[wpkg-users] /install:package and /syncronize

[Rainer Meier]

Hi Marco,

On 17.07.2013 12:04, Marco Gaiarin wrote:
> For testing purpose i've used in a box wpkg.js with /install:package
> command line, and i've effectively installed that package, that was not
> on the profile.
>
> Then i've relaunched wpkg.js with /synchronize, and i expect that
> package got removed, but nothing happen: i've to use explicitly
> /remove:package to remove it.
>
> It is correct? And, if it is, why?

Yes this is correct behavior. There was a request to be able to use software 
synchronization along with manual installations via WPKG.
In case you install a package using /install:<package> command line switch then 
WPKG will insert this state into local wpkg.xml to keep track of this package. 
It will even update the package during a synchronization run if there is a new 
version of this package on the central repository.

If a package is manually added, then inserted to the profile later then this 
"custom" flag is removed and the package will also be removed if it's removed 
from profile. If the package is never added to profile then WPKG on purpose 
keeps the package installed. In earlier versions WPKG would have removed 
manually installed packages any time a synchronization takes place.

This enhancement was first introduced in 2011-10-16 version 1.2.1-RC23:

NEW: New feature allowing manual package installation to be combined with
      synchronization.
      If a package is installed manually using the /install:<package> command-
      line switch, then the package is added to the local package database and
      retained during future synchronizations.
      In previous versions of WPKG you could have either installed packages via
      profiles or manually but if you installed a package manually then
      subsequent synchronizations would have removed the package if it was not
      part of the profile. This enhancement allows local administrators to
      manually install any package provided in the package database. Packages
      installed manually will also be updated on subsequent synchronizations.
      Let's provide some examples.

      Host A has the following packages assigned:
      - Pidgin
      - Thunderbird

      A local administrator would like to install Firefox on the machine too.
      Of course as a local admin he could also install Firefox using the Mozilla
      installer but this would mean he has to take care about updates and
      potentially synchronize such update actions with the IT departement.
      Now a local administrator could simply use the "wpkg.js /install:firefox"
      command (of course given the fact that the IT departements maintains a
      package called "firefox") and get the official Firefox package installed.

      On future "wpkg.js /synchronize" runs WPKG will update the "firefox"
      package in the same way as if the IT departement would have added
      "firefox" to the profile applied to the host. Therefore on the host as
      defined above WPKG would look for updates on Pidgin, Thunderbird and
      Firefox during synchronization.


      If the IT departement decides to remove the "firefox" package from the
      server-side package database this likely means that support is dropped and
      Firefox shall not be used any more. In such case WPKG would also remove
      the package manually installed via /install:firefox on synchronization.

      So as you see the /install:<package> switch can be used by local
      administrators to kind of modify or extend the server-based profile with
      some manually chosen packages which keep updated automatically when
      synchronizing.



br,
Rainer