[RFC/RFT] usd-import beta!

[Nish Aravamudan]

As discussed at the Server Team sprint in Barcelona last year and
documented (a bit) at:

https://github.com/basak/ubuntu-git-tools/blob/master/README.importer
https://github.com/basak/ubuntu-git-tools/blob/master/SPECIFICATION

I am happy to announce a beta of the corresponding python tool,
available via git at:

https://code.launchpad.net/usd-importer

which, if cloned, will give you an executable called 'usd-import'.

For some brief background, the primary goal of this tool is to simplify
how merges are done, by providing a repeatable and consistent git
'history' via Launchpad source package publishing history for Debian and
Ubuntu. Given such a tree, using the process documented at:

https://wiki.canonical.com/ServerTeam/ServerReleaseHandling

should allow for easy execution and review of merges.

My expectation is that this code will have bugs. There are lots of
publishing corner cases that I've already seen (e.g., an import of an
unpublished and new Debian version at a series change boundary -- this
actually isn't handled with the tree on launchpad right now, but I have
a local fix for it I'm testing :)

So what I'd like to ask is that people help us test! In order to do
that:

a) Send an e-mail to this list asking for an import of a source package.
b) Someone (Robie or I, for now) will run the tool and push the result
to https://code.launchpad.net/~usd-import-team/+git and respond with the
appropriate URL. [1]
c) At that point, you should be able to create a
reconstruct/<ubuntu/devel version>, logical/<ubuntu/devel version> and
perform a rebase onto debian/sid, etc as per the ServerReleaseHandling
page.

We'll work on refining the process as we go forward, and I'll try and
set up a wiki page with a working example of it all using the tool.

Here's a couple of examples I have run:

https://git.launchpad.net/~nacc/ubuntu/+source/cobbler [note this is
using my local code, which I will push next week]
https://git.launchpad.net/~nacc/ubuntu/+source/numactl
https://git.launchpad.net/~nacc/ubuntu/+source/open-vm-tools

Comments, critcisims and all feedback is welcome!

Thanks,
Nish

[1] This is a staging area of sorts. Eventually, these git trees will be
published on ~ubuntu-server-dev's git space, but while we work out kinks
in the code, we are using this area, so that it's clear these aren't
"official" yet :)

-- 
Nishanth Aravamudan
Ubuntu Server
Canonical Ltd