[Buildd-tools-devel] Bug#512202: please create/remove /CurrentlyBuilding

[Robert Millan]

Package: sbuild
Severity: wishlist

The Debian man-db package has the following check in its postinst:

    if [ -f /CurrentlyBuilding ]; then
        # Skip building the database when running in a buildd environment,
        # to avoid wasting time. (At the moment, this check only works for
        # Ubuntu's buildds. Furthermore, detectable buildds are a
        # double-edged sword, so maybe this should be replaced with the
        # ability to preseed something to prevent building the database.)
        echo "... skipping, since this is a buildd" >&2
        return 0
    fi

It would be nice if this was useful with Debian buildds.  It would save a
lot of wasted time because of the database being regenerated every time
debhelper installation drags in man-db.

Please consider creating/removing that file stamp when sbuild is invoked.

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 5.0
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.18-6-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=ca_AD.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=ca_AD.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash

Versions of packages sbuild depends on:
ii  adduser                       3.110      add and remove users and groups
ii  apt                           0.7.20     Advanced front-end for dpkg
ii  dctrl-tools                   2.13.1     Command-line tools to process Debi
ii  devscripts                    2.10.44    scripts to make the life of a Debi
ii  dpkg-dev                      1.14.24    Debian package development tools
pn  exim4 | mail-transport-agent  <none>     (no description available)
ii  perl                          5.10.0-19  Larry Wall's Practical Extraction 
ii  perl-modules                  5.10.0-19  Core Perl modules
ii  schroot                       1.2.1-1    Execute commands in a chroot envir

Versions of packages sbuild recommends:
ii  debootstrap                   1.0.10     Bootstrap a basic Debian system
ii  fakeroot                      1.12.1     Gives a fake root environment

Versions of packages sbuild suggests:
ii  deborphan                     1.7.27     program that can find unused packa
ii  wget                          1.11.4-2   retrieves files from the web