[request-tracker-maintainers] Bug#512750: request-tracker3.6: SQLite is unsupported, documentation needed

[Niko Tyni]

Package: request-tracker3.6
Version: 3.6.7-4
Severity: serious
Justification: maintainer's opinion

By default 'apt-get install request-tracker3.6' will pull in
rt3.6-db-sqlite as the first choice, and users opting for automatic
database management (dbconfig-common) will get an SQLite installation
with no further (database-related) questions.

This is unfortunate because upstream considers the SQLite database
backend unsupported and intended for development and testing purposes
only. The default database choice was thus a bad call on my part, as I
have recently realized.

My rationale for the choice was to get a working installation
automatically, and SQLite is just about the only way to do that currently.
It mostly works and we have received no bug reports about it, but upstream
says it has a few known problems.

While some people will probably realize they should use MySQL or
PostgreSQL for production installations, this leaves the rest with an
installation that's officially unsupported.  And naturally many of them
are going to go to the upstream rt-users list for support anyway.

It is too late to change the functionality for Lenny, the only thing
we can do is to add documentation.

As discussed with upstream, the plan is to insert prominent warnings
in the request-tracker3.6 and rt3.6-db-sqlite package descriptions and
README.Debian.

Also, we intend to put a recipe for mysql/pg migration on the web at
http://pkg-request-tracker.alioth.debian.org/ and make README.Debian
point there. This way we can improve the recipe even after the release
and upstream can refer the end users there.

I'm setting the initial severity to 'serious': not getting these
changes in lenny means we need to discuss if dropping RT from the release
altogether is the next best alternative. We intend to get a fixed package
in sid RSN, so hopefully it doesn't come to that.
-- 
Niko Tyni   ntyni at debian.org