[23364] in Source-Commits
/svn/athena r23018 - trunk/debathena
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (ghudson@MIT.EDU)
Mon Jun 9 14:04:39 2008
Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2008 14:04:26 -0400 (EDT)
From: ghudson@MIT.EDU
Message-Id: <200806091804.OAA02067@drugstore.mit.edu>
To: source-commits@MIT.EDU
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Author: ghudson
Date: 2008-06-09 14:04:25 -0400 (Mon, 09 Jun 2008)
New Revision: 23018
Modified:
trunk/debathena/NOTES
Log:
In NOTES, add a section documenting the metapackages.
Modified: trunk/debathena/NOTES
===================================================================
--- trunk/debathena/NOTES 2008-06-09 17:11:36 UTC (rev 23017)
+++ trunk/debathena/NOTES 2008-06-09 18:04:25 UTC (rev 23018)
@@ -133,6 +133,55 @@
checkout of debathena/meta/common alongside the particular
meta-package you are building.
+Developers: The meaning of metapackages
+---------------------------------------
+
+If you are adding a new package to the repository, you will probably
+at some point want to add it to one of the metapackages so that it
+doesn't have to be installed by hand. Here are some descriptions
+which may help identify which metapackage is best:
+
+* locker: Provides access to Athena locker software--AFS and
+ automounter configuration, locker-related utilities, etc.
+
+* clients: Provides clients (either locally-written, like athinfo and
+ Discuss, or configurations) for Athena services, as well as
+ Athena-specific utility programs like "jot". Configurations for
+ graphical client software are generally in the workstation package
+ instead, in order to make this package less intrusive.
+
+* standard: Implies locker and clients. Also provides Athena shell
+ customizations and dotfiles.
+
+* login: Implies standard. Configurations to merge the MIT user
+ namespace into the local machine namespace for the purpose of user
+ lookups and authentication.
+
+* workstation: Implies login. Configurations for the graphical login
+ system and graphical client software intended to provide a standard
+ X login experience using Athena home directories. Still in
+ development.
+
+* cluster-software: Provides a set of Debian packages common to
+ cluster machines. The resulting software set is rather large, and
+ thus may not be desirable to all workstation configurations. Only
+ stock Debian packages belong in this metapackage; do not add
+ other Debathena packages to it.
+
+* cluster: Implies workstation and cluster-software. Also contains
+ configurations for self-maintenance of machines (unattended updates,
+ cleanups between logins, etc.). Does not exist yet.
+
+* debian-dev: Intended for developers of the system itself; provides a
+ set of Debian packages used by Debathena for development.
+
+For the most part a package should be listed in the "Depends:" line of
+a metapackage, but in some cases it is appropriate to hedge by using
+"Recommends:", which will cause aptitude to succeed even if the
+package is unavailable. For example, a package which doesn't exist in
+all Debian/Ubuntu suites or isn't free can be listed under
+"Recommends:" so that our metapackages still work in all environments.
+
Release engineer: Bootstrapping the project infrastructure
----------------------------------------------------------
