[Build-common-hackers] Bug#620350: cdbs fails when building in parallel

[rosea.grammostola]

package: cdbs
version: 0.4.92

Cdbs fails when building in parallel.

When building cdbs on the opensuse buildservice (obs), cdbs fails. Obs 
uses parallel building by default.

Here is some debug info:

> >  PASS: distutils-8.sh
> >  FAIL: distutils-9.sh
> >  FAIL: distutils-10.sh
> >  FAIL: distutils-11.sh
> >  PASS: ant-1.sh
> >  ====================
> >  3 of 30 tests failed
> >  ====================
>    
Checking the current build failures on the linked project, the tests
actually pass all fine (even though it seems to be only 28 checks)

The builds abort due to a 'build appears to be stuck' error =>  trying a
local build shows that bash is actually dieing:

  \_ /usr/bin/make install-am
     \_ /usr/bin/make install-exec-am install-data-am
           \_ [bash]<defunct>
           \_ [bash]<defunct>
           \_ [bash]<defunct>

So the clue is actually to find out why bash defunts on us in our build
environment.

A small verification with osc build -j 1 shows that once more, debian
stuff just does not work properly in parallel builds...



Here is a comment on the obs mailinglist:

And what would the packager do to enable parallel builds ?
He would do some bash scripting in the rules file to get the # of parallel
builds to from the DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS env variable and then calls make with the
parsed argument which is butt ugly to say it politely.

IMHO the debian way plain sucks and shouldn't be repeated. Instead some
"DISABLE_PARALLEL_BUILD=1" in the packages meta data is much preferable.

See alsohttp://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-source.html  section 4.9.1

(besides that parallel builds being broken_IS_  a bug in the packages build
system which should be filed upstream and not at debian)