Contrib

From openSUSE

Contrib: The Universal openSUSE Repository for Third-party Packages

Vision or What We Want

Current model of third-party packages in the Build Service is complicated to use. There are lots of packages across hundreds of Build Service projects, which brings few problems. Repositories are not easy to navigate, there are duplicate packages, repositories are not tested for compatibility with other repositories. The real solution would be to get all packages into Factory. This is right now not an option since for Factory a package has to have a Novell employees as maintainer to guarantee updates.

The goal is to have an universal repository for third-party packages. This repository is viewed as a community-driven extension of Factory, with all it's standards and limitations applied.

Rules or What Do We Do

In general Contrib has the same rules as Factory, like the release deadlines etc.

Rules for the repository

• Everything is built against the openSUSE base or packages from this repository
• No duplication of packages from Factory
• The repository is branched at openSUSE release time (openSUSE:Factory:Contrib -> openSUSE:<version>:Contrib)
  • After the branch no version updates are allowed anymore
  • Bugfixes happen as patches to the packages

Rules for the packages

• Packages have to have a package maintainer that cares for:
  • Package Updates
  • Maintenance for packages (fixing bugs, working with upstream on bugs, etc.)
  • Security Updates (SuSE Security Team will help with that)
  • Beta Testing during the openSUSE beta phase
• Packages need to go trough the contrib review process
• no (file) conflicts with Factory packages

Permissions or Who Does What

To ensure that we follow the above stated rules we need to have a set of permissions for the repository and the packages in it. Therefore we need 2 roles involved. The maintainer who is responsible for one or more packages and the reviewers who are responsible for the repository itself.

openSUSE:Factory:Contrib

• Repository is owned by reviewers
  • Submission of new packages happens trough osc submitreq and goes trough an initial review.
  • Repo bugowner is opensuse-contrib@opensuse.org
• Packages are owned by maintainers
  • Development on packages just happens, no additional review.
  • Package bugowner is the maintainer

openSUSE:<version>:Contrib

• Repository is owned by reviewers
  • No new packages
  • Repo bugowner is opensuse-contrib@opensuse.org
• Packages are owned by reviewers
  • Everything is handled by osc submitreq and goes trough a review
  • Package bugowner is the maintainer

Processes or How Do We Do it

There's also an alternative approach: osc-contrib command.

New Packages to openSUSE:Factory:Contrib

• Joe Packager wants to maintain the package foo in the Contrib repository
• Joe Packager creates the package in his home repository (or any other repository he has write access too)
• Joe Packager try to build the package towards Contrib to check, that there are not some missing dependencies, or private setting in prjconf.

osc build --debug --alternative-project openSUSE:Factory:Contrib standard [<arch>]

• After Joe Packager thinks his package is in a good enough shape he sends a submitrequest to the Contrib repository with osc

 $ osc submitreq create X11:windowmanagers blackbox openSUSE:Factory:Contrib blackbox -m "add blackbox"

• A mail gets send to opensuse-contrib@opensuse.org (will look like http://en.opensuse.org/User:Hennevogel:Tmp)
• A Contrib reviewer reply's to the mailinglist stating that he will do the review (locking it so we dont duplicate work)
• The Contrib reviewer either accepts the submission

 $ osc submitreq accept 6001 --message="reviewed ok. You are now maintainer of foo in Contrib"

or declines it

 $ osc submitreq decline 6001 --message="Sorry. Declined. Fix the Factory build errors first. If you need help lets talk on opensuse-contrib :)"

• As last step the reviewer sets the original sumitter as maintainer and bugowner for the package

 $ osc meta pkg -e openSUSE:Factory:Contrib blackbox
 <person userid="jpack" role="maintainer"/>
 <person userid="jpack" role="bugowner"/>

Bugfixes for packages in openSUSE:Factory:Contrib

• Joe Packager checks out the package from openSUSE:Factory:Contrib

 $ osc co openSUSE:Factory:Contrib blackbox

• Joe Packagers does his changes and checks the package back in

 $ osc ci -m 'fixed bug in init script'

Bugfixes for packages in openSUSE:<version>:Contrib

• Joe Packager branches the package from openSUSE:<version>:Contrib

 $ osc branch openSUSE:11.1:Contrib blackbox

• Joe Packager can now check out the package from his branch area and work on the package

 $ osc co home:jpack:branches:openSUSE:11.1:Contrib/blackbox

• Once Joe Packager thinks that he has fixed the issue he submits the package

 $ osc ci -m "fixed serious bug"

• after everything is building Joe creates a submitrequest for openSUSE:<version>:Contrib again

 $ osc sr create -m 'fixed serious bug'

• A mail gets send to opensuse-contrib@opensuse.org (will look like http://en.opensuse.org/User:Hennevogel:Tmp)
• A Contrib reviewer replies to the mailinglist stating that he will do the review (locking it so we don't duplicate work)
• The Contrib reviewer either accepts the submission

 $ osc submitreq accept 6002 --message="reviewed ok. Update is released"

or declines it

 $ osc submitreq decline 6002 --message="Sorry. Declined. There is another buffer overflow in main.c line 155"

Security Bugs for packages in openSUSE:<version>:Contrib

• The same as above only that the bugreporter will be the SuSE Security Team

Mailing List or Whom To Talk To

Our list is: opensuse-contrib@opensuse.org

See the Mailinglists page to learn how to subscribe and how to handle openSUSE mainling lists in general

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: Do we want to have a contrib-(staging|beta|unstable|experimental|testing) repository where packages have to undergo some reported tests before they end up in contrib ?
• A: Generally I prefer to keep unstable/experimental stuff either upstream or in user's OBS, not in contrib. After package becomes stable, request for integration can be sent.

• Q: Please define the release cycle (freezing, announcing, etc...)
• A: "Contrib" will be in sync with Factory release cycles. It will develop during openSUSE Milestone cycle during openSUSE development cycle, together with it. Freezing of Factory will also affect "Contrib".

• Q: Where is the contrib repository?
• A: The repository basedir is here: http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/openSUSE:/Factory:/Contrib/

• Q: How to add the contrib repository in to my openSUSE ?
• A: For openSUSE 11.1 use:

   zypper ar http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/openSUSE:Factory:Contrib/openSUSE_11.1 openSUSE:Factory:Contrib:openSUSE_11.1 

• A: For openSUSE Factory use:

   zypper ar http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/openSUSE:Factory:Contrib/standard openSUSE:Factory:Contrib 

• Q: But I don't like a Factory, it's so much updates. Aren't here a backports?
• A: Yes, the Contrib is built for openSUSE 11.1, because we want to allow an easier adoption and testing of Contrib. But consider Factory (11.2) is a main target, so this is not a "backport", just other build target.