deploying pre-build ports with macports
I'm planning a deployment of scientific software to several users in my lab. The software depends on several libraries that aren't installed by default on OS X. We've settled on macports for providing those dependencies (and have been very impressed with the whole project- kudos!). I would like to deploy our whole package, including macports, as a single installer. Here was my plan. I'd appreciate feedback from any of the devs about whether this will work: As part of the metapackage for deploying our entire software suite, I plan to include the stock macports installer (to add the appropriate receipt to /Library/Receipts), followed by an installer that overwrites the /opt/local tree with the /opt/local tree from our development machine that has all of the dependencies built and activated (all machines are the same OS version and architecture). Will this work or will I hose the macports installation on the target machines? Thanks, Barry
On Jul 5, 2007, at 12:04 PM, Barry Wark wrote:
I'm planning a deployment of scientific software to several users in my lab. The software depends on several libraries that aren't installed by default on OS X. We've settled on macports for providing those dependencies (and have been very impressed with the whole project- kudos!). I would like to deploy our whole package
I had the same sort of project for our astronomy software. My first thing was to create a meta-package that installed binary versions of all of our MacPorts dependencies. Then I ran another package that installed our (non-MacPorts) things. Note that the binary packages that MacPorts creates have little to do with MacPorts itself: in particular, they do not create MacPorts "receipts". If you expect to be able to install binary packages on top of a "standard" MacPorts distribution, and then subsequently build MacPorts that depend upon the binary-installed things, then you'll be in for a surprise: MacPorts will go ahead and install everything from source, ignoring the binary packages. That is, the binaries and the source ports are two different things and don't talk to one another. For us, this lead to lots of confusion for everyone: scientists, IT staff, developers. So now, I just build everything I need to - MacPorts for the community- developed things! - and then I create a tarball installer that includes all of our stuff (which isn't in MacPorts yet), and the handful of dynamic libs and binary commands that are required by our system (mostly Python). I don't know if my response helps you, but if you have other questions, I'd be happy to discuss them with you -- I'd like to know how other scientific applications are being deployed when using MacPorts. Regards, - boyd Boyd Waters National Radio Astronomy Observatory Socorro, New Mexico
participants (2)
-
Barry Wark
-
Boyd Waters