[OPEN-ILS-DEV] Roadmap for discussion of Build/Package/Deploy/Maintain system

[Mike Rylander]

As promised, and only a few days late, I've put up a large sketch
(broader than I initially intended) of the direction I'd like to see
things head, as far as installation, deployment and maintenance is
concerned.

Keep a few things in mind as you peruse it, if you so choose.  First,
it's overarching, and needs to be broken down into more manageable
subprojects.  I think it's important, though, to keep the larger goal
in view, and that is not just building RPMs or DEBs for v1.0.x, but a
useful and maintainable system that will ease the total
post-development lifecycle of the software.

Second, it's missing a great deal (most) of detail, and will need some
refactoring as the requirements of smaller pieces come into view.  I
left the actual packaging section vague for this very reason.  I don't
want to (and most likely can't) pin down anything beyond refactoring
what build infrastructure exists today.  It is very much incomplete,
though my mind is numb already from putting together what's there.

The most important things to take away, IMO, are the general divisions
of the packages described in the Categories section, and the
(intentional) feeling of extreme modularity.  I would like every
functional component to be individually upgradable, and for the entire
process to be managed by a system that knows about the interactions
and dependencies of each piece.

That last statement brings me to my terminal goal of the overall
proposal: FIT.  Don McMorris coined the acronym during The Great
Thread of 12/06 ;-), and the more I think about it the more it makes
perfect sense.  Now, his original idea was for an installation
infrastructure, but I think it should go beyond that to cover upgrades
and general maintenance tasks -- I think general administration of an
Evergreen installation would be a huge boon, and far from impossible.

Also, keep in mind that what is laid out in the proposal is actually
more about what happens before an end user ever sees evergreen.  The
build and packaging should happen at RC and release time, and should
create a set of package that work out dependencies for the user.  This
is to aid /us/, the (growing) development community, during our work
improving Evergreen, and to aid end users by gathering packages
(either at install time via scripts or at packaging time if required)
so that they don't have to.

So ... with that, have at it.

http://open-ils.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=build_install_deploy_fit

-- 
Mike Rylander
mrylander at gmail.com
GPLS -- PINES Development
Database Developer
http://open-ils.org