
> files, and updates the RPM database to say the whole package is updated.

YES!  Somebody got it! (well, except the part about just installing the 
changed files: we run afoul of problems if we blindly just install changed 
files and assume the user has a certain package installed, which is why we 
have to have the original RPM somewhere accessible).

Of course, if we _HAD_ the server resources to do so, the update client could 
send the E:V-R of the package up to the server, along with a sum, and the 
server could build the patch on the fly (or send down the fully cooked 
update): but that would be way too much server to require for this purpose.
-- 
Lamar Owen
Director of Information Technology
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute
1 PARI Drive
Rosman, NC  28772
(828)862-5554
www.pari.edu