Ubuntu Wiki

• Launchpad Entry: UbuntuSpec: packageselection-server-n-discoverability

• Created: 2010-11-16

• Contributors: ClintByrum

• Packages affected: ubuntu-serverguide

Summary

Some server application stacks (especially Java ones) are delivered in parallel repositories (PPAs, multiverse) while still being the only way of installing them in Ubuntu. What tools could we provide to guide the user ? A server-oriented version of Software Center ?

Release Note

During this release cycle the Server Team has built a list of alternative server package repositories that contain packages not suitable for, or alternative to, the standard Ubuntu Archive. These repositories undergo review and are listed as part of the online Ubuntu Server Guide.

Rationale

There are many server application stacks that require quite extensive replacement of system libraries and other components that would be unsuitable for general consumption in Ubuntu server. Many upstream groups or even groups of ubuntu developers provide package archives that can be added to the system when appropriate. These archives are immensely valuable to Ubuntu Server users, and their interests will be served by having a single place where they can go to see if these have been evaluated and meet their criteria for usage on a production and/or development server.

User stories

As a software engineer I want to develop using the newest technology, some of which is not provided in the Ubuntu archives, but is available packaged for Debian and/or Ubuntu by the upstream authors.

As a system administrator, I want to be able to roll out software used by my developers that is not contained within official Ubuntu release archives, but has been evaluated by the Ubuntu development team.

As a systems architect of a large scale system based on Ubuntu Server, I want to be able to know that underlying technologies I choose will be deployable and who will maintain them on Ubuntu Server.

Assumptions

Design

Define Alternative Archive Types

We have defined some known types of archives with a basic set of criteria for evaluating an external archive for which type it is. There are two crteria that are most important. Who has packaged the software in this archive, and whether or not it overlaps with the Ubuntu Archive directly.

This leads us to a matrix like this:

With things falling in one of the four quadrants. Upstream can mean the actual developers, or people who have been blessed by the upstream developers. Ubuntu Developers can mean anywhere from core to per-package uploaders. Each entry should specify exactly who was maintaining the packages at the time of review. If an archive is maintained by Debian developers (but not one that is synced into Ubuntu), then this is considered "Upstream".

Archives that are maintained by "4th" parties (not user, not upstream, not ubuntu devs) will be listed in a separate list of checked, but rejected archives. Its possible that a simple list of "Won't Fix" bugs can be linked to/queried to build this list.

Define process for review and maintenance of list

Either the ubuntu-docs package, or a separate Launchpad project should be created to track add/remove requests for the archive as bug reports. Ubuntu Server developers, and Server Guide Maintainers (i.e. Adam Sommer) will be responsible for the bug triage and maintenance, which should be extremely low volume.

Add to Ubuntu Server Guide

It was decided during the UDS session that this should be added as an Appendix to the Ubuntu Server Guide.

List Known Archives

A list of known archives should be used to seed this Appendix.

Public Review

Additions/subtractions will be regularly discussed in the weekly Ubuntu Server meeting.

Implementation

See White Board Work Items

Test/Demo Plan

N/A

Unresolved issues

We have side-stepped the issue of creating a tool to make discovering these archives easier without reading the server guide.

CategorySpec