resolveRepackage

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Key Features
• Prerequisites
• Getting Started
• Usage
  • Run Modes and Flags
  • What the Script Does
• Workflow Diagram
• Generated Files
• Troubleshooting
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Contributing
• Security
• License

Overview

repackageResolve.sh converts the official DaVinci Resolve GNU/Linux .run installer into a Debian-compatible .deb package. The script vendors Resolve’s required legacy libraries inside the package so you can install the editor on modern Debian/Ubuntu systems without downgrading core system libraries while keeping those legacy libraries isolated from the rest of the system.

Key Features

• Idempotent builds: Skips rebuilding when a matching .deb already exists (override with --force).
• Dependency bundling: Downloads Resolve’s shared-library dependencies and packages them into opt/resolve/libs to avoid touching host libraries. Libraries that conflict with the system (GLib, Kerberos/OpenSSL stack, etc.) are automatically disabled so they cannot leak into the rest of the system.
• Self-contained launcher: Automatically swaps the upstream resolve binary for a small wrapper that injects LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/resolve/libs only for Resolve itself.
• Interactive safeguards: Warns about existing Resolve installations, offers to uninstall, and prompts before installing the freshly built .deb.
• Verbose progress: Color-coded logging with numbered steps so you can follow along.
• Cache-aware: Reuses downloaded dependency .deb files between runs (with an option to clear the cache).

Prerequisites

• Operating system: Debian, Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, or derivative with apt.
• Required packages: fakeroot, xz-utils, tar, and dpkg (which provides dpkg-deb). Install them via sudo apt install fakeroot xz-utils tar dpkg.
• Privileges: Run the script with sudo (it configures /opt, /usr, and apt).
• Installer: Place the official DaVinci Resolve .run file (e.g., DaVinci_Resolve_18.6.2_Linux.run) in the same directory as the script.

Getting Started

# clone or copy this repository
git clone https://github.com/<you>/resolveRepackage.git
cd resolveRepackage

# place the .run installer beside the script
cp ~/Downloads/DaVinci_Resolve_*_Linux.run .

# ensure the script is executable; run this if it's not already executable
chmod +x repackageResolve.sh

Usage

sudo ./repackageResolve.sh [OPTIONS]

Run Modes and Flags

Flag	Description
-f, --force	Rebuild the .deb even if a matching version already exists.
--force-install	Install the generated .deb even if Resolve seems already installed.
--clean-cache	Clear cached dependency archives before bundling.
-h, --help	Show usage information and exit.

The script stores dependency downloads in ${CACHE_ROOT:-$HOME/.cache/resolve-repackage} so subsequent runs are faster. Use --clean-cache if the cache becomes stale or corrupted.

What the Script Does

1. Checks environment: Confirms root privileges, finds the .run installer, verifies tooling, and prepares the cache directory.
2. Prep dependencies: Downloads required shared libraries as .deb archives (download-only) for bundling.
3. User prompts: Offers to uninstall any prior Resolve installation and asks whether to auto-install the new .deb when finished.
4. Builds the package:
   • Extracts the .run installer headlessly with the official installer in --nonroot mode.
   • Detects the Resolve version from the bundled documentation and creates a Debian staging tree.
   • Copies Resolve binaries into opt/resolve and gathers bundled libs into opt/resolve/libs (including the downloaded dependency libraries).
   • Generates the Debian control metadata and postinst script, replaces the upstream resolve binary with a wrapper, and disables bundled libraries known to clash with the host (GLib, Kerberos/OpenSSL stack, etc.).
   • Builds the .deb with fakeroot dpkg-deb and emits davinci-resolve-studio_<version>_amd64.deb.
5. Optional install: If you consent (or pass --force-install), installs the package via apt.
6. Cleanup: Temporary work directories are removed automatically via a trap handler.

Workflow Diagram

flowchart TD
    A[Start Script] --> B[Parse CLI Flags]
    B --> C[Check Root Privileges & Tools]
    C --> D[Locate .run Installer]
    D --> E[Prepare Cache & Resolve Dependencies]
    E --> F[Prompt: Uninstall existing Resolve?]
    F --> G[Prompt: Auto-install after build?]
    G --> H[Headless Extraction]
    H --> I[Detect Resolve Version]
    I --> J[Stage Debian Tree under /opt/resolve]
    J --> K[Gather Bundled Libraries]
    K --> L[Bundle External Packages]
    L --> M[Disable Conflicting GLib/Kerberos Libs]
    M --> N[Create Wrapper + postinst Metadata]
    N --> O[Build .deb with fakeroot dpkg-deb]
    O --> P{Auto-install?}
    P -- Yes --> Q[apt install ./<deb>]
    P -- No --> R[Print Manual Install Instructions]
    Q --> S[Cleanup Temporary Files]
    R --> S[Cleanup Temporary Files]

Loading

Detailed map (each item links to the implementation):

• Start Script → parse_args → check_root → check_installer → check_tools
• Prepare dependencies → ensure_bundled_packages
• Prompt for uninstall → prompt_uninstall_and_repackage
• Prompt for auto-install → prompt_install_after_repackage
• Headless extraction & version detection → create_deb_package
• Stage Debian tree & copy assets → create_deb_package
• Bundle external packages → bundle_system_libraries
• Disable conflicting GLib/Kerberos libs → disable_conflicting_libs
• Create wrapper & postinst metadata → create_deb_package
• Build .deb → create_deb_package
• Optional auto-install → install_package
• Cleanup → cleanup

Generated Files

• davinci-resolve-studio_<version>_amd64.deb — the Debian package you can install or distribute.
• opt/resolve inside the .deb contains Resolve binaries plus bundled libraries under opt/resolve/libs.
• Cache directory ${CACHE_ROOT:-$HOME/.cache/resolve-repackage} stores downloaded dependency .deb archives for reuse.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Possible Cause	Suggested Fix
No DaVinci Resolve installer (.run) found	Installer not present in script directory.	Place the .run file alongside repackageResolve.sh and re-run.
Required tool '<tool>' is not installed	Missing prerequisite packages.	Install via sudo apt install fakeroot xz-utils tar dpkg.
Extraction failure (Failed to extract the installer archive)	Corrupted .run download or insufficient disk space.	Re-download the installer; ensure adequate disk space.
Bundled library warnings	Dependency .deb files missing in cache.	Check network connectivity; rerun with --clean-cache to refresh.
Package file '<deb>' not found	Build skipped because existing package matched; or build failed earlier.	Run with --force to rebuild; inspect prior log output for errors.
Installation fails with dependency complaints	Host machine lacks required base packages (libgl1, libx11-6, etc.).	Install missing packages via sudo apt install <package>.
Package 'libasound2' has no installation candidate	Newer Ubuntu/Pop!
OS releases virtualize libasound2 (e.g., libasound2t64).	Pick the T64 variant when prompted, or rerun with the updated script which automatically selects the available variant.
Resolve or system binaries fail with undefined symbol errors referencing GLib/OpenSSL/Kerberos	Older bundled libraries from Resolve were on the dynamic loader path.	The script now disables those copies automatically. If you had a previous install, rename any libglib*, libgio*, libgobject*, libgmodule*, libgthread*, libkrb5*, libk5crypto*, libgssapi_krb5* under /opt/resolve/libs to *.disabled and reinstall with the latest script.

Upgrade Workflow

Upgrading to a new Resolve release is the same as the initial setup:

cd /path/to/resolveRepackage
git pull
cp ~/Downloads/DaVinci_Resolve_*.run .
sudo ./repackageResolve.sh --force --force-install

--force ensures the .deb is rebuilt even if the version number hasn’t changed yet, and --force-install skips the prompt and replaces the existing davinci-resolve-studio package in one go. The script automatically handles the wrapper and conflicting libraries on every run, so no manual cleanup is required between upgrades.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I run the script without sudo?
No. The script modifies /opt, /usr, and manages apt operations, so elevated privileges are required.

Q: Does the script support the free (non-Studio) Resolve edition?
Yes—adjust PACKAGE_NAME inside the script if you are targeting the free edition.

Q: Where are the temporary working files created?
Under a randomly named directory in /tmp (via mktemp). They are removed automatically unless the script crashes midway.

Q: How do I remove the cached dependency downloads?
Run with the --clean-cache flag or manually delete ${CACHE_ROOT:-$HOME/.cache/resolve-repackage}.

Contributing

1. Fork the repo and create a feature branch.
2. Make your changes.
3. Run the script end-to-end to ensure the workflow still succeeds.
4. Submit a pull request describing your updates.

Bug reports and enhancement ideas are welcome via GitHub issues. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the validation suite (ShellCheck, bash -n, gitleaks) and the full pull request process.

Security

Please report vulnerabilities privately through GitHub's Report a vulnerability form rather than public issues. See SECURITY.md for details.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0. See LICENSE for the full text.