Debian packages for Postgres 8.2

Markus Wanner wrote:

Hi,

I'm running several productive servers on Debian etch (stable) with
Postgres 8.2 which has been in lenny (testing) and made available for
etch through the backports project [1]. Unfortunately, they
discontinued maintaining 8.2 and switched to 8.3 in testing and thus
also for the backports.

As I don't currently want to switch to 8.3 due to the involved
downtime and upgrading troubles involved. So I've compiled up to date
Debian packages for Postgres 8.2.10. You can get them (maybe just
temporarily) from here: http://www.bluegap.ch/debian, I'm providing
packages as etch-backports for amd64 and i386. Upgrading from earlier
8.2 backports should work just fine.

I'm trying to convince the backports people to re-add Postgres 8.2. As
soon as that happens my own repository will probably disappear again.

Please drop me a note if you are interested in 8.2 for etch. (Postgres
8.3 should become available via the backports within a few days, I
guess).

I still have interest and I'm actually actively using it. Its a shame,
as the postgresql community still support 8.2 and probably more rely on it.
Besides this, Debian's tools are well polished and support many versions
side-by-side.

The good question would be for what reason they have removed the
backports package? Maybe shortage on maintainers?

- Joris

Joris Dobbelsteen wrote:

The good question would be for what reason they have removed the
backports package? Maybe shortage on maintainers?

As a matter of policy, backports are made from Debian testing.
Continued maintenance of PG 8.2 packages is not really backporting,
since there is nothing to backport from.

Hi,

Peter Eisentraut wrote:

As a matter of policy, backports are made from Debian testing. Continued
maintenance of PG 8.2 packages is not really backporting, since there is
nothing to backport from.

While that's certainly true, I think there's enough of a reason for an
exception. Otherwise the efforts to backport any newer Postgres major
version could be saved entirely, because you never known if it suddenly
ceases from testing and backports.

So, please, either decide to backport a Postgres major version and
continue to update it even if it gets dropped from testing *or* don't
backport it at all.

Regards

Markus Wanner

Markus Wanner wrote:

So, please, either decide to backport a Postgres major version and
continue to update it even if it gets dropped from testing *or* don't
backport it at all.

I understand how this use case ends up falling through the cracks. But
the backports infrastructure is not set up for maintaining original
packages (which PG 8.2 would be become, without a references package in
testing). So you will probably have to put in a bit more effort to come
up with a sustainable maintenance model, plus the resources to enact it.

Hi,

Peter Eisentraut wrote:

I understand how this use case ends up falling through the cracks. But
the backports infrastructure is not set up for maintaining original
packages (which PG 8.2 would be become, without a references package in
testing).

Uh.. so you are proposing to keep (revive) postgresql-8.2 in testing and
backporting from there? That sounds like more trouble and work. Or do
you think that's feasible? Doesn't that violate the policy of 'testing'?

Otherwise, as stated, I'd recommend to never backport a Postgres major
version which may be removed from testing in the future. Just to keep
users from believing it's safe to use and maintained.

Either way is better than status quo of Postgres in backports, IMO.
(Which relies on the flaky assumption that pg_upgradecluster can be used
to upgrade between major versions).

So you will probably have to put in a bit more effort to come
up with a sustainable maintenance model, plus the resources to enact it.

Well, I'm providing the necessary packages for i386 and amd64. And I'm
offering to maintain them. But I am not in the position to decide where
to make these available - besides offering them from my own server as I
already do.

I'd be happy to upload to testing or etch-backports or both... or even
help maintaining the official Postgres packages for Debian.

Regards

Markus Wanner