Changes/createrepo c 1.0.0

createrepo_c 1.0.0

This is a proposed Change for Fedora Linux.
This document represents a proposed Change. As part of the Changes process, proposals are publicly announced in order to receive community feedback. This proposal will only be implemented if approved by the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee.

Summary

Update createrepo_c to 1.0.0, new release will include change of default compression to zstd, no longer generating metadata in sqlite database format by default and simplified comps xml type in repodata.

Owner

• Name: Aleš Matěj
• Email: amatej@redhat.com

Current status

• Targeted release: Fedora Linux 39
• Last updated: 2023-03-06
• FESCo issue: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
• Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
• Release notes tracker: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>

Detailed Description

- Switch default compression from gz to zstd. DNF is able to decompress zstd via libsolv (from 0.7.0) since Fedora 30. Further information: https://github.com/rpm-software-management/createrepo_c/issues/82.

- Stop generating metadata in sqlite database format by default. It will still be possible to create them using a --database switch or via sqliterepo_c tool. (It looks like the only user left is mdapi: https://github.com/fedora-infra/mdapi/issues/97). Further information: https://github.com/rpm-software-management/createrepo_c/issues/338 and https://pagure.io/releng/issue/10745

- When adding groups.xml to repodata createrepo_c currently adds two variants to repomd.xml. The specified file as is, uncompressed, with the type "group" and also a compressed variant with type "group_XX", where XX is compression suffix. This is atypical and unexpected. We propose to include just one variant of groups.xml using specified compression and repomd.xml type "group". Further information: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2056318

- createrepo_c is not only a set of command-line tools but also a library, to reflect overall stability increase major version above 0.

Benefit to Fedora

• Using zstd compression provides smaller metadata that are faster to decompress.
• Generating sqlite metadata is expensive, its slowing createrepo_c runs and it takes up space on mirrors. (For F37 updates repo: primary_db: 12.8 mb, filelists_db: 22.0 mb, other_db: 4.2 mb.)
• More consistent metadata.

Scope

• Proposal owners:

All three changes should be fairly simple changes. - Switching to zstd is a simple change of default (given we have zstd support merged: https://github.com/rpm-software-management/createrepo_c/pull/345) - No longer generating sqlite database is also only a change of default value. PR is already created: https://github.com/rpm-software-management/createrepo_c/pull/347/files - Change of group type if also a small change to createrepo_c.

• Other developers:

There are no requirements on other developers.

• Release engineering: #Releng issue number

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

• Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)

• Alignment with Objectives:

Contingency Plan

• Contingency mechanism: (What to do? Who will do it?) N/A (not a System Wide Change)
• Contingency deadline: N/A (not a System Wide Change)
• Blocks release? N/A (not a System Wide Change), Yes/No

Documentation

N/A (not a System Wide Change)