Re: [Qemu-devel] ROM sources and checkout dates or versions

[Fabrice Bellard]

Guillem Jover wrote:
> Hi,
>
> We've a problem packaging current qemu sources for Debian, as they
> contain binaries without sources (namely the roms), thus forcing us
> to repackage the upstream tarball to remove them. Also due to that,
> we've started depending on an external package providing the Bochs
> bios binary, but then now we have some problems with the emulated
> network card. See for example:
>
>         <http://bugs.debian.org/285752>
>         <http://bugs.debian.org/284132>
>
> I'd like to know if it would be possible to include the sources for
> those roms, so we can easily reproduce the same binaries from source,
> and be able to use the pristine source tarball as well. Otherwise
> having the checkout dates or exact version used would be of help,
> although a bit cumbersome.

Hi,

It is a bad idea to use the BIOSes from Bochs because QEMU has specific 
patches. Moreover, the recent Bochs BIOS may be incompatible with QEMU 
(I need to look at them). You should include the QEMU BIOSes as-is in an 
architecture independent Debian package.

I am relunctant to provide the source code because it would duplicate 
the code from Bochs and it would need a build process I am not ready to 
support. The provided diffs are suffisant to build the BIOS because they 
give the date and CVS version of the corresponding Bochs code.

Fabrice.