[Bug 1546967] Re: [needs-packaging] linux backports and related meta packages

[Mathew Hodson]

** Summary changed:

- [FFe] [needs-packaging] linux backports and related meta packages
+ [needs-packaging] linux backports and related meta packages

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu
Sponsors Team, which is subscribed to the bug report.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1546967

Title:
  [needs-packaging] linux backports and related meta packages

Status in Linux Backports:
  New
Status in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  There used to be linux-backports-modules packages in Ubuntu maintained
  by our kernel team before Quantal (the last release that have these
  packages is Precise). However these packages proved to be useful in
  our OEM projects, because we often need to support new devices and
  their support is not good enough in kernel, and so we need to use
  drivers from later kernels. As a result I would like to re-introduce
  them into Ubuntu. After talking to Leann she agrees to let us (the
  hardware enablement team) to take over the packages.

  We have re-packaged the codes by using newer debian build tools and
  added a few more meta packages for more flexibility, and so package
  naming and versioning will be different from before. Besides, a new LP
  project [1] has been created for this effort.

  Same as the previous incarnation of linux-backports-modules, these packages will need to be constantly updated (SRU) upon two cases:
    1. Kernel ABI bump: when kernel is updated, backports packages have to be rebuilt against the new kernel and uploaded.
    2. We need to add a new version of backports modules: since backports modules are derived from upstream kernel and upstream kernel is constantly evolving with bug fixes and support for new devices, at some point in time we will want new packages to be built for modules from new kernels. Example: current wifi backports package is called linux-backports-wifi-4.5-4.4.0-4, which consists of modules from linux kernel 4.5 and the package is built against Ubuntu kernel 4.4.0-4. In the future there might be a new package linux-backports-wifi-4.6-4.4.0-8, which uses modules from kernel 4.6 that built against Ubuntu kernel 4.4.0-8.

  Source can be found in this PPA: https://launchpad.net/~linux-
  backports-team/+archive/ubuntu/staging/+packages

  [1] https://launchpad.net/backports

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/backports/+bug/1546967/+subscriptions