[Openstack-devel] [GSoC]Interested in "Package an Openstack use case" project

[Shashank Sahni]

Hi,

Yeah, I got a little misleading by mentioning "orchestration" but I was 
mainly trying to point out the ease of configuring parameters during 
installation, at least for a few pre-defined use cases - proof of 
concept(single node, dual node etc.) In my mind, I am thinking of 
something similar to PostFix/Sendmail installation. You select the 
service scenario and configure most of the parameters during 
installation. I guess we need something like that.

I'll take a look at the project you mentioned and will get started with 
my proposal and debian packaging basics.

Kindly let me know if I'm missing something.

Thank you.

Regards,
Shashank Sahni

On Thursday 29 March 2012 01:42 AM, Loic Dachary wrote:
> Hi,
>
> For the record my answer on IRC
>
> (09:58:17 PM) loicd: shredder: this GSoC might indeed be a very good occasion for you to learn Debian packaging . The fact that you already know OpenStack compensate your lack of experience with Debian.
> (09:59:09 PM) loicd: shredder: you say "I believe you are looking for an orchestration solution here. "
> (10:00:27 PM) loicd: but we are not. The boundaries between debian packaging and orchestration software such as juju or puppet are difficult to draw sometimes. But this GSoC is really only about Debian packaging.
> (10:01:37 PM) loicd: To help with this, there is an ongoing work on https://github.com/puppetlabs/puppetlabs-swift and other puppet modules. By reading and understanding what they do, you can also get a sense of where the debian packages should stop.
> (10:04:23 PM) loicd: In the case of Debian packages, your writing skills will come handy when explaining a given use case and how the Debian package should be used to implement it, together with pointers to external resources ( possibly puppet manifests or chef receipes ) that can be used.
>
> On 03/28/2012 07:34 PM, Shashank Sahni wrote:
>> Hi Loic,
>>
>> I'm interested in the openstack packaging project being offered as
>> part of GSoC 2012 from Debian. I believe you are the primary mentor of
>> this project. I tried to contact you on the IRC but you were not
>> available, hence I'm contacting through mail.
>>
>> About Me
>> =======
>>
>> I'm Shashank Sahni. I'm currently pursuing my MS in IIIT Hyderabad,
>> India. My work has primarily been focused on Virtualization
>> technologies for last two semesters and am currently working on VM
>> Migration as part of my Thesis research.
>>
>> I'm interested in this project because I've been working extensively
>> on Openstack for the past 6-8 months as part of setting up a private
>> cloud in my research lab. I've been involved in the project from the
>> beginning and am currently the maintainer along with two junior
>> admins. I plan to opt for System Administration/DevOps as a career,
>> hence this project will allow me to interact with different system
>> administrators from all over the world, providing valuable experience.
>>
>> What I can offer
>> ===========
>> =>  I've dealt with various deployment scenarios of Openstack - single
>> node, dual, multiple(production class) deployment. As a result, I
>> understand the need of automating/easing certain deployment cases.
>> =>  I've been a tech-writer and co-founder of the website
>> http://linuxers.org where I wrote various HowTos and articles on Linux
>> and System administration. This along with my experience with
>> openstack will allow me to easily and correctly document various use
>> cases.
>>
>> As per the desirable skills of this project, I lack experience in
>> Debian packaging. I've been interested in learning packaging
>> techniques and even started off a year back with Ubuntu but due to
>> academic liabilities couldn't continue. I consider this project
>> an opportunity to learn and gain these set of skills.
>>
>> My understanding of the project
>> =======================
>> I believe you are looking for an orchestration solution here.
>> Something similar to the one provided by Ubuntu as part of Ubuntu
>> Enterprise cloud(UEC). In their offering, with every Eucalyptus
>> installation you had the option to configure the system during
>> installation of the package.
>>
>> Similary in case of openstack, during installation of nova the user
>> will be asked to:
>>
>> =>  Specify the service offered by nova on this system - compute,
>> controller, network, volume etc.
>> =>  Whether there is already a controller it would like to register to
>> after being setup
>> =>  Various other service specific options.
>>
>> Hence unless complex issues arise, the user won't have to deal with
>> manually editing configuration files.
>>
>> I'd certainly send a proposal soon, but wanted to introduce myself,
>> share my experience and understanding of the project with you before
>> starting.
>>
>> Looking forward to your thoughts and opinion.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Shashank Sahni