Determine the architecture(s) during the source build for a dynamic matrix of architectures for the binary job

[Centuriondan]

For Devuan we are using matrix to build multiple architectures of a single build request - but currently the architectures are hardcoded at job creation time. I'd like to make this dynamic, so we can at build time select either a subset or all currently available buildable architectures. (It will allow for adding new architectures to the repositories later or (re)building only a single architecture.

I expect the process would go something like this:

1. A label "architectures" can be specified as part of the source job with possible values being the same as those supported by the Architecture: field in the control file Package: stanza.
2. The source build reads the debian/control file to determine the broadest selection of architectures that the package needs built
3. The architectures label is modified based on:

• Any architecture in the label not supported by the control file selection of architectures is dropped from the label.
• If only a subset of architectures are listed in the label then those architectures remain.
• If no architectures are set in the label then all the supported architectures will be built.

The key benefits of this approach would be:

• a much simpler process to setup the jobs for each package
• dynamic detection of supported architectures at build time
• build time selection of a subset of architectures to run

[mika]

That would be fantastic if that would work :)

[Centuriondan]

@mika: It's been on on my todo list for about 2 years... for Devuan we have a tool called devuan-release-bot which listens to gitlab for issues where we can command it to setup the jenkins jobs and build packages, and this would allow me to drop more then 30% of the spaghetti code (not my work) before I refactor that sucker ;-)

[mika]

Hehe, oh nice! :)