[wpkg-users] Trying out package upgrades before general roll-out of package

[Robin Roevens]

Hi all

We have a general policy here that any new software update/-grade has to 
be tested by 4 to 5 people for some time before it is deployed over all 
affected computers.. But I'm having trouble to do that with WPKG.. :
If it is a new package, there is no problem.. those 4 to 5 people get that 
new package in their profile

But when it's about an update, I have  to create a duplicate of the 
current package, and change the name of the package, then change the name 
of that package in the profile applied to those test-users.. (ex. general 
package "firefox3" (containing ff 3.0.5) is copied, renamed and adapted to 
"firefox306" (containing ff 3.0.6)).

This approach is do-able when there are no other packages depending on 
it.. but the problems really starts when other packages do depend on it:
For example: we have a few firefox extension packages, firefox setting 
packages and also a Flash package depending on the firefox3 package.. So 
when I want to test a new firefox version/package I copy/rename the 
current firefox3 package to firefox306 and change it so it will 
install/upgrade to the newest firefox version.. 
I then change the profile of the test-users to contain firefox306 instead 
of firefox3 .. But then firefox3 is still pulled in by those other 
packages depending on it and thus downgrading the newly installed 
firefox306. So every WPKG run firefox306 is installed, then firefox3 is 
pulled in again and downgrades v306 again.. 

To prevent this from happening I have to copy and rename all packages 
depending on firefox3 and change those copies to depend on firefox306. 
Then change the profile of the test-users to contain those copies of all 
those other packages depending on firefox306..

Then after the test-period.. I replace the firefox3 package with the 
firefox306 package (renaming it again to firefox3) .. But then I also have 
to delete all those copies of dependant packages, and again change all 
those packages in the profile of those test-users...

This is a lot of manual work, and makes the package system difficult to 
manage during test-periods, and it is very easy to make errors..

It all wouldn't be such a big problem if the dependency system would be 
able to use virtuals instead of real package names, but that isn't the 
case so how do others perform test-drives on such kind of packages? And/or 
is there something planned in a future WPKG version to make such cases 
easier?

Best regards

Robin
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