Hi Kern --
Sounds like a great plan. It's probably too late but I suggest changing
the acronym from RFC to something else to avoid conflict and possible
confusion with RFC = "Request for Comment", used extensively to document
Internet and other standards.
What about RFF = "Request for Feature"
Karl Cunningham
Kern Sibbald wrote:
Hello,
A word about 1.38.0:
Release 1.38.0 is evolving much as prior releases, that is to say, once people
started to use it, we received a number of bug reports, some rather
important. All the critical, serious, and important bugs have been fixed and
if you want a copy, you can pull it from the Bacula CVS using branch
Branch-1_38_0. If all continues normally, I'll release a version 1.38.1
this weekend which will contain fixes for all the currently known bugs.
Concerning future development of Bacula:
As I noted in the 1.38 ReleaseNotes, version 1.38 was different from prior
versions because it had a lot more contributions. I expect that this trend
will continue. As a consequence, I am going to modify how I normally do
development, and instead of making a list of all the features that I will
implement in the next version, I will personally sign up for one (maybe two)
projects at a time, and when they are complete, I will release a new version.
The difference is that I will have more time to review the new code that is
being contributed, and will be able to devote more time to a smaller number
of projects (1.38 had too many new features for me to handle correctly).
I expect that future release schedules will be much the same, and the number
of new features will also be much the same providing that the contributions
continue to come -- and they show no signs of let up :-)
Feature requests -- RFCs:
In addition, I would like to "formalize" the feature requests (RFC) a bit.
Instead of me maintaining an informal list of everything I run into
(kernstodo), I would like to maintain a "formal" list of projects. This
means that all new feature requests, including those recently discussed on
the email lists, must be formally submitted and approved.
Formal submission of feature requests will take two forms: 1. non-mandatory,
but highly recommended is to discuss proposed new features on the mailing
list. 2. Formal submission of an RFC in a special format. I'll give an
example of this below, but you can also find it on the web site under
"Support -> Feature Requests". Since it takes a bit of time to properly fill
out a RFC form, you probably should check on the email list first.
Once I receive the RFC, I will either accept it, send it back asking for
clarification, send it to the email list asking for opinions, or reject it.
If it is accepted, it will go in the "projects" file (a simple ASCII file)
maintained in the main Bacula source directory.
Implementation of RFCs:
Any qualified developer can sign up for a project. The project must have an
entry in the projects file, and the developer's name will appear in the
Status field.
How RFCs are accepted:
Acceptance of RFCs depends on several things: 1. feedback from users. If it is
negative, the RFC will probably not be accepted. 2. the difficulty of the
project. A project that is so difficult that I cannot imagine finding someone
to implement probably won't be accepted. 3. whether or not the RFC fits
within the current stategy of Bacula (for example an RFC that requests
changing the tape to tar format would not be accepted, ...)
How RFCs are prioritized:
Once an RFC is accepted, it needs to be implemented. If you can find a
developer for it, or one signs up for implementing it, then the RFC becomes
top priority (at least for that developer).
Between releases of Bacula, I will generally solicit RFC input for the next
version, and by way of this email, I suggest that you send discuss and send
in your RFCs for the next release. Please verify that the RFC is not in the
current list (attached to this email).
Once users have had several weeks to submit RFCs, I will organize them, and
request users to vote on them. This will allow fixing prioritizing the RFCs.
Having a priority is one thing, but getting it implement is another thing --
I am hoping that the Bacula community will take more responsibility for
assuring the implementation of accepted RFCs.
RFC format:
============= Empty RFC form ===========
Item n: One line summary ...
Date: Date submitted
Origin: Name and email of originator.
Status:
What: More detailed explanation ...
Why: Why it is important ...
Notes: Additional notes or features (omit if not used)
============== End RFC form ==============
============= Example Completed RFC form ===========
Item 1: Implement a Migration job type that will move the job
data from one device to another.
Origin: Sponsored by Riege Sofware International GmbH. Contact:
Daniel Holtkamp <holtkamp at riege dot com>
Date: 28 October 2005
Status: Partially coded in 1.37 -- much more to do. Assigned to
Kern.
What: The ability to copy, move, or archive data that is on a
device to another device is very important.
Why: An ISP might want to backup to disk, but after 30 days
migrate the data to tape backup and delete it from
disk. Bacula should be able to handle this
automatically. It needs to know what was put where,
and when, and what to migrate -- it is a bit like
retention periods. Doing so would allow space to be
freed up for current backups while maintaining older
data on tape drives.
Notes: Migration could be triggered by:
Number of Jobs
Number of Volumes
Age of Jobs
Highwater size (keep total size)
Lowwater mark
=================================================
By the end of November, I would like to have all the RFCs for the projects
file, and have requested users to vote on them. As a consequence, please send
your RFCs before 21 November, after which we will vote and prioritize
them ...
This email is already way too long, so I will explain in a subsequent email
(tomorrow) why I have signed up for project Item 1 -- see the attached
projects file.
Your comments on this would be welcome -- as well as your RFCs.
-------------------------------------------------------
SF.Net email is sponsored by:
Tame your development challenges with Apache's Geronimo App Server. Download
it for free - -and be entered to win a 42" plasma tv or your very own
Sony(tm)PSP. Click here to play: http://sourceforge.net/geronimo.php
_______________________________________________
Bacula-users mailing list
Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
