[Kolab-devel] Extending Kolab

[Bernhard Reiter]

Gunnar,

thanks for elaborating on the arguments.
And sorry for the break, the tradeshow in Berlin had come with a massive 
workload and also Server 2.2.0 needs to be out.

Am Freitag, 23. Mai 2008 11:34:10 schrieb Gunnar Wrobel:
> Puppet provides all that in a clean fashion. None of the hacks
> described above would be necessary. In addition puppet would enable us
> to do a lot in the area of extensions.

I am not still convinced yet, as you write below,
there will be host system dependent changes, 
which are hacks just like the current changes.

> Richard is running Kolab on Suse. One day he is searching for
> monitoring tools, finds munin and starts configuring it for his Kolab
> server. He establishes it as a small puppet module. Once he is done,
> he uploads the module to a central repository.
>
> Gunnar, running Kolab on Gentoo, sees the new module, also requires a
> monitoring tool for his Kolab, downloads the module, runs it (maybe
> fixes a few Gentoo specific things), resubmits to the repository.

A "few Gentoo" specific things are just what we have been doing
with kolabconf. Puppet looks large, so finding out what is actually happening
will be more complicated than with kolabconf, as it is simpler and it works.
You have a point in that kolabconf might not work well with _all_ potential 
server packages, as more "specific" routines might be necessary. 

The choice of versions also bears a risk, people using Kolab Server usually 
get a quality tested system in this combination, any other combination of 
components has the chance the degrate the usage experience. Those problems 
with shape the "image" of Kolab Server with production users.

> After several months of testing the module is also made available for
> the Kolab server on OpenPKG.
>
> This is possible with puppet right here, right now.

I do not believe that kolabconf currently is a large burden for Kolab Server
nor would it help market uptake a lot, so for me this is not high on the list.
Bernhard
-- 
Managing Director - Owner: www.intevation.net       (Free Software Company)
Germany Coordinator: fsfeurope.org. Coordinator: www.Kolab-Konsortium.com.
Intevation GmbH, Osnabrück, DE; Amtsgericht Osnabrück, HRB 18998
Geschäftsführer Frank Koormann, Bernhard Reiter, Dr. Jan-Oliver Wagner