Changes/RestoreCloudEdition

Return Cloud Base to Edition Status

Summary

Cloud should be listed on getfedora.org with Workstation, Server and IoT. The petition to reinstate the Cloud Base as an official Edition is based on the clear identification of unique environmental support requirements for private hyperscaler and public cloud environments not specifically addressed by other Editions.

Owner

• Name: Fedora Cloud SIG
• Email: cloud@list.fedoraproject.org
• Name: David Duncan
• Email: davdunc@amazon.com

Current status

• Targeted release: Fedora Linux 37
• Last updated: 2022-06-13
• devel thread
• FESCo issue: #2802
• Tracker bug: #2096419
• Release notes tracker: #847

Detailed Description

The cloud base as an edition is plastic in a way that is appropriate to match the various virtual environments on which it is capable of running. There has been a lot of work explored here and a lot of writing done to find that next level. In previous years, we had lots of multi-cloud aspirations that couldn’t be fulfilled, but they can be now and we want to ensure availability and ease of use. The Fedora Cloud Base image is uniquely focused on supporting cloud and other fail-only environments.

Feedback

See the discussion here: https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/fedora-cloud-edition-not-an-edition-and-the-future/34064/23

Some specific feedback received was that we could potentially deploy images of Fedora Workstation or Fedora Server to accomplish the same tasks that are accomplished with Fedora Cloud Base, but that is generally incorrect. Cloud specific workloads are not meant to be used in the same way as these other editions except under specific circumstances. Cloud specific configurations favor automated deployments with monitoring and logging handled to some degree through remote services. They are meant to be deployed sparingly and then to increase in numbers for scalability.

These images should be able to handle virtualization for many different workloads. The use of graphical environments or Server roles satisfy only highly specialized cloud experiences.

Benefit to Fedora

Cloud is a base, it has variations that work in different environments, but it supports work that is not related to the “Just enough” position of FCOS and extends the surface for experimental workloads at the base operating system layers. The Cloud working group has a very dedicated group of supporters who find value beyond the requirements of the other editions. With the adoption of btrfs in this most recent release there was much stir over how it could fit so well and yet diverge so much from Container exclusive like those of FCOS or Server goals, further accenting this dividing line.

That introduces the highlights for the reasons Fedora Cloud Base fits as an Edition. The cloud base as an edition is plastic in a way that is appropriate to match the various virtual environments on which it is capable of running. There has been a lot of work explored here and a lot of writing done to find that next level. In previous years, we had lots of multi-cloud aspirations that couldn’t be fulfilled, but they can be now and we want to ensure availability and ease of use.

Scope

• Proposal owners: Cloud PRD and Technical Specification updates are in process to ensure that we provide sufficient roadmap and technical specification to confirm alignment with the Fedora Project overall and especially that we are aligned with the Cloud Base users and established infrastructure providers.

• Other developers: Web changes will need to be made to accomodate the publication of links and some artwork will need to be created to align with current Project design.

• Release engineering: #Releng issue number TBD

• Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change)

• Trademark approval: https://pagure.io/Fedora-Council/tickets/issue/397

• Alignment with Objectives:

Upgrade/compatibility impact

In restoring the Cloud edition to the official Edition status, we eliminate any issues. It is with the downgrade to edition status where there will be an impact. The release information will have to be modified to remove the edition identifiers and this may cause an impact to current users.

How To Test

Standard QA testing and evaluation methods apply for QA Compose.

User Experience

This may change where Fedora Cloud Base Images are located in the web portal, but it will most likely be simpler to discover the images themselves.

Dependencies

There are no currently known dependencies for this.

Contingency Plan

• Contingency mechanism: (What to do? Who will do it?) N/A (not a System Wide Change) Remove the

We could include this as late as the rc1

• Contingency deadline: 2022-10-18
• Blocks release? This is not a release blocker

If this is not approved for F37, we will roll forward to F38 and prepare as required. There is no technical change in the image build requirements.

Documentation

Documentation is currently in the wiki for the working group and the Cloud SIG and is in the process of a series of updates to be moved to the Fedora Docs format

Release Notes

Fedora Cloud Base Edition

Fedora Cloud Base has been promoted to official status as a Fedora Edition. Fedora Cloud Base Images can now be downloaded from https://getfedora.org.