binary NEW processing: warning signs, pitfalls, best practices?

[Steve Langasek]

[sent to ubuntu-archive for a permanent record, cc:ing all archive team
members because I'm not sure who's subscribed to the (optional) list]

Over the weekend, an issue came up where a package in main,
libmysqlclient16, had been taken over (incorrectly and, seemingly,
accidentally) by a source package in universe, mysql-cluster-7.0.  We are
still unwinding the resulting problem in order to get libmysqclient16 in
lucid back to a version that's supportable for 10.04, but in the meantime, I
wanted to examine what went wrong here and make sure we're all on the same
page regarding binary NEW processing.

The presentation of this package in the NEW queue (whether using the
commandline on cocoplum or the web interface at
https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/lucid/+queue) includes a list of those binaries
that are new, and those that are already in the archive - including the
component of those existing binaries.  If a source package is in universe,
but claims to be the owner of existing packages in any other component, this
should be a flag that more investigation is needed before accepting the
package.

If this had been the procedure when mysql-cluster-7.0 went through the
queue, it almost certainly would have been rejected from the queue and we
would not have the current problem.

Does anyone see a reason that this should not be the standard practice?  Is
there something that could be changed (in our documented processes, or in
the tools) that would make this situation more apparent when processing new
packages?

Cheers,
-- 
Steve Langasek                   Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS
Debian Developer                   to set it on, and I can move the world.
Ubuntu Developer                                    http://www.debian.org/
slangasek at ubuntu.com                                     vorlon at debian.org
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 828 bytes
Desc: Digital signature
Url : https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-archive/attachments/20100217/9fb5d101/attachment.pgp