Meta-package naming for Xenial LTS backports

[Leann Ogasawara]

On Fri, Aug 5, 2016 at 12:22 PM, Leann Ogasawara <
leann.ogasawara at canonical.com> wrote:

> On Fri, Jul 29, 2016 at 1:09 PM, Tim Gardner <tim.gardner at canonical.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On 07/29/2016 10:37 AM, Andy Whitcroft wrote:
>> > On Thu, Jul 28, 2016 at 08:40:46AM -0700, Tim Gardner wrote:
>> >> On 07/27/2016 08:04 AM, Andy Whitcroft wrote:
>> >>> We have been discussing some naming for new meta-packages to allow for
>> >>> automatic rolling upgrades between Hardware Enablement (HWE) kernels
>> >>> within the LTS series.  This thread aims to firm those up.
>> >>>
>> >>> Currently we have meta-packages of the following forms:
>> >>>
>> >>>     linux{,-image,-headers,-signed,-tools}-<flavour>[-<variant>]
>> >>>
>> >>> The flavour then represents the primary use case for the kernel (for
>> >>> example generic and lowlatency) and the optional variant currently is
>> >>> used to identify the HWE kernels (lts-<series>).  For example:
>> >>>
>> >>>     linux-image-generic-lts-xenial
>> >>>
>> >>> The desire is to offer a rolling HWE kernel, this means a kernel
>> variant
>> >>> which is updated automatically to the latest available HWE kernel
>> within
>> >>> the LTS.  We would expect that to update to the next HWE kernel at
>> each
>> >>> point release.  We wish to offer this in two forms, rolling until we
>> >>> reach the next LTS release and continuing to roll after an upgrade.
>> >>> Finally we wish to be able to offer early accesss to these updates as
>> >>> soon as they are available for testing purposes.
>> >>>
>> >>> We are proposing the following variants:
>> >>>
>> >>>     -hwe-16.04
>> >>>     -hwe-rolling
>> >>>     -hwe-16.04-early
>> >>>     -hwe-rolling-early
>> >>>
>> >>> So for example:
>> >>>
>> >>>     linux-generic-hwe-16.04
>> >>>
>> >>> /me puts up some substantial scaffolding round his bikeshed.
>> >>>
>> >>> -apw
>> >>>
>> >>
>> >> I think the first 2 are fine. What is your intended use for "-early" ?
>> >> I'm reluctant to endorse something like "-early" if it isn't a release
>> >> requirement. Otherwise it'll get forgotten and grow stale.
>> >
>> > The intent of -early is it updated on the same cadance as the main ones,
>> > but it switches from lts-Y to lts-Z on first availability rather than
>> > waiting for the point release.  So they are the same much of the time,
>> > then when a new lts-Z is available that one will switch to it, we
>> > stablise it, and then the non -early one moves over to join it.
>> >
>> > -apw
>> >
>>
>> In the interest of bike shedding, perhaps "-dev" would be more
>> descriptive.
>>
>
> I like "-preview", anyone else want to pick a color?
>

Introducing some additional questions I've received from the MAAS team:

Q: With those kernel names I assume the Debian package names will be
linux-hwe-16.04 and linux-hwe-rolling, correct?
A: I think we would also encode the <flavor> in there, eg.
linux-hwe-16.04-generic or linux-hwe-rolling-lowlatency.

Tim, Andy, Brad, thoughts ^^?

Q: I was also wondering what the low latency kernels will be named and
whether they will have a rolling and early|dev|preview package as well?
A:  If we are providing lowlatency as an HWE kernel (which we are),
lowlatency should also be rolling and have a preview package as well.  As
for the specific naming, lets get consensus on the above.

Q: Right now we have packages in Xenial using the name
linux-image-lowlatency-lts-<release>, I'm guessing that will change to
something like linux-lowlatency-16.04.
A:  Actually, I assumed we would still deliver the
linux-image-<flavor>-lts-<release> as they are today.  The new rolling meta
packages would then resolve to these.

Tim, Andy, Brad, thoughts here too ^^?

Q: Also do you have any idea of a time frame when the meta packages for all
of this will be released?
A: We've not selected a specific deadline to deliver these new meta
packages.  I'd estimate end of Sept at the latest.  Is there an earlier
date that you were hoping for?

Thanks,
Leann
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