MySQL Bugs: #43115: agent install wastes space from copying files instead of linking them

Bug #43115	agent install wastes space from copying files instead of linking them
Submitted:	23 Feb 2009 17:24	Modified:	27 Feb 2009 20:51
Reporter:	Carsten Segieth	Email Updates:
Status:	Won't fix	Impact on me:	None
Category:	MySQL Enterprise Monitor: Installing	Severity:	S3 (Non-critical)
Version:	2.0.5.7145	OS:	Any
Assigned to:	Keith Russell	CPU Architecture:	Any

Description:
The installer packages changed from 6,6 M to 18 M from 1.3 to 2.0 for the non-Windows installers, but only from 4,9 M to 6,4 M for Windows (which is a change that looks OK to me).

I've seen that there are a lot of links in the lib dir like this one

     23 lib/mysql-proxy/libmysql-proxy.so -> libmysql-proxy.so.0.0.0
     23 lib/mysql-proxy/libmysql-proxy.so.0 -> libmysql-proxy.so.0.0.0
 221304 lib/mysql-proxy/libmysql-proxy.so.0.0.0

but for the 2 libmysqlclient* it looks to me that the files are copied and not linked, which would explain the jump in the package size. The MD5SUMs are identical inside the 2 groups:

 4097416 lib/mysql-proxy/libmysqlclient_r.so
 4097416 lib/mysql-proxy/libmysqlclient_r.so.15
 4097416 lib/mysql-proxy/libmysqlclient_r.so.15.0.0

 4075647 lib/mysql-proxy/libmysqlclient.so
 4075647 lib/mysql-proxy/libmysqlclient.so.15
 4075647 lib/mysql-proxy/libmysqlclient.so.15.0.0

This wastes space in the installed agent (~14MB which is nearly 1/2 of the whole size) as well as it increases the package (=download) size.

How to repeat:
- check installer package size over versions
- compare installed agents

Suggested fix:
- use links instead of copying the files

This is from a defect in the packaging of the MySQL server package where
those libraries are copied from, they are copies there as well instead of
symbolic links.

This is corrected in MySQL server 5.1.  I assume the agent will move
to use the MySQL server client libraries now when it is GA, making
this problem go away.

If really a problem with the library size, and 5.0 is going to be used,
it is possible to solve when packaging the agent, in effect correct the
defect in the original MySQL server package. But I suggest not to do
that, and instead move to use MySQL server 5.1.

Andy, I'm adding you as reviewer on this issue. As Kent mentions, this should be corrected when the move is made to MySQL 5.1.  However, if necessary, the links could be created by the Bitrock install builder.
Keith