Difference between revisions of "User:Kr/Packaging"
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==Approach== | ==Approach== | ||
| − | Model "products" by | + | Model "products" by setting them into |
| − | + | * inheritance, respectively | |
| − | * respectively structural relationship. | + | * structural |
| + | relationship. | ||
===Example Modelling=== | ===Example Modelling=== | ||
Revision as of 11:30, 12 November 2007
Contents
Product
A Product is a set of bits, e.g. an ISO image or a self extracting exe.
A product may be described by
- the source code to be used (e.g. a CVS repository and a CVS tag), this is the products code base,
- it's features, as well as the brand and the localization to be included, and the configuration used while building, this is the products variant,
- it's relationship to previous products, this may be something as "patch", "update", "respin" or "add-on", this is the products type,
- the format of its bits, e.g. "ISO image", "self extracting archive" or "APT repository", this is the products format.
- the target platform (architecture and Operating System), e.g. Solaris Sparc, Linux x86 or Windows x64, this is the products platform.
E.g.
SO8u9Solx86-CD = SRC680_m236, [{StarOffice}, {Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw}, {English, German}], Update-to(SO8u1), ISO, Solaris/x86
Version
Software provided to a customer typically has a version, describing timely variant. Typically older variants have smaller version the younger variants. Versions may be differentiated into Major, Minor and Micro.
Relationship
- No relationship -> self contained
- Update relationship
- update only (e.g. add-ons, localizations)
- self contained (e.g. OOo 2.1 updating OOo 2)
- Multi-update relationship
- Cross version (major / minor / micro)
- Cross language
- Cross brand
- Cross variant
- Cross platform
Installation System
There are basically two types of installation systems around,
- one using the "package" as the basic building block (e.g. .rpm or .deb), creating products by combining packages,
- the other supporting the "product" as the installation unit (e.g. Windows, Mac?).
In "package" based installations, the user typically sees the "packages" in the systems configuration, being able to tweak a product by (de-)selecting packages, while "product" based installations leave it to the actual product, to provide customization options.
Package Based Installation
Package based installation allows for sharing of packages between products. Having the consequences,
- that one product may update another product, to function better,
- that two products may conflict.
Package based installation is an opportunity!
Package Relationship
In Package Based Installation, packages may relate to each other. Example relationships are
- depends,
- conflicts,
- replaces,
- suggests.
These relationships are often modelled more fine grained by using version numbers.
.pkg
.deb/apt
Relations:
- "depends"
- "recommends"
- "conflicts"
- "suggests"
- "replaces"
- "pre-depends"
- "breaks"
Tags:
- "priority"
- "section"
Features:
- "manual install"
.rpm
Relations:
- "provides"
- "requires"
Product Based Installation
.msi
Though not providing package granularity at installation time, MS installer provides similar functionality at product creation time (.msm).
Features:
- installation on demand
- advertisement ("assigning" / "publishing")
- customization
- patching / updating
- usage metrics on features - automagic de-installation
- Incorporated installations == ? "dependencies" ?
- Resiliency
- User / Machine wide installation
- Installer functions (API for MSI)
- Administrative Installation
Links:
Mac OS X
Requirements
Development
Support for Changes:
- updated package(s)
- (automatically) remove package(s)
- add package(s)
- rename package(s)
- remove file(s)
- add file(s)
- move file(s)
Program Management
In a perfect world, program management would be able to create any kind of product, only depending on business needs, not at all restricted by technical constraints.
Program Management basically mediates between marketing / market requirements and the pool available technologies.
Constraints
Compatibility
As a product evolves, its interfaces may change in an incompatible fashion. For binary packages mostly interesting are
- ABI (Application Binary Interface) incompatible changes, as well as
- structural incompatible changes (removed / renamed files).
Some installation units try to stay compatible, expressing the change of compatibility in their version numbers, while others may change incompatible with every version.
Version numbers expressing compatibility are typically used as follows,
- a change in a micro keeps a unit compatible, providing bug fixes,
- a change in a minor keeps a unit compatible, providing additional features,
- a change in the major shows an incompatible change.
Approach
Model "products" by setting them into
- inheritance, respectively
- structural
relationship.
Example Modelling
Template Product OOo-Standard {
Features: writer, calc, impress, draw
}
Abstract Product OOo2.4 {
Name: OOo 2.4
Code-Base: SRC680m236
Implements: OOo-Standard
}
Product OOo2.4-ISO : OOo2.4 {
Name: OpenOffice 2.4
Format: ISO-750
Platform: Linux-x86, Windows-x86, Mac OS X x86
}
Product OOo2.4-download-linux-x86 : OOo2.4 {
Name: OpenOffice 2.4
Format: donwload
Platform: Linux-x86
}
Product OOo2.4-download-windows-x86 : OOo2.4 {
Name: OpenOffice 2.4
Format: donwload
Platform: windows-x86
}
Abstract Product SO8u9 : OOo2.4 {
Name: StarOffice 8 update 9
Features: so-templates, so-fonts, so-spellchecker, so-brand
Updates: < StarOffice 8 u 9
}
Product SO8u9-ISO : SO8u9 {
Name: StarOffice 8 update 9 ISO
Format: ISO-750
Platform: Linux-x86, Solaris-x86, Solaris-Sparc, Windows-x86, Mac OS X x86
}
Product SO8u9-donwload {
Name: StarOffice 8 update 9 ISO
Inherits: SO8u9
Format: download
Platform: Linux-x86
}
Abstract Product {
Name: StarSuite 8 update 9
Inherits: OOo 2.4
Features: so-templates, so-fonts, so-spellchecker, ss-brand
Updates: < StarSuite 8 u 9
}
Tooling
- Comparison of Installation Sets
- Check for conflicts
- Creation of Installation Sets
Example Implementation
Example Product creation for by target platform.
Linux
Mac OS X
Solaris
Windows
Simple Installation Set
Product Description=
