Main Inclusion Report for lupin

Requirements

1. Availability: http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/l/lupin; available for all supported architectures

2. Rationale:

   • installer-for-windows

3. Security:

   • Developed specifically for Ubuntu; no security history.

   • lupin-casper runs within the initramfs with root privileges; lupin-support provides an init script which runs with root privileges at boot (although only in this particular installation scenario).

   • Performs no network activity.
   • The only obvious possible vulnerabilities are in its handling of block devices and in its handling of preseed files. Both of these are generally considered privileged data paths anyway.

   • I (ColinWatson) have performed a source code review, and was responsible for the (trivial) packaging. I'm not happy with the shell style in some places, but it does not appear to do anything dangerous.

4. Quality assurance:

   • Does not require any explicit configuration or debconf interaction, though it is designed to process the results of a Windows installer frontend.
   • Not in Debian. No independent upstream.
   • Does not deal with any particular types of hardware.

5. Standards compliance:

   • Standard debhelper packaging with no patch system. Installs initramfs hooks in the usual way. FHS and Debian Policy compliant to the best of my knowledge.

6. Dependencies:

   • initramfs-tools, casper, procps, lsb-base. All in main.

7. Background information:

   • The installer-for-windows specification calls for the ability to install into a loop-mounted filesystem within an existing Windows installation. For the most part this is implemented in existing installer components. partman-auto-loop was added in order to deal with the specialised partitioning required. A few small extra pieces are still needed in order to boot this kind of system, though. lupin-casper deals with booting the live CD from the Windows installer frontend and handles data transfer (in the form of a preseed file) from that frontend to our normal installer. lupin-support provides an init script used to adjust the kernel's virtual memory system in a way which is claimed to provide additional robustness in this installation scenario (but which I am not happy about enabling across the board).

   • This software is a remnant of the Linux side of Wubi.

Reviewers

ColinWatson.