Update Center 2.1

Planning Considerations

Overall Project Priorities

Priority	Theme	Description
Priority 1	Support	Ensure success of early UC2 adopters such as GlassFish V3 Prelude, WebSynergy and WebStack are supported. * Monitor for and respond to UC2 related issues * Monitor and report on usage of UC2 * Prioritize issues for release in 2.0 sustaining branch, U1 and U2 * Consult during initial package and distro design and implementation
Priority 2	Adoption	Help promote adoption across new SWI projects. * Developer tooling * TOIs for new projects * File and prioritize RFEs * Evangelism and organic marketing (speaking engagements, blogs, etc.)
Priority 3	Features	Development of new features. Both filling key feature gaps and addressing needs of the early adopters.

Outlook for Larger Scale Features

Some of the following feature sets were represented on the whiteboard during the planning offsite.

• Whiteboard 1
• Whiteboard 2
• Whiteboard 3
• Whiteboard 4

Feature	Outlook
Developer Tooling	We need a modular plan and outlook for tooling that will greatly ease the process of adopting pkg(5). The Ant integration is a big step in this direction.
Offline Updates and Add-ons	This is a significant gap that will likely need to be addressed in several stages. Initially, for 2.1, we need to at least document the process of providing updates to those customers that have deployed pkg(5)-based applications in environments where Internet access is not available. That can be done in advance of a formal on-disk format for pkg(5) packages (which would be stage 2 or beyond).
Prioritization of S12y Features	We need to prioritize these features and map them against a succession of minor releases.
Jython-based pkg(5) Runtime	We view this feature as important in the near term for those Java applications that want to integrate with pkg(5). Rather than reimplementing pkg(5) completely in Java, use of Jython to run the existing Python-based pkg(5) code enables the UC2 project to much more easily provide a full featured Java API for pkg(5). It is acknowledged that the UC2 project will still need to deliver a Java shim over the Python-based pkg(5) API, but this will be much less work than reimplementing pkg(5) in Java. The speed by which we can adopt Jython as an optional Python runtime is governed partly by the fact that Jython 2.5 will not ship in production quality form until first half CY09.
Java-based Update Tool GUI	Since we aren't planning for a radical overhaul of the Update Tool GUI in the foreseeable future, we don't anticipate rewriting the Python-based Update Tool in Java. However, other projects and individuals will be empowered to do so once a more full featured Java API for pkg(5) emerges with the integration of the optional Jython runtime.
NetBeans AutoUpdate Provider for pkg(5)	With current resourcing levels anything more than a rough prototype is not feasible for 2.1. Java CAPS, GlassFish ESB, WebSynergy and perhaps other projects might benefit from this integration.
Web UIs for Repo Browsing	Beyond what the pkg(5) project is delivering, we don't have resourcing to address this feature set in the near term. The good news is that it is something that could probably be tackled by contractors skilled in web design and web-based applications. A browser helper application that would enable click to install capability is part of this overall landscape.
RSS/Atom Feeds	We need to schedule time for someone to review what the pkg(5) team has delivered to date and determine whether there are gaps. There will likely be gaps.
Performance Validation	We should target one set of performance tests part way through the development of each update release.
Web UI Alternative to Update Tool GUI	We don't anticipate delivering a web-based version of Update Tool GUI during the next two minor releases. Similar to what GF V3 Prelude has done, projects can incorporate pkg(5) features into their own web admin apps using the pkg(5) APIs. There is the potential to develop a set of pkg(5) oriented web widgets, but this feature is not high enough on the priority list for 2.1. Additionally, if there is a common web management interface effort spun up across SWI, one dimension of such an interface would be a consolidated update and add-on facility. However, we're not aware of any tangible move in this direction as of today.

Build Schedule

Build	Build Date	QA Hand-off Dev Repo Delivery	RR Publish	External Inputs	Description	Main Features	Reports	Status
2.0 Sustaining Branch
2.0 Update 1	Nov 10, 2008	TBD	End Nov, 2008		Bug fixes only		open issues resolved issues
2.1						Entitled Access Stage 1 Updated pkg(5) (data collection, operational history, RSS) Packaging and Image Assembly Tools More Package Info Available in updatetool GUI updatetool GUI Refinements Identify Security Updates and Change History Expanding Adoption	2.1 build unknown, all 2.1 issues, l10n issues
16	Oct 13, 2008	Oct 15, 2008			Open build	* Build changes	open issues resolved issues test report	Completed on schedule
17	Nov 3, 2008	Nov 5, 2008		IPS code freeze - Oct 15 IPS drop - Mid Oct. wx 2.8 drop?	Open build	* new pkg(5) * tools documentation and packaging	open issues resolved issues test report	Completed on schedule
18	Nov 24, 2008	Nov 26, 2008		OpenSolaris 2008.11	2.1		open issues resolved issues, test report	Completed on schedule
18-RC1	Dec 15, 2008	Dec 17, 2008			bug fixes and a few minor features		open issues resolved issues, release notes, test report	Completed on Dec 18, 2008
18-RC2	Jan 12, 2008	Jan 14, 2008	Jan 26, 2009		stopper bug fixes only		open issues resolved issues, test report	Completed on schedule
18-RC3	Jan 22, 2008	Jan 22, 2008	Jan 26, 2009		stopper bug fixes only		open issues resolved issues , test report release notes	Completed on Jan 22

Delivery Plan

Roughly quarterly RR quality updates.

Each promoted build will be delivered to the following repositories:

• updates.sfbay (internal)
• SWI general development (internal and external)

Additionally, the 2.1 promoted build (18) will be delivered to the following repositories (target date:

• SWI general final (pkgshare.sfbay/general/final/)
• Glassfish v3 Prelude
• Webstack 1.4
• Websynergy RR

This page (revision-4) was last changed on 10-Feb-09 14:45 PM, -0800 by DiPol.
This page was created on 10-Feb-09 13:55 PM, -0800 by DiPol.

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