Re: rollback after software upgrade

[Michael <codejodler@gmx.ch>]

Yes granted.

I just think that the format is the obstacle that makes developing some level of automation too tedious.

Any upgrade or downgrade implies elements that are very similar for most software, and others that are not. Most times, it is a kind of a mapping, you extract information of one set and transform it into another, while often additionally data sets are modified or newly created.
That's a technical problem and it can be tackled.

I imagine that any upgrade could do a kind of log which includes what was changed and how, and in a format that basically could be 'rewinded'. Plus mapping 'classes' which can be used for both up- and downgrade.

If you had a development kit for creating such a upgrade/downgrade 'script' (maybe using a specific new language internally), it would be possible to add some application specific code at several hooks and have it done, rather efficiently. You could reuse lots of templates.

With some configuration standards, developing such a language and kit could be promising. That's what i mean with 'obstacle'.

I don't know if there's any effort in 'global' config standardisation, in linux, and i'm absolutely not sure if a kind of registry would be the way to go. I just think that sooner or later the problem will be addressed anyway.

m5c