Re: Unsupported packages on RHEL

On Mon, Apr 24, 2006 at 01:12:01PM -0400, Lars Bjaerris wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> We have recently been discussing the pros. and cons. of running
> unsupported packages on RH EL.
> 
> Sometimes the packages available from Redhat are several revisions
> after what is available in a supposedly stable package outside Redhat
> Network.
> 
> Apart from the obvious dependency issues with installing a non RH
> supported package,
> What in your collected opinion would be the cons. of doing this ?
> 
> Any input would be appreciated.

There are good packagers and there are bad packagers.  We typically
install yum on our RHEL systems and then point them to Dag's archive.
We're very selective in what we decide to support internally though.
Dag, however, does a very good job of packaging and we haven't run into
any issues yet.  There's no guarantee that Dag's package is absolutely
the latest version either, but the latest is not always what we want
anyway - we're after a stable package that sometimes Red Hat has chosen
not to include in RHEL (awstats, proftpd, etc.).

Remember that packages are typically installed as root and if you don't
trust the packager, you could be in deep trouble. ALWAYS check the
installation scripts, even if you get the package from a trusted
packager - you hope that he hasn't been compromised, but you don't want
to inherit his problems if he has.

        .../Ed

-- 
Ed Wilts, RHCE
Mounds View, MN, USA
mailto:[email protected]
Member #1, Red Hat Community Ambassador Program

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