[request-tracker-maintainers] Bug#511260: Bug#511260: request-tracker3.8: importing 3.6 configuration and database

[Dominic Hargreaves]

On Thu, Jan 08, 2009 at 11:27:38PM +0200, Niko Tyni wrote:
> It would be nice to have a way to import 3.6 configuration
> on fresh 3.8 installs if feasible.
> 
> I think a debconf question about copying over a 3.6 RT_SiteConfig.pm
> (or non-default RT_SiteConfig.d entries?) could work. If RT_SiteConfig.pm
> is present when installing, the debconf values will be seeded from there.
> 
> This leads naturally to reusing the old database too, which means
> we'd need to do the required schema upgrade (with permission
> from the admin, of course.) This is probably the harder part.

I agree in principle, but I think this probably introduces quite a lot
of risk into the process. Part of the reason for splitting out new major
releases is to allow people to make graceful, planned migrations between
versions. This should probably include a full review of configuration
updates, database scheme changes, etc. I'm concerned that giving people
the option of a fully automated migration will introduce more problems
than it'll solve, but maybe that's just being too conservative.

At the very least I do agree that we should try and detect an existing
RT 3.6 installation and give some hints for how to proceed.

Seeding *some* of the debconf variables would probably also make sense
too (the non-dbconfig ones).

-- 
Dominic Hargreaves | http://www.larted.org.uk/~dom/
PGP key 5178E2A5 from the.earth.li (keyserver,web,email)