X-Git-Url: http://pere.pagekite.me/gitweb/homepage.git/blobdiff_plain/6858ce2065f53c1a3b26f35dffe5160916a5285c..beb3b8d2c78dbbf14e28d8a0b13a28dc14c5649c:/blog/archive/2016/12/index.html diff --git a/blog/archive/2016/12/index.html b/blog/archive/2016/12/index.html index 00d9e488da..160bf10b89 100644 --- a/blog/archive/2016/12/index.html +++ b/blog/archive/2016/12/index.html @@ -21,6 +21,222 @@

Entries from December 2016.

+
+
+ Appstream just learned how to map hardware to packages too! +
+
+ 23rd December 2016 +
+
+

I received a very nice Christmas present today. As my regular +readers probably know, I have been working on the +the Isenkram +system for many years. The goal of the Isenkram system is to make +it easier for users to figure out what to install to get a given piece +of hardware to work in Debian, and a key part of this system is a way +to map hardware to packages. Isenkram have its own mapping database, +and also uses data provided by each package using the AppStream +metadata format. And today, +AppStream in +Debian learned to look up hardware the same way Isenkram is doing it, +ie using fnmatch():

+ +

+% appstreamcli what-provides modalias \
+  usb:v1130p0202d0100dc00dsc00dp00ic03isc00ip00in00
+Identifier: pymissile [generic]
+Name: pymissile
+Summary: Control original Striker USB Missile Launcher
+Package: pymissile
+% appstreamcli what-provides modalias usb:v0694p0002d0000
+Identifier: libnxt [generic]
+Name: libnxt
+Summary: utility library for talking to the LEGO Mindstorms NXT brick
+Package: libnxt
+---
+Identifier: t2n [generic]
+Name: t2n
+Summary: Simple command-line tool for Lego NXT
+Package: t2n
+---
+Identifier: python-nxt [generic]
+Name: python-nxt
+Summary: Python driver/interface/wrapper for the Lego Mindstorms NXT robot
+Package: python-nxt
+---
+Identifier: nbc [generic]
+Name: nbc
+Summary: C compiler for LEGO Mindstorms NXT bricks
+Package: nbc
+%
+

+ +

A similar query can be done using the combined AppStream and +Isenkram databases using the isenkram-lookup tool:

+ +

+% isenkram-lookup usb:v1130p0202d0100dc00dsc00dp00ic03isc00ip00in00
+pymissile
+% isenkram-lookup usb:v0694p0002d0000
+libnxt
+nbc
+python-nxt
+t2n
+%
+

+ +

You can find modalias values relevant for your machine using +cat $(find /sys/devices/ -name modalias). + +

If you want to make this system a success and help Debian users +make the most of the hardware they have, please +helpadd +AppStream metadata for your package following the guidelines +documented in the wiki. So far only 11 packages provide such +information, among the several hundred hardware specific packages in +Debian. The Isenkram database on the other hand contain 101 packages, +mostly related to USB dongles. Most of the packages with hardware +mapping in AppStream are LEGO Mindstorms related, because I have, as +part of my involvement in +the Debian LEGO +team given priority to making sure LEGO users get proposed the +complete set of packages in Debian for that particular hardware. The +team also got a nice Christmas present today. The +nxt-firmware +package made it into Debian. With this package in place, it is +now possible to use the LEGO Mindstorms NXT unit with only free +software, as the nxt-firmware package contain the source and firmware +binaries for the NXT brick.

+ +

As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my +activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address +15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b.

+ +
+
+ + + Tags: debian, english, isenkram. + + +
+
+
+ +
+
+ Isenkram updated with a lot more hardware-package mappings +
+
+ 20th December 2016 +
+
+

The Isenkram +system I wrote two years ago to make it easier in Debian to find +and install packages to get your hardware dongles to work, is still +going strong. It is a system to look up the hardware present on or +connected to the current system, and map the hardware to Debian +packages. It can either be done using the tools in isenkram-cli or +using the user space daemon in the isenkram package. The latter will +notify you, when inserting new hardware, about what packages to +install to get the dongle working. It will even provide a button to +click on to ask packagekit to install the packages.

+ +

Here is an command line example from my Thinkpad laptop:

+ +

+% isenkram-lookup  
+bluez
+cheese
+ethtool
+fprintd
+fprintd-demo
+gkrellm-thinkbat
+hdapsd
+libpam-fprintd
+pidgin-blinklight
+thinkfan
+tlp
+tp-smapi-dkms
+tp-smapi-source
+tpb
+%
+

+ +

It can also list the firware package providing firmware requested +by the load kernel modules, which in my case is an empty list because +I have all the firmware my machine need: + +

+% /usr/sbin/isenkram-autoinstall-firmware -l
+info: did not find any firmware files requested by loaded kernel modules.  exiting
+%
+

+ +

The last few days I had a look at several of the around 250 +packages in Debian with udev rules. These seem like good candidates +to install when a given hardware dongle is inserted, and I found +several that should be proposed by isenkram. I have not had time to +check all of them, but am happy to report that now there are 97 +packages packages mapped to hardware by Isenkram. 11 of these +packages provide hardware mapping using AppStream, while the rest are +listed in the modaliases file provided in isenkram.

+ +

These are the packages with hardware mappings at the moment. The +marked packages are also announcing their hardware +support using AppStream, for everyone to use:

+ +

air-quality-sensor, alsa-firmware-loaders, argyll, +array-info, avarice, avrdude, b43-fwcutter, +bit-babbler, bluez, bluez-firmware, brltty, +broadcom-sta-dkms, calibre, cgminer, cheese, colord, +colorhug-client, dahdi-firmware-nonfree, dahdi-linux, +dfu-util, dolphin-emu, ekeyd, ethtool, firmware-ipw2x00, fprintd, +fprintd-demo, galileo, gkrellm-thinkbat, gphoto2, +gpsbabel, gpsbabel-gui, gpsman, gpstrans, gqrx-sdr, gr-fcdproplus, +gr-osmosdr, gtkpod, hackrf, hdapsd, hdmi2usb-udev, hpijs-ppds, hplip, +ipw3945-source, ipw3945d, kde-config-tablet, kinect-audio-setup, +libnxt, libpam-fprintd, lomoco, +madwimax, minidisc-utils, mkgmap, msi-keyboard, mtkbabel, +nbc, nqc, nut-hal-drivers, ola, +open-vm-toolbox, open-vm-tools, openambit, pcgminer, pcmciautils, +pcscd, pidgin-blinklight, printer-driver-splix, +pymissile, python-nxt, qlandkartegt, +qlandkartegt-garmin, rosegarden, rt2x00-source, sispmctl, +soapysdr-module-hackrf, solaar, squeak-plugins-scratch, sunxi-tools, +t2n, thinkfan, thinkfinger-tools, tlp, tp-smapi-dkms, +tp-smapi-source, tpb, tucnak, uhd-host, usbmuxd, viking, +virtualbox-ose-guest-x11, w1retap, xawtv, xserver-xorg-input-vmmouse, +xserver-xorg-input-wacom, xserver-xorg-video-qxl, +xserver-xorg-video-vmware, yubikey-personalization and +zd1211-firmware

+ +

If you know of other packages, please let me know with a wishlist +bug report against the isenkram-cli package, and ask the package +maintainer to +add AppStream +metadata according to the guidelines to provide the information +for everyone. In time, I hope to get rid of the isenkram specific +hardware mapping and depend exclusively on AppStream.

+ +

Note, the AppStream metadata for broadcom-sta-dkms is matching too +much hardware, and suggest that the package with with any ethernet +card. See bug #838735 for +the details. I hope the maintainer find time to address it soon. In +the mean time I provide an override in isenkram.

+ +
+
+ + + Tags: debian, english, isenkram. + + +
+
+
+
Oolite, a life in space as vagabond and mercenary - nice free software @@ -69,7 +285,7 @@ and Windows, and is included in Debian and derivatives since 2011.

As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address -15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b.

+15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b.

@@ -694,6 +910,69 @@ større.

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