anyc / gentoo-portage-rsync-mirror

Git mirror of the official Gentoo ebuild repository (created from rsync)

Gentoo ebuild repository rsync-to-git mirror

This repository is updated automatically. Please do not push anything to it or merge pull requests. The script will automatically remove any added commits on the next update but this can cause significant issues to users who pulled before the update.

Introduction

This repository provides automatically updated git mirror of the Gentoo ebuild repository. The mirror is created from rsync and contains all the necessary metadata and caches, therefore it is completely suitable for syncing Gentoo installs. It also serves as a common point for submitting pull requests with ebuild fixes.

Syncing from the git mirror

A package manager with git repository support can be used to sync using the mirror. The current git version of Portage (-9999) supports git sync, and it will be available in the 2.2.16 release.

The repos.conf entry for git sync may look like the following:

[gentoo]
location = /var/db/repos/gentoo
sync-type = git
sync-uri = https://github.com/gentoo/gentoo-portage-rsync-mirror
auto-sync = true

Please note that if you use existing repository location, you need to remove the existing repository first.

Maintenance notes

Please note that unlike rsync, git does not clobber modified files. This means that if you perform any local (uncommitted) changes, git will refuse to update the repository. In order to restore working copy to the vanilla state (revert all changes, remove new files):

$ cd /var/db/repos/gentoo
$ git reset --hard
$ git clean -df

If you commit inside the repository, the successive syncs will involve creating merge commits. Your package manager will require you to resolve any arising merge conflicts manually. If you'd like to remove all added commits (and other changes) and restore the repository to vanilla state:

$ cd /var/db/repos/gentoo
$ git reset --hard origin/master
$ git clean -df

Cloning the repository

If your package manager does not support git natively, or you'd like to work with ebuilds, you can clone the repository using the following command:

$ git clone --depth 1 \
	https://github.com/gentoo/gentoo-portage-rsync-mirror \
	/var/db/repos/gentoo

While --depth 1 is not strictly necessary, it is recommended due to humongous size of the repository.

Afterwards, the repository can be updated using:

$ cd /var/db/repos/gentoo
$ git pull

Using pull requests

The repository provides a common point for collecting contributions to Gentoo. If you'd like to submit ebuild fixes or a new ebuild that you'd be willing to proxy-maintain, just fork the repository, commit it and submit a pull request.

Please note a few things though:

1. Do not submit new ebuilds unless you or someone else is willing to maintain them afterwards.

2. Please do not submit changes that were already submitted via other media and rejected.

3. Please note that your changes will be reviewed and you may be asked to fix issues before the Pull Request is accepted. Please watch for comments and respond to them.

4. Avoid mixing unrelated changes in one Pull Request. Create branches for unrelated (non-successive) commits in your fork.

5. Always run repoman full on your ebuild directory before committing and review the output.

6. Please do not add/update ChangeLogs. Since we need to move your changes need to CVS manually, we will create/update them for you. And they often cause merge conflicts.

7. Try to provide useful information in commit messages but don't worry about them too much. Since the changes will be re-committed in CVS manually, we will end up updating the commit message anyway.

8. Please note that the Pull Requests won't be merged directly into the repository but re-committed in CVS. GitHub will likely report that your Pull Request has been refused and you will have to remove your commits to pull. That's why it is a good idea to perform changes in separate branches and remove them afterwards.

For Gentoo developers

Developers, thank you for your interest in the git mirror. If you'd like to help us handling Pull Requests, please note the following:

1. Do not ever push anything to the mirror or use the merge feature provided by GitHub. Instead, copy files over to CVS, update the ChangeLog and commit as usual.

2. Please respect other developers and do not commit something you wouldn't normally commit. If necessary, contact the maintainer, open a bug or ask user to open one.

3. Please try to keep others informed on your actions related to a Pull Request. Preferably use Pull Request and commit inline comments to review. If you perform any actions that do not result in explicit notice in the Pull Request (open bug, contact submitter directly), please leave an appropriate note on the Pull Request.

4. Please keep up to the Gentoo QA standards. If in doubt, ask the submitter. Perform the final commit using repoman commit.

If you'd like to review Pull Requests regularly, please consider joining the git mirror project team.