build-from-branch into the primary archive

[Steve Langasek]

Hi Martin,

On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 06:02:38PM +1100, Martin Pool wrote:
> I'd like to do a new feature in Launchpad to help Ubuntu, which is to
> allow packages to be built directly from source package branches.
> This would address one of the messy parts of source package branches
> at the moment, which is the need to upload the package, mark it
> uploaded, and also push the branch.  This will build on things that
> seems to be quite popular and successful with ppa building from
> recipes, and help us simplify some redundantc

> Most of what we need to do this already exists, so I'm hoping that
> we'll be able to get it up quite quickly.

> I would like to start on this soon by just offering it as an adjunct
> to regular dput uploads, for a limited set of packages. For packages
> in that set, when someone commits to the branch, a part of Soyuz will
> automatically assemble a source package and queue it for building.
> This will let people try it out while still having the option to keep
> using regular dput uploads.

> We have a Launchpad Enhancement Proposal (LEP) about this at
> <https://dev.launchpad.net/LEP/BuildFromBranchIntoPrimary>.  I'd
> appreciate hearing of

>  * any problems you can spot in this
>  * any missing constraints or likely snags we ought to consider
>  * anyone or any packages who'd like to be first to try it

I see discussion in the LEP of how to determine when to build from the
branch:

  How do we distinguish commits that ought to be built from those that
  don't?  One way is to say we'll rebuild on things that add a new debian
  changelog (with a higher version.) Some people commit changes with a
  series target of 'unreleased' and we could then just actually assemble the
  package when that flips to be a real series.

Either there needs to be a separate adjunct branch that gets pushed to
*from* lp:ubuntu/$package to trigger builds, or this needs to only build
when a new version (previously unknown to the archive) has been tagged on
the branch.  A lot of time has been spent on socializing the idea that we
can use the existing lp:ubuntu branches to stage changes, and upload to the
archive for building only when we're ready; to have some branches diverge
from this behavior and start building for the archive for each commit, even
if someone has nominated the branch in question for some sort of whitelist,
would result in a number of wrongly published packages.

I think the 'bzr mark-uploaded' interface, which sets the appropriate
version tag, is the natural fit for this.

-- 
Steve Langasek                   Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS
Debian Developer                   to set it on, and I can move the world.
Ubuntu Developer                                    http://www.debian.org/
slangasek at ubuntu.com                                     vorlon at debian.org
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 828 bytes
Desc: Digital signature
URL: <https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel/attachments/20110217/fcf21b49/attachment.pgp>