Perl/Plan

Version normalization

Problem: sometimes new version could be in form acceptable for CPAN, but not for RPM.

Example: package had version 1.00 and new release is 1.000324. It works for CPAN, where version is just a string, but not for RPM.

Solution: instead of manual change (also provides might be wrong) can be version normalized by Perl itself (module version can do it).

• After taking over Perl dependency generator ✓
• Macros for simplified packaging
  • the version translator
    • Perl architecture independent (because of upgrading perl): perl-Fedora-VSP ✓
    • C implementation for build-requires required by perl-srpm-macros
  • the perl() wrapper
  • common snippets for EU::MM, Module::Build, etc.
• version->parse->normal normalization in macros and generator
• Normalize RPM package version?
  • Teach Fedora upstream monitoring cnucnu(1)

Macros for simplified packaging

Problem: There is still lot of manual work in specfiles. Better macros could improve packaging. Some packagers might discourage changes, because they prefer lot of ifdefs for different EL releases.

Solution: Improvements above could make maintenance easier for future. One macro in macro file can redefine content of all specfiles and rebuild would add all changes.

• Version normalizer (see first paragraph)
• perl() wrapper
  • This will mask SCL modifications
• Dependency filter abstraction
  • One syntax for Fedora and EPEL
  • One syntax for SCL
• Provide standard EU::MM, Module::Build, Module::Bild::Tiny, &c. %build and %install implementations
• Standard implementations for CPAN packages
  • URL
  • Sourece0
  • %prep
• Pack files scriptlets editor
  • Allow Fatpacker and inc::Module::Build bundler to work on packaged modules
• Mark POD files as documentation

Dependency generator

Problem: dependency generator in RPM has lot of incorrect data, which leads to complicated filtering of provides/requires

Solution: dependency generator will be removed from RPM and owned by Perl team.

Comment: More improvements in main generator are not possible because contyk's smarter scaner has many dependencies. At least contyk's scaner could be used for generating new packages and updates.

• Take over dependency generator. Assignee: User:jplesnik, User:mmaslano. Packaged as perl-generators. ✓
• Tests. Assignee: User:jplesnik
• Support no, base, parent, Moose's with, POE's extensions, Test::Requires, other frameworks, see Module::ScanDeps::scan_chunk()
• Receive explicit Requires from spec file to merge them with generated ones
• Refactoring
  • How many dependencies has Module-ScanDeps? Assignee: User:psabata. Module-ScanDeps reads META.yml. It's not useful. ✓

Fedora-Rebuild

Problem: annual Perl rebuild took more than month. No tooling is provided by Fedora nor rpm/yum-tools.

Solution: Fedora::Rebuild is able to count build order of packages based on their dependencies.

Comment: rebuilds of every new release should make easier finding bugs in other packages sooner and make rebuild shorter.

• Assignee: User:ppisar
• Optimize pure-perl resolver
  • Finished in git tree. ✓
  • Release new version. ✓
• Implement hawkey-based resolver
  • XS wrapper for hawkey
  • YUM repository filter for Fedora-Rebuild dependency filter
  • YUM repostory downloader
  • Augment Fedora-Rebuild to download YUM repository, filter it, and do hawkey queries over it.
• Copr mode
  • Copr is missing way how to retrieve binary package made of only exact source package
  • Select binary packages from Copr's YUM repository
  • Requires YUM downloaded and metadata parser
• Mock initialization with multiple groups and packages (to support rebuilding collections)
• Specification file editor for mass-changing source packages.

Continuous rebuilds

Problem: rebuild of new Perl and related packages take a lot of time.

Solution: continuous rebuilds should show broken packages earlier than in annual rebuild.

• Fedmsg binding to Perl
• Use fedmsg to gather updated packages
  • User:ppisar already has GIT based checker
• Use fedmsg to include new packages
• Use fedmsg to exclude retired packages
• Do periodical scratch boot-strap to evaluate overall package health. Assignee user:ppisar ✓
  • logs
  • matrix

Dependency cycle breaker

• YUM repository reader
  • repoquery --whatprovides is to slow due to reinitialization
• Gather boot-strapped dependencies from local SRPMs
• Use graph algorithms to identify cycles
• Semi-automated recommendation for cycle break-points

YUM repository parser

• YUM metadata downloader
• YUM metadata reader
• YUM metadata filter/writer
• YUM package downloader

Spec file generator

Problem: cpanspec is old and not up2date to current guidelines. There is space for improvement of automatic generation of Perl specfiles.

Solution: Push changes to cpanspec and continue in work on Perl::Scan package developed by User:psabata.

• The upstream author of cpanspec has expressed willingness to incorporate some changes, however a complete rewrite of the utility would be more feasiable long-term
• Static dependency analysis
  • Rewrite Perl::Scan without eval. Assignee: User:psabata
• Dynamic dependency analysis
• Compare analyses against RPM package
  • Comment annotations in spec
  • Structured build-, run-, test- dependencies
• Differences calculator
  • Useful when upgrading a package
• False provides checker
  • RPM package should not provide privately redefined modules
• Converter into collection spec files which understands Perl spec files

Fedora Upstream monitoring

Problem: Some maintainers don't want to monitor upstream releases. Some upstream releases can't be parsed by Fedora monitoring script. During annual rebuild with new Perl version can updates of modules consume a lot of time.

Solution: 1/ let's try to persuade monitoring system to fix their issues, 2/ see next point

• Monitor upstream on our own if Fedora's system will not be improved
  • The maintainer wants CPAN wildcard
• Monitor all RPM packages
  • Update them before each mass rebuild

Upstream monitoring

• Not all packages are registered in Fedora Upstream Monitoring service
• Not all packagers upgrades
• Monitor upstream on our own
  • Use CPAN
  • Adjust versions where done in Fedora
  • File bugs or do the upgrade directly or spam perl-devel mailing list
• CPAN mirrors provides signed digests of CPAN distributions
  • Verify them against Fedora look-aside cache
  • Add the check into spectool(1). Assignee: User:ppisar
    • Reported against rpmdevtools as a bug #1093712.

Developer Assistant

• Templates for standard build systems
• Templates for web frameworks

Perl Next

• While perl is a base package, other CPAN code will go into server or workstation. We need to be ready and implement Next requirements. It turned out the the Next was a fiasco. No Perl changes were needed.
• Propose to delay perl 5.20 upgrade to Fedora 22. Assignee: User:ppisar ✓
• Submit Perl 5.20 change to Fedora 22. Assignee: User:jplesnik ✓
• Rebuild Perl 5.20. Assignee: User:jplesnik ✓
• Remove Perl from minimal build root. Request. Assignee: User:ppisar