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• Launchpad Entry: foo

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Summary

Ubuntu Server customers for this feature have large (+200) installations, where IT has set processes and policies around software updates that employees must follow. These customers have no *easy* way to setup an internal package repository to deploy updates and customized packages to users. We would like to allow them to pick and choose which fixes are deployed internally, and have the ability to define staging and production policy-based groups.

Release Note

This section should include a paragraph describing the end-user impact of this change. It is meant to be included in the release notes of the first release in which it is implemented. (Not all of these will actually be included in the release notes, at the release manager's discretion; but writing them is a useful exercise.)

It is mandatory.

Rationale

This should cover the _why_: why is this change being proposed, what justifies it, where we see this justified.

User stories

Assumptions

Design

You can have subsections that better describe specific parts of the issue.

Implementation

This section should describe a plan of action (the "how") to implement the changes discussed. Could include subsections like:

UI Changes

Should cover changes required to the UI, or specific UI that is required to implement this

Code Changes

Code changes should include an overview of what needs to change, and in some cases even the specific details.

Migration

Include:

• data migration, if any
• redirects from old URLs to new ones, if any
• how users will be pointed to the new way of doing things, if necessary.

Test/Demo Plan

It's important that we are able to test new features, and demonstrate them to users. Use this section to describe a short plan that anybody can follow that demonstrates the feature is working. This can then be used during testing, and to show off after release. Please add an entry to http://testcases.qa.ubuntu.com/Coverage/NewFeatures for tracking test coverage.

This need not be added or completed until the specification is nearing beta.

Unresolved issues

This should highlight any issues that should be addressed in further specifications, and not problems with the specification itself; since any specification with problems cannot be approved.

BoF agenda and discussion

Requirements (one customer)

• pipeline model
• get packages from public ubuntu repository
• three repos for updated software:
  • dev (untested update from repo)
  • pre-production (testing with selected users)
  • production (stable)
• snapshot of the ubuntu mirror
• stable/testing/unstable
• new system with reprepo (got some limitations)
• Ability to inject your own packages
  • split the problem into miror with stagging area
    • and internal repository
• integrate with e.g. debmirror (whitelist/blacklist)
• e.g. internal version of cups, that requires blacklisting
  • of the ubuntu cups package
• whitelist useful additions from e.g. hardy-backports that is
  • not generally available
• ability to show only a subset of the archive to the internal users

ideas

• use apache/squid and use ACLs for the filtering and use a seperate repository
  • to inject internal packages

problems

• make sure the dependencies are always consistent

use cases

• stagging area (stable/testing/unstable) for e.g. hardy, hardy-security
  • two approaches
    • "snapshot of the entire archive at a certain date"
    • "individual packages"
• show only a subset of the packages

actions

• we need a official way to deal with the above scenario
• a CLI is sufficient because the target user is a admin
• a web UI is cool

how to get the updates

• landscape
• homegrown
• cron job - nightly "apt-get dist-upgrade" with --force options for dpkg
  • problematic error handling (e.g. when TERM is not set)
• update check in ifup.d

• -> we need a common system that is based on a auto-update mechanism

CategorySpec