Re: [DebianGIS] GIS RPMs for Enterprise Linux (RHEL/CentOS/ScientificLinux)

[Cameron Shorter <cameron.shorter@gmail.com>]

Hello Mathieu,
Great to hear you progressing with your RPM packaging efforts.

I'm CCing the debianGIS list as they will likely have general packaging 
advice for you and advice in setting up a packaging project.

Mathieu Baudier wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have done a clean rebuild of the existing RPMs based on CentOS 5.5
> (which has just been released):
> http://www.argeo.org/linux/argeo-el/5/
>
> I have a also structured the spec files and the patches in our subversion repo:
> https://www.argeo.org/svn/dependencies/trunk/org.argeo.dep.rpm/centos/
> (accept the self-signed certificate)
>
> So, technically, there is a clean basis from which to migrate this effort [1].
>
> A question is what OSGeo could/would like to provide:
>   
While I don't speak for OSGeo, I'll suggest what I think is appropriate, 
then suggest that you ask for these things from the OSGeo discuss list 
in the first instance (also announcing your project at the same time).

> 1 - Hosting the RPMs:
>
> Currently the GIS specific ones for 5.5 take around 500 Mo
> (SRPM+i386+x86_64, including the big Qt4 required by QGIS and
> currently in argeo-plus)
> Significantly more space would be required in the long run (at least 2
> or 3 GB I would say)
>   
Alex will have a better idea than me about what is available from OSGeo 
disk wise.
Our experience with the LiveDVD is that we use up a lot of disk space, 
which is more than volunteers can easily provide.
If you can find a more stable donor targeted at giving free disks to 
Open Source projects, I'd suggest going down that path.
I'm thinking along the lines of google code or sourceforge, although I'm 
not sure that take on distributions as well as software.

> 2 - Versioning of the spec files / patches (in subversion)
>   
For your own benefit, you will find sourceforge type hosting more 
reliable as you are not relying on volunteers for service.
But I expect that OSGeo would provide this if asked.
> 3 - A mailing-list (or we can use an existing one?)
>   
I suggest asking osgeo for a mailing list.
> 4 - A wiki page
>   
A wiki page is easy to set up and I expect you will get positive 
encouragement to make use of the osgeo wiki. Just set up your own project.

> We (argeo.org) can for sure host the RPMs and version the files, but I
> think that users would be more comfortable with accessing OSGeo
> resources.
>   
Yes, volunteers like to avoid depending on a commercial company for 
hosting as they are seen as a single point of failure.
> We can build the RPMs in our infrastructure (we have this automated)
> and upload them (an ssh access would be helpful in order to be able to
> use rsync).
>   
If you have it set up, I suggest continuing on your servers initially, 
and potentially move to OSGeo or sourceforge type servers later.
> Next steps would then be:
> - migrate the files and the RPMs to OSGeo (if decided to do so)
> - communicate about this effort with people already involved in GIS
> packaging for Enterprise EL (I see already 4/5 persons who are  /
> would be interested)
> - notify it to the CentOS, EPEL and Fedora GIS mailing lists
> - define a clear strategy with regard to the package versions,
> consistent with the LiveCD project and Debian/Ubuntu GIS
>   
I suggest also setting up a release schedule, which aligns with Centos 
and the annual foss4g conference. (FOSS4G is potentially a good 
marketing vehicle for you)
> - test on ScientificLinux
> - have the current set being used, stabilize it, add new packages if
> there is interest for them
>
> Please let me know your thoughts and if we should discuss this on a
> public mailing-list (I can just send this mail to it)
>
> Cheers,
>
> Mathieu
>
> [1] Known issues / TODO:
> - some QGIS 1.4.0 python plugins failing (probably a newer Python required)
> - GRASS (6.4RC6) needs to be started from command line (regression
> from 5.4, being investigated)
> - GRASS with wxWidgets not working (regression from 5.4, being investigated)
> - GRASS 6.2, QGIS 1.0, PostGIS 1.3 and 1.4 not (yet) rebuilt, waiting
> for a strategy for the support of multiple version of a package. (they
> are still available from http://www.argeo.org/linux/argeo-el/5.4/)
>
>
> On Tue, May 4, 2010 at 20:35, Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo)
> <tmitchell@osgeo.org> wrote:
>   
> > On 05/04/2010 03:20 AM, Mathieu Baudier wrote:
> >     
> > > But by the end of this month (May 2010), I'll be available to bring
> > > this forward.
> > >       
> > Excellent!
> >
> >
> >     
> > > In between we can continue to discuss this here and maybe also on the
> > > general discuss list at some point, as Tyler suggested?
> > >       
> > I'm sure there are many people missing from the conversation, so taking it
> > to the discuss list will be really helpful. (so I don't keep adding more
> > cc's :)
> >
> > Tyler
> >
> >     


--
Cameron Shorter
Geospatial Solutions Manager
Tel: +61 (0)2 8570 5050
Mob: +61 (0)419 142 254

Think Globally, Fix Locally
Geospatial Solutions enhanced with Open Standards and Open Source
http://www.lisasoft.com