The Comps.XML File

For a general overview of the new comps.xml file, please look at the anaconda documentation.
This page will be geared for the general workgroup maintainer.


Fermi Linux 9.0.1 brought a new way of writting the comps file. (the file that tells the installer what packages and groups to install). This new way is to write the comps file in an XML format. While this makes the file much more usefull and flexible, it also make editing it much more complex.
In order to help the workgroup maintainers this page has been written. It will not contain an indepth view of the comps.xml file, but enough for them to edit their own files with some degree of confidence.

First note that the file is now called comps.xml, not just comps as before.
Second note is that the fields id, name, and uservisible should not be changed. If you really want to change them, let the distribution maintainers (aka Connie and/or Troy) know, as this might have several odd side affects.

So here is an example



<!-- comments are put in this way  -->
<!-- Please only make changes in the grouplist and packagelist  -->
  <group>
    <id>consoleserver</id>
    <name>ConsoleServer</name>
    <uservisible>true</uservisible>
    <grouplist>
          <groupreq>fermi-desktop-small</groupreq>
          <groupreq>fermi-kerberos</groupreq>
          <groupreq>openssh-server</groupreq>
    </grouplist>
    <packagelist>
<!--      <packagereq type="mandatory">mandatory-package-id</packagereq>  -->
<!--      <packagereq type="default">default-package-id</packagereq>  -->
<!--      <packagereq type="optional">optional-package-id</packagereq>  -->
          <packagereq type="mandatory">ConsoleServer-tag</packagereq>
          <packagereq type="mandatory">zz_force_workgroups_cdrom</packagereq>
          <packagereq type="mandatory">upsupdbootstrap</packagereq>
          <packagereq type="default">icewm</packagereq>
          <packagereq type="default">xlockmore</packagereq>
          <packagereq type="default">expect</packagereq>
          <packagereq type="default">rxvt</packagereq>
    </packagelist>
  </group>


So we see that the two sections that we can edit without worry is the entries in grouplist and packagelist



April 2, 2005
dawson@fnal.gov