Packaging different Zabbix agent versions

[Robin Roevens <robin.roevens@disroot.org>]

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Hi all

I would like to start releasing packages for Zabbix Agent 7.0 (new LTS)
as it offers some added value when used with Zabbix server 7.0
(heartbeat, item-level custom timeouts, ...).
However, the agent is not backwards compatible. Hence, if I would
update the zabbix_agentd package to contain v7.0, people still running
Zabbix 6.0 LTS (still supported until feb. 2027) or even 6.2 or 6.4
would then no longer be able to monitor IPFire.

So it would be nice if we could provide both zabbix_agentd 6.0 and 7.0
packages so users can choose depending on their Zabbix server version.
I think offering different versions of the same software is not yet
done before? 

How should I do this? Just add a new package zabbix_agentd7 next to the
current zabbix_agentd package? 
But if so:
- Can we then rename the zabbix_agentd pak to zabbix_agentd6 (I don't
immediately see how that should be handeled during upgrade?).
If not possible or feasable, that's not that big of a deal as in time
(feb 2027) that package can be removed and that "problem" then has
solved itself. So this is maybe just some unneeded hassle.
- Can we prevent users from installing both packages as they will
conflict? (both file-wise and used port-wise)
- And what should I do with the IPFire specific customizations as they
will be identical for both packages.:
  - Just duplicate them to both packages, (probably the easiest)
  - or move them to yet another package
"zabbix_agentd_ipfire_extension".. And then let both agent packages
depend on that one. But that may be confusing to the user as that
package would require one of the then 2 zabbix_agentd packages to be of
any use, but we can't do a zabbix_agentd OR zabbix_agentd7 dependency,
I think? 

...

Or should we just refrain from adding v7.0 for now.. and then probably
until 2027 or until ipfire3, (if pakfire there supports such packages
conflict/dependency mechanisms?).. but by then there probably is
already an 8.0 and possibly a 9.0..

So...

I would like your thoughts about this ?

Robin