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btx wrote

  @Alex789 I disagree, if you have original source maintained by author of it, then it is highly recommended to use source package, especially as here one does not need to compile, running install.sh should install it properly, if not, follow the errors and fix them. Especially if it is edge, it means that one has to setup few things because no system uses all the same packages and configs as well as hardware.

 

Is it about linux? Yes, it is, and officially tplink offers source which can be used on any system, if tplink offers own repos for rpm, deb, aur, snap... then I would recommend using it, but they offer just debian package for ubuntu/debian, for every other linux distribution it is recommended to use official package for linux which is tar.gz.

 

 

 

 

 

  @btx 

Maintaining something like the omada controller which relies on old versions of things on an Arch-based distro where major core library changes can happen on any random day requires some reasonable Linux knowledge.  Running it in a secure way also requires some Linux knowledge.

If you have that knowledge then I guess that is fine.  If you don't, then using the AUR package is going to be a better strategy.

Even if you get it running, keeping it running requires work.

This isn't the case on a static release Linux distro where once you get something working you should have ABI stability unless you upgrade the underlying Linux version.

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btx wrote

  @Alex789 like said before, if tplink provides a package, then it should be used, I would dislike to be dependant on a private person updating the sources if a company offers the sources. The only what I need to know is how to install and if I need aur package, then I will build one for myself which includes all dependencies which are not available and make it public if I want to share.

 

  @btx I suppose that is a fine answer for you who probably has enough Linux knowledge to port a manual installation script to an unsupported distro and then properly secure it.  But many people who run Linux don't have that knowledge.

btx wrote

You do not need deep knowledge about linux, it is good if you know basics

I guess it depends how you define "the basics".  There are many Linux users these days who aren't experience with editing shell scripts and don't have knowledge of Linux permissions and filesystem layouts.  The rise of easy to use Linux distros has changed the landscape.

btx wrote

- does not have knowledge about linux

- wants it not to suddenly stop working, simply stable

 

then I would anyway recommend not using that os, but one which one is capable to set up, easiest is ubuntu.

Sure, if you are setting up a system or container to run the controller, that is a good recommendation.

However, if you are already using Manjaro as your normal desktop or for some other reason, using the AUR package is going to be your best bet.  Especially if you are not comfortable with setting up and managing a container.

Not only does the AUR package "just work", but it is not a binary package so it is fully auditable and PKGBUILDs are easily read if you have the inclination to do so.

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btx wrote

  @Alex789 you replied to yourself:

 

I

For whatever reason you use manjaro, you should be able to set it up. You call porting to unsupported system complicated, that is already not exact, like previously stated, there is linux package from tplink.

 

@btx What tplink provides is a deb package or an installer for supported distros.  The installer doesn't work on Arch/Manjaro.  It relies on things like chkconfig and update-rc.d.  Using it isn't an option unless you can edit the script and create the systemd services needed on Arch/Manjaro.

btx wrote

Last which you forget to mention like many, there is no official support for 3rd party repos and if something goes wrong, tplink support can always say "use official package, we can not give support".

 

 

The AUR isn't a 3rd party repo, it is a collection of build scripts.  It literally goes out to tplink and pulls the official tar.gz and installs it manually.  What it does is 100% transparent.

Also, I don't think tplink supports Arch/Manjaro to being with so no matter what you do it is unsupported.

Either way, the OP has solved their problem now.

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btx wrote

  @Alex789 well, you nail the point, there is no official support from tplink for that distro, but there is their installer which you say pulls original package, meaning there is supported package but not being tested on that specific distro. You contradict yourself?

@btx 

No, I am not contradicting myself.  The installation script in that archive(which is not a package), only works on a limited number of distros.  The AUR package downloads the official archive and then installs it without the installer script.

AUR packages aren't actually packages.  They are the files and tools you need to build a package on your own machine and the AUR helpers provide automation to make that happen for you transparently.

btx wrote

I can not repeat enough, tplink officially offers linux package, maybe you do not consider manjaro as linux. You can check existing package to see what is done, add to install.sh and send to tplink. I have nothing against installer working on all distros.

I am not sure I understand what you are talking about here.  Different Linux distros have different requirements. tplink can't be expected to support all of them.  Just because they have a "Linux" installer that doesn't mean it works on all distros.  In fact, after looking at it, I suspect it works on very few distros.  It has some very specific commands in it.

btx wrote

 

Bash scripting, at least its basics are also part of linux basics

I have bad news for you.  I spend a substantial amount of time supporting Linux users and the vast majority of Linux desktop users have no scripting skills at all.  Fewer still would be able to make the modifications needed here.  This is no different than Windows where only a small percentage of users no how to write powershell scripts.  The days when Linux was reserved for technical users is long in the past.

btx wrote

meaning that for any user capable using search engines it should be copy&paste to check if distro is manjaro and add missing steps to the script. If that is too much, then request to tplink should be sent to add manjaro part to install.sh.

First of all, using a search engine and copy/pasting isn't going to help you adapt that script unless you have a ton of base knowledge.  It isn't like a couple of commands need to be changed.  It would need major surgery to get it done right.

btx wrote

If that is too much, then request to tplink should be sent to add manjaro part to install.sh.

Again, tplink can't be expected to natively support and test every distro.  The degrees to which different distros differ is too significant.  That is exactly how an AUR package can bridge the gap.  It takes the official sources and adapts them to the distro.

btx wrote

That way user using it in no way recommended env, on unstable distro can install it manually. What you try to explain is that it is easier for a user to use the package, but it is still not recommended.

Again, no matter how they install it, it isn't an environment that tplink supports so the support should be no different either way.

It may not be recommended by you but their are a lot of advantages to using the AUR package over a completely manual install which is the only alternative here.

On an Arch-based distro, it is important to bring software under the control of the package manager.  You need this to retain dependency management.  This is fairly critical on a rolling distro where things change mid-stream.  Otherwise, you will end up with broken software.

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