[Server-devel] Tying yum to a package "stream"?

[Jerry Vonau]

Martin Langhoff wrote:
> OLPC's XS ships a number of patched packages. The packages are
> normally built with a different "stream" or "flavour" (they don't say
> "f9" but "xs05") and sit in a special repository.
> 
> Is there a good way to ensure revisor/yum prefers the packages from
> the xs stream or repo over the standard F9 release or update packages,
> even if the f9 package is newer?

Could you not use the xs-config/xs-pkgs to state specific Requires:= to 
control whether an updated package is able replace what is currently 
installed or "to be installed" on the system, kind of protecting the 
"base install"? Just like what you had before, but not for all the 
packages. ;-)
If xs-config/xs-pkgs requires a specific version of a package, and a 
newer one is trying to be installed via a yum update, this should fail 
(fall back to the matching one with revisor?) based on the Requires:=, 
no?  Then you would need to release a revised config/pkgs to enable the 
update to install. I think that should give you enough version control.

Just a thought,

Jerry Vonau