[OPEN-ILS-DEV] Proposal for release manager

[Rogan Hamby]

>From my stand point in looking forward to rolling out the web based staff
client at service locations I like this plan quite a bit.  I also want to
see finding ways to make SIP more secure since (tragically) I don't think
vendors will be moving away from it anytime soon and I agree that tunneling
it is probably the most practical approach at this time.

On Fri, Oct 16, 2015 at 3:28 PM, Galen Charlton <gmc at esilibrary.com> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Here are my plans for the next Evergreen release if I'm elected as
> release manager.
>
> Release priorities
> -------------------------------------
> [1] Extend support for production use of the web staff interface at
> circulation desk
>
> As of today, the first sprint for the web staff interface is complete,
> and the second sprint (cataloging) is wrapping up the phase where bugs
> reported by the funding partners are being fixed.  Coding for sprint 3
> (administration and reports) is under way, as is a project to write an
> AngularJS patron record editor.
>
> At present, the web staff interface has been included in Evergreen as
> a technology preview and we have explicitly recommended against using
> in production.  For the next release, I propose that we extend
> community support for using the web staff interface in production for
> circulation desk functions, including:
>
> - patron registration and editing
> - circulation, hold and monetary transactions conducted at the circ desk
>
> In order to accomplish this, we'll need to
>
> - clearly identify the patron and circ functionality that we'll
> "officially" support
> - identify any bits of circ functionality that may need to continue to
> rely on the XUL client
> - write sufficient documentation of the new interfaces
> - create a mechanism so that web staff interface functions that aren't
> quite ready for prime time can be hidden from the circ desk
> - stamp out any showstopper bugs
>
> As release manager, I would participate in all of these tasks, but of
> perhaps more import, would do what I can to remove any roadblocks
> preventing any interested contributors from participating in this
> effort.
>
> [2] Rescue patches in need of unit tests
>
> As release manager, I intend to actively comb through pull requests
> that lack unit tests and bring them up to current standards.
>
> [3] Deprecate HTTP in favor of HTTPS
>
> Using HTTP presents a risk to the privacy of library patrons, and it
> is clear that the trend for web applications is to use HTTPS across
> the board.  At the same time, projects like Let's Encrypt are lowering
> the bar for easily (and cheaply) obtaining SSL certificates.
> Consequently, for the next release I propose that:
>
> - the default configuration for new installations of Evergreen (and
> OpenSRF) not enable HTTP
> - we provide upgrade instructions for disabling HTTP (except for the
> purpose of immediately redirecting to HTTPS)
> - we tie up any mixed-content loose ends
>
> [4] Document ways to use SIP2 more securely
>
> SIP2 is another unencrypted protocol, and one that many libraries are
> stuck using for the moment.  For the next release, I propose that
> Evergreen distribute example configurations and documentation on how
> to tunnel SIP2 traffic (e.g., via stunnel or SSH).
>
> Because this release would be the first where (a portion) of the web
> staff interface would be meant for production use, I propose that we
> call it 3.0.0.
>
> Schedule
> -------------------------------------
> * 5 February 2015: feature slush - at this point in the release, all
> significant feature branches should have LP bugfixes and pull
> requests. I would reserve the right to bump any new feature branches
> that come in after this date to the fall 2016 release.
> * 19 February 2015: feature freeze - no non-bugfix patches to be pushed
> * 25 February 2015: beta release
> * 10 March 2015: release candidate
> * 17 March 2015: 3.0.0 released
>
> Questions? Please don't hesitate to ask me.
>
> Regards,
>
> Galen
> --
> Galen Charlton
> Infrastructure and Added Services Manager
> Equinox Software, Inc. / The Open Source Experts
> email:  gmc at esilibrary.com
> direct: +1 770-709-5581
> cell:   +1 404-984-4366
> skype:  gmcharlt
> web:    http://www.esilibrary.com/
> Supporting Koha and Evergreen: http://koha-community.org &
> http://evergreen-ils.org
>



-- 

Rogan Hamby, MLS, CCNP, MIA
Managers Headquarters Library and Reference Services,
York County Library System

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit
me.”
― C.S. Lewis <http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1069006.C_S_Lewis>
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