On 2019-09-06 14:30, Mark Hindley wrote:
> On Thu, Sep 05, 2019 at 11:27:03PM -0500, golinux@??? wrote:
>> Dear Dev1ers,
>>
>> Many of you have asked how you can help Devuan. Well, here's an
>> opportunity
>> - especially for those who keep asking when Beowulf will be released!
>
> I have just had a go in a couple of scenarios using a VM.
>
> The basic process is:
>

>  1) Install sysvinit-core (if you don't have it already), remove 
> libnss-systemd
>     and reboot.
>  2) Manually download and  install devuan-keyring (wget, dpkg -i).
>  3) change apt sources from buster to beowulf.
>  4) apt update.
>  4) apt full-upgrade or apt-get dist-upgrade.

>
> The process is not too bad, particularly if you have a very basic
> install. However, the main issue is step 1) if you have anything
> desktoppy
> installed (lightdm, xfce....). Debian's libpam-systemd unhelpfully
> depends on
> systemd-sysv which in turn conflicts with sysvinit-core. So, by
> installing
> sysvinit-core the whole chain systemd-sysv -> libpam-systemd ->
> policykit ->
> desktop gets more or less removed. Of course it could all be
> reinstalled later,
> but that is understandably probably too much for most users.
>
> I have already submitted #935304 which is being ignored and may well
> not be
> fixed in bullseye. Sigh!
>
> In the report I point out that libpam-systemd depending on
> systemd-sysv doesn't mean
> systemd will always be PID 1, which is (I think) the intention of it.
>
> So, I am working on a transitional package that could help in devuan to
> smooth
> this out and not require the whole GUI to be removed and reinstalled.
> The basic
> idea is that the transitional package Provides systemd-sysv and Depends
> sysvinit-core. Installing it temporarily will satisfy libpam-systemd
> whilst the
> system is rebooted without having to uninstall half of the system.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Mark

Thanks Mark. This is very helpful. We will need to have a solution for
a migration to Beowulf to be approved. So please continue to experiment
with graceful ways around the current systemd-sysv hiccup. FYI, I have
also posted your response to the dev1galaxy thread here (I added a link
to #935304):
https://dev1galaxy.org/viewtopic.php?pid=17709#p17709

golinux