I, Serge Hallyn, apply for upload rights for packages vmbuilder and multipath-tools (Updated: to be more helpful with SRUs etc, I'm also asking for upload rights qemu-kvm, qemu-linary, seabios, vgabios, kvm-pxe, libvirt-bin, lxc and libcap2.) .

Who I am

I'm a member of the server team, most active in the virtualization stack and, recently, enterprise storage stack. I've been maintaining the KVM and libvirt packages, and recently took over the vmbuilder package.

My Ubuntu story

I started using Ubuntu after years of gentoo, when I received a new work laptop and needed to have it up very quickly. Ever since, I've appreciated the quick installs, quick upgrades, and, for machines with little interaction, the stability and low rate of updates for LTS releases.

I got involved with Ubuntu development when I joined Canonical. I maintain 'daily' (more like weekly) builds of kvm and libvirt, and have proposed uploads for kvm, libvirt, vmbuilder, and initramfs-tools both for bug fixes and for merges.

My involvement

Examples of my work / Things I'm proud of

Packaged kvm for lucid, maverick, and natty. Packaged libvirt for natty. Recently merged vmbuilder fixes and proposed new uploads. Pushed casper fix to deal more gracefully with mount failures. Worked with debian to push bugfixes for vfstpd, setools, and initramfs-tools.

Areas of work

I work a lot in the virtualization stack. I'm also developing some kernel features in support of more useful containerization. And I also work with some of the multipath storage stack, where there are still open bugs in multipath-tools, initramfs-tools, and grub.

Things I could do better

The smallest bugfix can lead to a great deal of follow-up work in terms of many SRUs plus pushes to debian and/or upstream. The process sometimes is daunting to me, and I could stand to get better at doing such things without having to re-read the guides in the wiki 10 times for each attempt.

Plans for the future

General

Contribute to maintaining the virtualization stack, and work to make containers a first-class citizen in that sphere.

I intend to apply soon-ish for upload rights to qemu-kvm and libvirt. I also want to pursue coredev membership, but I've got a fair bit of learning and practice to do first.

What I like least in Ubuntu

Sometimes packages get ubuntu-specific patches, without the requisite followup. As a result, the packages don't get further syncs from debian. The result can be hard to straighten out, particularly when there are debian/changelog entries listing 10 or 20 'little' changes, each of which must be checked against the new upstream to see if they've been applied there or are still relevant. (But really, that's a result of process not having been properly followed in the first place.)

Comments

If you'd like to comment, but are not the applicant or a sponsor, do it here. Don't forget to sign with @SIG@.

Endorsements

As a sponsor, just copy the template below, fill it out and add it to this section.

DustinKirkland

General feedback

Big +1 from me; Serge is a conscientious developer and a real asset to the Ubuntu community.

Specific Experiences of working together

I've sponsored quite a number of Serge's uploads, mostly in and around Ubuntu's hypervisor stack (qemu-kvm, seabios, vgabios, etherboot). He picked up packaging and merging extremely quickly and the quality of his work is always high. When I've given feedback, Serge accepts and acts on it promptly. He's quite adept at digging through upstream git repositories and finding key commits to cherrypick and solve bugs.

Areas of Improvement

I'd actually like to see Serge apply for much wider upload rights, across Ubuntu's virtualization stack Hopefully he will gain the necessary confidence and do so soon.

JamieStrandboge

General feedback

I recommend Serge for per-package upload rights for libvirt and vm-builder. In addition to his technical skills, he has good follow through and is attentive. I am very glad for his contributions to Ubuntu.

Specific Experiences of working together

I maintained the libvirt packages in Ubuntu for some time, and this work has largely been taken over by Serge. I have reviewed his libvirt work on several occasions, including libvirt's complicated merges, and Serge did a fine job with all of it. I have also helped him a bit with vm-builder work. I am very comfortable with Serge having upload rights for libvirt and vm-builder.

Areas of Improvement

While Serge's technical skills are very high, it would be good to see him work on more varied packages and tasks within Ubuntu. This should in no way detract from my recommendation for his per-package upload access, but is intended to provide feedback for when he pursues MOTU or core-dev.

KeesCook

General feedback

While I haven't directly sponsored any of Serge's uploads, I've found the quality of his packaging to be quite good. He has a strong attention to detail.

Specific Experiences of working together

My workflow is very sensitive to changes in libvirt and vm-builder, so in this regard, things have been very smooth. I've been very happy with the work on these packages. My direct experiences of working together have mostly been with upstream Kernel patches, but my observations there hold as well: Serge does careful work.

Areas of Improvement

As Jamie already mentioned, I'd like to see Serge work on a wider set of packages in Ubuntu, just to gain the additional experience.

TEMPLATE

== <SPONSORS NAME> ==
=== General feedback ===
## Please fill us in on your shared experience. (How many packages did you sponsor? How would you judge the quality? How would you describe the improvements? Do you trust the applicant?)

=== Specific Experiences of working together ===
''Please add good examples of your work together, but also cases that could have handled better.''
=== Areas of Improvement ===