Re: Have Enterprise via SRPM for free?

[fluke gibson mw luc edu]

On Wed, 30 Apr 2003, scott.list wrote:

> I subscribed to the enterprise maillist for curiosity.  When they
> announce security updates, instead of sending pointers to the RPM's,
> the send pointers to the SRPM's.  And it says the actual RPM is avail
> on RHN.
> 
> Along those lines, to have a self-supported "enterprise" version,
> Could one:
> - Start with a compatible version (i.e RH9 if compatabile) to get
> booted/going.
> - Update/change to the enterprise kernel (or make your own custome
> which I've always done anyway)
> - use the SRPM's desired to build what you need
> - follow the announcements of enterprise SRPMS and update using SRPM's
> 
> What would be the difference except support from having a "real"
> enterprise version?  That is, wouldn't this "quasi" enterprise version
> be just like the real thing except for having to make the SRPMS? and
> this "quasi enterprise" version be as current/secure as the "real"
> version?

Once you remove support, you really don't have much of a difference.  But 
RH9 is not the correct starting point.  To create a homebrew RH 2.1 AS 
"like" install, start with RH 7.2, apply all the RH 7.2 updates, then 
build from the RH 2.1 AS SRPMS the following packages:
  clumanager, dietlibc, IBMJava2-JRE, IBMJava2-SDK, ipvsadm, 
  kernel, libaio, libmad, netdump, openmotif, piranha, pstack and 
  scsi_reserve

> Perhaps it's the quartely non-security updates that aren't avail?

The majority of RH 2.1 AS is similar to RH 7.2, if you upgrade to RH 7.2 
then just apply the RH 7.2 updates.  

> With the point of all this of having a basic server that is more
> "stable" or at least longer lasting than the expected life of the now
> regular/ever-EOLing RHX versions (sorry... for free).

Your jumping the gun on the EoL for RH 7.2.  If you really badly need to
continue to run RH 7.2 in 2004 and need security updates then stop back
here at that point in time to discuss it.  Until then, you still get free
updates for the rest of this year.

> FWiW, I've always purchased my versions of RH with the books, CD's
> etc.  Fortunately they used to last a good long time (still running
> 6.2 although I own 7 too).  But $350/year is hard to cough up <g>.
>
> Finally, and I admit I'm RH spoiled, I've never had the need to make
> an RPM from SRPM.  How difficult is it?  Any caveats?  Build'em and
> Use'em like normal?  Or more painfull than $350+/year.

Building the RPMs are easy.  You install the SRPM and then you run 
rpmbuild -bb /usr/src/redhat/SPECS/package.spec and the RPM eventually 
appears in /usr/src/redhat/RPMS.  But once you have RPMs of clumanager, 
ipvsadm, piranha or netdump, then what do you do with them?  It is using 
them that can become more painful than $350+/year.