Debian > Debian GNU > Debian GNU/Hurd

This page attempts to be a reference for all resources related to Debian GNU/Hurd that can be useful for users and developers. Feel free to add more stuff as you see fit.

"In a discussion with the Debian Hurd porters it was decided that the Hurd port stays on FTPMaster until Wheezy is released. Should they have managed to get the port into a state that it is released together with all the others (probably as a technology preview), it is kept in the archive. Should they not manage this the port will be removed from the main archive and move fully to debian-ports.org."¹

What is Debian GNU/Hurd ?

Debian GNU/Hurd is an operating system from Debian, but which uses GNU Hurd, which a set of servers, running on top of the GNU Mach microkernel instead of the kernel named Linux (thus the name Debian GNU/Hurd). Some day, most applications will exist both in Debian GNU/Hurd and in Debian GNU/Linux.

Basic info

• Official port site

• GNU's GNU Hurd

• Installation and testing:

  • http://www.debian.org/ports/hurd/hurd-install

    • Debian "Sid" debian-installer images available http://people.debian.org/~sthibault/hurd-i386/installer/cdimage/.

    • This is the prefered method of install.

  • Cross Hurd

  • Pre-build image files (*.img.*) at http://people.debian.org/~sthibault/hurd-i386/

• ?Debian_GNU/Hurd_FAQ

• TheHurd page. (Merge?)

• User/developer discussion mailing list

• Last bits from the project

• IRC channel: #hurd on irc.freenode.net (not irc.debian.org)

Goals for releasing in wheezy

• buildd
  • security
  • DSA
• proper dhcp support in installed system
  • use ifup/ifdown instead of translators entry?
• debian-ports packages need to be integrated in the main archive.

  • bash

    • Only to fix a rare segfault, already accepted upstream, available in experimental
  • binutils

    • http://bugs.debian.org/629866

    • Not critical, can live without
  • cardmgr-gnumach
    • wifi, not mandatory
  • console-driver-xkb
    • we should probably just integrate it in the hurd package

  • cscope, to remove

  • ecl
    • not installable, to remove

  • eglibc, to remove

  • exim4, to remove

  • gamin

    • needs few patches already sent in various bugzilla.gnome.org reports:

      • https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=315644

      • https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=588337

      • https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=605246

    • http://bugs.debian.org/637019

    • Fixed, to remove
  • gcc-4.4 gcc-4.6

    • http://bugs.debian.org/629866

    • not critical, can live without

  • gdb, to remove

  • gdm3

    • will be fixed in 3.0.4 (already in experimental) -- to remove?

  • gem2deb

    • drops ruby 1.9.1 support, as it is not available on hurd
    • to remove
  • ghc6
    • Difficult hang during build

  • gnutls26

    • http://bugs.debian.org/636949

    • to remove
  • gopherfs
    • ITP: hurdextras?
  • grub2
    • decide on partition stuff, and submit
  • gtest

    • problem with libpthread keys, http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/open_issues/libpthread_pthread_key_create_reuse.html

  • hdf5

    • http://bugs.debian.org/627896 , fixed in experimental

    • to remove
  • hyperestraier
    • not mandatory
  • icon
    • not mandatory
  • ifupdown
    • TODO
  • isc-dhcp

    • http://bugs.debian.org/616290

  • lockdev
    • TODO
  • libdrm
    • This is just a stub. integrate in the main archive?
  • libpthread-stubs

    • http://bugs.debian.org/632555

  • libusb
    • This is just a stub. integrate in the main archive?
  • mpi-defaults

    • http://bugs.debian.org/553701 , fixed in experimental

  • netio
    • ITP: hurdextras?
  • parted
    • decide on partition stuff, and submit
  • pulseaudio

    • See http://www.pulseaudio.org/ticket/817 : upstream is not very responsive...

    • TODO: check again whether it builds
  • qdbm
    • make check fails
  • random-egd
    • ITP: needed by hurd, must go into main
    • Or simply use Marcus' C implementation
  • ruby1.9.1

    • Fix libc_stack_end in glibc, pending

    • apply patch to fix struct dirent size once upstream agreed.

    • TODO: check whether it built fine
  • sane-backends-extras
    • not mandatory
  • screen

    • trivial fix on http://bugs.debian.org/522689 , uploaded to experimental

  • tarfs
    • ITP: hurdextras?

  • tcp-wrappers, to remove

  • wireless-tools-gnumach
    • for wifi, probably not mandatory
• Be able to install from official mirror (should be almost done, missing at least the "random" bit and grub/parted)
• Integrate DDE to get nowadays' network support.
• Get Xorg + gnome/kde/xfce (xfce should work, kde is missing working dbus (due to local socket auth and bugs in select() cornercases)) + some webbrowser working (iceweasel works).

• Fix ext2fs uncleanness at reboot http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/open_issues/sync_but_still_unclean_filesystem.html

• Switch to plain sysv startup?
• Enable console by default? (next upload will have proper kernel message relaying)
• Good archive coverage.
  • We're at 70%, kfreebsd is at 85%. Although probably not reachable, we can probably do better with
    • ghc6
    • gnat

    • ruby1.9.1

Goals for later

• IPv6 support in d-i (after it is settled for linux).

Developer info

• DD-accessible machines running GNU/Hurd:

  • hurd-i386: see ArchiveQualification/hurd-i386

• ArchiveQualification/hurd-i386

• Debian GNU/Hurd port on alioth

• Debian GNU/Hurd Development

• TODO file, with all sorts tasks we need help on

• NOTES about package status in official archive

• Packages with uninstallable Build-Depends

• Uninstallable packages (EDOS debcheck)

• Basic porting information

• Our patches directory

• Patches that are only needed for Debian (either because they're fixed-upstream, or because of their Debian-specific nature)

• Patches submitted in the Debian BTS

• General FTBFS also affect us (dschepler@gmail.com)

• General FTBFS also affect us (lucas@lucas-nussbaum.net)

• Build logs of Debian GNU/Hurd

• Hurd package on alioth

• crosshurd on alioth

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