move stuff that isn't board-specific out of armbian/packages/bsp (and into APA?)

[leggewie]

As discussed in #34 (comment), let's consider to clean up and move stuff out of packages/bsp that is not board-specific. I think, that's a worthwhile goal and now shortly after release is a good time to do this. How can we do this and not mess up non-APA builds?

@tabrisnet @igorpecovnik

[tabrisnet]

to the degree that it is possible to create armbian-generic [or perhaps armbian-bsp-generic? there should be a better name for it], it can't move into APA, or we'd end up with two copies.
@coderabbitai ideas for better package names for armbian tools/components that is currently under https://github.com/armbian/build/tree/main/packages/bsp/, but isn't per board/family/etc ?

[coderabbitai]

🧩 Analysis chain

🏁 Script executed:

#!/bin/bash
# Clone and explore the armbian/build repository to see bsp/ structure
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/armbian/build.git /tmp/armbian-build 2>/dev/null

# List the contents of packages/bsp/
echo "=== Contents of packages/bsp/ ==="
ls -la /tmp/armbian-build/packages/bsp/ 2>/dev/null || echo "Directory not found"

echo -e "\n=== Subdirectories in packages/bsp/ ==="
find /tmp/armbian-build/packages/bsp/ -maxdepth 1 -type d 2>/dev/null | sort

echo -e "\n=== Looking for common/generic directories ==="
find /tmp/armbian-build/packages/bsp/ -type d -iname "*common*" -o -type d -iname "*generic*" 2>/dev/null

echo -e "\n=== All directories in bsp/ ==="
find /tmp/armbian-build/packages/bsp/ -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -type d 2>/dev/null | sed 's|.*/||' | sort

Length of output: 5575

---

🏁 Script executed:

#!/bin/bash
# Explore the common directory and other potentially generic components
echo "=== Contents of common/ directory ==="
ls -la /tmp/armbian-build/packages/bsp/common/

echo -e "\n=== Subdirectories in common/ ==="
find /tmp/armbian-build/packages/bsp/common/ -type d

echo -e "\n=== Files in common/ ==="
find /tmp/armbian-build/packages/bsp/common/ -type f | head -20

echo -e "\n=== Look at armbian-lowmem ==="
ls -la /tmp/armbian-build/packages/bsp/armbian-lowmem/

echo -e "\n=== Look at armbianmonitor ==="
ls -la /tmp/armbian-build/packages/bsp/armbianmonitor/

echo -e "\n=== Look at generate-bt-mac-addr ==="
ls -la /tmp/armbian-build/packages/bsp/generate-bt-mac-addr/

echo -e "\n=== Look at usb-gadget-network ==="
ls -la /tmp/armbian-build/packages/bsp/usb-gadget-network/

echo -e "\n=== Check for any README or documentation ==="
find /tmp/armbian-build/packages/bsp/common/ -name "README*" -o -name "*.md" 2>/dev/null

Length of output: 7106

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@tabrisnet Based on exploring the packages/bsp/ directory structure, I can see there's a common/ directory with system-wide configurations and several generic utility packages. Here are my naming suggestions organized by category:

For the common/ directory contents:

• armbian-base-files ✨ (recommended) - Follows Debian convention (like base-files package), contains system configs, udev rules, systemd overrides
• armbian-system-config - Emphasizes configuration aspects
• armbian-core-files - Alternative emphasizing core system files

For standalone utilities currently in bsp/:

• armbian-system-utils - For general system utilities like armbianmonitor
• armbian-hardware-utils - For hardware-related utilities (generate-bt-mac-addr, usb-gadget-network)
• armbian-memory-utils - For armbian-lowmem specifically
• Or keep specific names like armbian-monitor, armbian-lowmem (already well-named)

General naming patterns to consider:

• armbian-base-* prefix for foundational system components
• armbian-support-* prefix for support tools and utilities
• armbian-hardware-* prefix for hardware integration tools

Recommendation:

I'd suggest armbian-base-files for the common/ directory contents, as it:

• Clearly indicates these are foundational files needed across all boards
• Follows established Debian naming convention
• Avoids confusion with "bsp" (Board Support Package) terminology
• Distinguishes it from board-specific BSP packages which can stay as armbian-bsp-<boardname>

The distinction would be:

• armbian-bsp-* → board/family-specific packages (stay in armbian/build)
• armbian-base-* → cross-board foundational packages (candidates for APA)
• armbian-*-utils → tool packages (could go either way)

Would any of these naming schemes work better for your architecture?

---

🧠 Learnings used

Learnt from: tabrisnet
Repo: armbian/apa PR: 25
File: debian/control:23-23
Timestamp: 2025-12-06T21:01:15.488Z
Learning: In the armbian/apa repository's debian/control, iputils-ping is temporarily added to armbian-common's Depends as a workaround for a capability issue where /bin/ping cannot create raw sockets. The proper solution involves: (1) PR #27, (2) removing the chmod u+s workaround code from armbian/build (armbian/build#9033), and (3) adding libcap2-bin to armbian/build's debootstrap package list so that iputils-ping's postinst script can use setcap to properly configure /bin/ping. Once these pieces are complete and merged, iputils-ping should be removed from armbian-common's Depends as it will no longer be needed.