[RFC] additional enhancements for RHEL3/4 for Dell system-specific repo

[Ben Scott]

On 4/5/07, Matt Domsch <Matt_Domsch at dell.com> wrote:
> If/when OMSA stops supporting a particular system, *that
> system's repository* stops getting the new versions of
> OMSA.

  Hmmm... I just had an idea, and I wonder if it would work: Create an
empty package (containing no files), one for each system type.  Have
said packages provide capabilities.  Then have the actual software
packages (e.g., for OMSA) depend on the virtual capabilities.  As long
as you only installed the appropriate empty package for a given
platform, that dependency should prevent something not supported from
being installed.

  For example: Say I've got a PowerEdge 9750, so I install the
"poweredge-9750-capabilities" package.  Then say Dell releases package
"omsa-12.0".  Have that OMSA package depend on a capability,
"supports-omsa-12.0".  Then, when the PE 9750 is certified to work
with the OMSA 12.0 release, update the "poweredge-9750-capabilities"
package to provide the "supports-omsa-12.0" capability.  The
capabilities package should auto-update, which will then allow the new
OMSA package to update.

  Note that I have no idea if this would work.  But if it did, it
would save the trouble of having 200 different repositories.

-- Ben