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<property name="context">{/doc/acs-core-docs/ {ACS Core Documentation}} {Package Manager Requirements}</property> <property name="doc(title)">Package Manager Requirements</property> <master> <include src="/packages/acs-core-docs/lib/navheader" leftLink="subsites-design" leftLabel="Prev" title=" Chapter 15. Kernel Documentation" rightLink="apm-design" rightLabel="Next"> <div class="sect1"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"> <a name="apm-requirements" id="apm-requirements"></a>Package Manager Requirements</h2></div></div></div><div class="authorblurb"> <p>By Bryan Quinn and Todd Nightingale</p> OpenACS docs are written by the named authors, and may be edited by OpenACS documentation staff.</div><div class="sect2"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"> <a name="apm-requirements-intro" id="apm-requirements-intro"></a>Introduction</h3></div></div></div><p>The following is a requirements document for the OpenACS Package Manager (APM), version 4.0 (APM4). APM4 offers a superset of APM v3.3 functionality with the following specific enhancements:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li class="listitem"><p>A public procedural API. (v 3.3 only has web-based UI)</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Support for dependency checking.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Support for compound packages (to support installation chaining).</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Support for on-line parameter setting.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Support for sub-site level configuration (requires revised parameter and /admin pages at sub-site level; deprecation of site-wide parameter file).</p></li> </ul></div><p>To differentiate these new requirements from the requirements of version 3.3, all requirements new in v4 are prefaced with the number <span class="strong"><strong>4</strong></span>.</p><p>We gratefully acknowledge the authors of APM 3 for their original design documentation which suggested these features, as well as the influence of the design and open-source implementation of the Red Hat Package manager, the Debian packaging system, and PERL's CPAN in the development of the ideas behind this document.</p> </div><div class="sect2"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"> <a name="apm-requirements-vision" id="apm-requirements-vision"></a>Vision Statement</h3></div></div></div><p>A typical website will tend to offer its users a number of web-based services or applications, e.g. a bulletin board, calendaring, classified ads, etc. A website may also have underlying subsystems, such as a permissions system, content management system, etc. For such applications and subsystem components, modularity - or the degree to which a component can be encapsulated and decoupled from the rest of the system - is of great value. Thus the OpenACS Package Manager (APM) was created to allow website components, or packages, to be added, removed, and upgraded easily, with minimum disturbance to the rest of the system. This allows site owners to steadily offer users new and improved services, and also allows programmers to quickly and easily distribute their OpenACS components in a standardized manner to other OpenACS sites.</p><p>In general, a package is a unit of software that serves a single well-defined purpose. The OpenACS Package Manager (APM) provides a mechanism for packaging, installing, and configuring OpenACS software in a consistent, user-friendly, and subsite-aware manner.</p> </div><div class="sect2"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"> <a name="apm-requirements-system-overview" id="apm-requirements-system-overview"></a>System Overview</h3></div></div></div><p>The OpenACS Package Manager (APM) consists of:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li class="listitem"> <p> <span class="strong"><strong>A standard format for APM packages</strong></span> including:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: circle;"> <li class="listitem"><p>Version numbering, independent of any other package and the OpenACS as a whole</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Specification of the package interface</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Specification of dependencies on other packages (if any)</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Attribution (who wrote it) and ownership (who maintains it)</p></li> </ul></div> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>Web-based tools for package management:</strong></span></p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: circle;"> <li class="listitem"><p>Obtaining packages from a remote distribution point</p></li><li class="listitem"> <p>Installing packages, if and only if:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"> <li class="listitem"><p>All prerequisite packages are installed</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>No conflicts will be created by the installation</p></li> </ol></div> </li><li class="listitem"><p>Configuring packages (obsoleting the monolithic OpenACS configuration file)</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Upgrading packages, without clobbering local modifications</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Uninstalling unwanted packages</p></li> </ul></div> </li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>A registry of installed packages</strong></span>, database-backed and integrated with filesystem-based version control</p></li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>Web-based tools for package development:</strong></span></p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: circle;"> <li class="listitem"><p>Creating new packages locally</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Releasing new versions of locally-created packages</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Uploading packages to a global package repository on the web</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Use of these tools should be safe, i.e. installing or removing a package should never break an OpenACS installation</p></li> </ul></div> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>Web-based tools for package configuration:</strong></span></p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: circle;"> <li class="listitem"><p>The ability to change package parameter values on-line through a simple web interface.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>A new ad_parameter which does not require a monolithic site-wide parameter's file or server restarts for changes to take effect.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>The ability to manage multiple package instances at the sub-site level.</p></li> </ul></div> </li> </ul></div> </div><div class="sect2"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"> <a name="apm-requirements-use-cases" id="apm-requirements-use-cases"></a>Use-cases and User-scenarios</h3></div></div></div><p>The APM is intended for the following classes of users, which may or may not overlap:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"> <li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>Developers</strong></span> (referred to as 'the developer') use the APM to create a software package for distribution and use the procedural API for direct control of the APM system.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>Site-wide administrators</strong></span> (referred to as 'the administrator') use the APM to install packages for their OpenACS instance, and optionally make them available to sub-sites.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>Sub-site administrators</strong></span> (referred to as 'the sub-admin') use an administration interface to configure and enable packages for their sub-site.</p></li> </ol></div><p><span class="strong"><strong>Initial Package Development</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>David Developer</strong></span> writes a piece of software used to do knowledge management (km) for the OpenACS. He distributes his data model, procedure code, UI pages, and his documentation according to the APM specification. He splits the documentation and the code into sub-packages, and creates a KM installation-chain to install both with the APM developer UI. Noting that his software was built with <span class="strong"><strong>Patricia Programmer</strong></span>'s Super Widget toolkit, he specifies that as a dependency. Moreover, since this package is capable of being used at the sub-site level, David configures this option in the package. When the package development is complete, David uses the APM developer UI to construct a distribution file. He assigns it a version number, 1.0, and makes the package available for download at the OpenACS package repository.</p><p><span class="strong"><strong>Initial Package Installation</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>Annie Admin</strong></span> learns of David's KM system by browsing the OpenACS package repository. Annie Admin uses the APM administrator UI on her system. She selects to install a package from a URL and types the URL displayed on the system. The APM automatically downloads the package. The dependency checker notices that Patricia's Super Widget toolkit is required, so it warns Annie of this. Annie selects an option to find a package that satisfies the dependency at the OpenACS APM repository. The APM informs Annie that it can download and install Jim's Super Widget toolkit. Annie confirms this option. After successfully installing Jim's toolkit, Annie proceeds to install David's KM system. The data model is loaded and all of the files necessary for the software are installed. Because installation was successful, the package is available for use.</p><p>Since the package is available for use, its initialization routines are set to run automatically on server startup. Annie is warned that since there are initialization routines, she must restart the server for the package to be ready for use. Annie restarts the server.</p><p><span class="strong"><strong>Initial Subsite Use of Package</strong></span></p><p>Annie Admin decides to make the KM module available only to a particular sub-site type on her OpenACS system, and not others. She specifies this option using the Sub-site type UI (not part of APM).</p><p>Annie Admin notifies <span class="strong"><strong>Sally SubAdmin</strong></span> by e-mail that a new package is now available for use. Sally goes to her sub-site /admin page and sees that a new entry, KM, is available. Sally clicks on it and finds links to the installed KM documentation and to the web based configuration utility. Then, Sally configures the package using an automatically generated web interface and enables KM for use on her sub-site. After some initial use of the package, Sally decides to change some parameters using the SubAdmin UI. These changes take effect immediately, without any server restarts.</p><p><span class="strong"><strong>Upgrade Process</strong></span></p><p>Sally SubAdmin finds a bug in the KM system and sends a report to David Developer. David reads the bug report and verifies that the bugs are present in the current version. Because the bugs are present in the shared procedure file, David assigns a watch to the file. David makes the necessary modifications to the source code and saves the file. Because a watch was assigned to the file, the APM automatically reloads the updated code. David tests the program and confirms that the bug is fixed. He increments the minor version number and makes km v 1.1 available for download at the repository.</p><p>Sally SubAdmin asks Annie Administrator to upgrade the package using the APM UI. This upgrade supersedes the old version of KM at the site-wide level. Once Annie upgrades the package, the new version starts working immediately in Sally's sub-site.</p><p><span class="strong"><strong>Procedural API</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>Danielle Developer</strong></span> wants her software to perform different actions depending on what version of another package is installed. She uses the APM procedural API to check if KM version 1.0 is installed or version 1.1. Based on the results of this procedural call, the software exhibits different behavior.</p> </div><div class="sect2"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"> <a name="apm-requirements-links" id="apm-requirements-links"></a>Related Links</h3></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li class="listitem"><p><a class="ulink" href="apm-design" target="_top">APM 3.3 Design document</a></p></li><li class="listitem"><p><a class="ulink" href="packages" target="_top">Five minute guide to packaging a module</a></p></li><li class="listitem"><p><a class="ulink" href="subsites-requirements" target="_top">Sub-sites</a></p></li> </ul></div> </div><div class="sect2"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"> <a name="apm-requirements-data-model" id="apm-requirements-data-model"></a>Requirements: Data Model</h3></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li class="listitem"> <p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.500.0 Package Identification</strong></span> (All of these items are entered by the developer using the developer UI.)</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.500.1</strong></span> A human readable package key that is guaranteed to be unique to the local OpenACS site must be maintained by the APM. For example, "apm."</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.500.5</strong></span> A package id (primary key) that is guaranteed to be unique to the local site must be maintained by the APM. For example, "25."</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.500.10</strong></span> A package URL that is guaranteed to be unique across all sites must be maintained by the APM. The package URL should point to a server that allows download of the latest version of the package. For example, "http://openacs.org/software."</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.505.0 Version Identification</strong></span> (All of these items are entered by the developer using the developer UI.)</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.505.1</strong></span> A version id (primary key) that is guaranteed to be unique to the local site must be maintained by the APM.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.505.5</strong></span> A version URL that is guaranteed to be unique across all sites must be maintained by the APM. The version URL should point to a server that allows download of a specific version of the package.</p> </li> </ul></div> </div><div class="sect2"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"> <a name="apm-requirements-api" id="apm-requirements-api"></a>Requirements: API</h3></div></div></div><p>The API for APM v3 is explicitly a private API. However, it would be useful to obtain information from the APM through a procedural API. Implementing the API specified below is quite easy given that there are pages that already do all of the below in raw SQL.</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>4.400.0 Packages Status Predicates</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.400.1</strong></span> Given defining information such as a package URL, the APM API can return the status of the package on the local OpenACS instance.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>4.405.0 Package Information Procedures</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.405.1</strong></span> The APM API can return information for any locally installed packages, including the version number, paths and files, and package key.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>4.410.0 Sub-site Procedures</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.410.1</strong></span> After a package has been installed at the site-wide level, the system API will provide means to check for package presence, creation, enabling, disabling, and destruction on a subsite.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>4.415.0 Parameter Values (replaces ad_parameter)</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.415.1</strong></span> The system API shall allow subsite parameters for an installed package to be set by either site-wide administrators or sub-site admins. The subsite parameter can be set to be non-persistent (but default is to survive server restarts). The subsite parameter can also be set to only take effect after a server restart (default is immediate).</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.415.5</strong></span> Parameters for a given subsite and package can be returned by the system API.</p> </li> </ul></div> </div><div class="sect2"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"> <a name="apm-requirements-security" id="apm-requirements-security"></a>Requirements: Security</h3></div></div></div><p>Provisions will be made to assure that packages are securely identified.</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.600.1</strong></span> Each package will have a PGP signature and there will be MD5 timestamps for each file within the package.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.600.5</strong></span> The APM will provide a facility to validate both the PGP signature and MD5 stamps information before a package install.</p></li> </ul></div> </div><div class="sect2"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"> <a name="apm-requirements-ui" id="apm-requirements-ui"></a>Requirements: The User Interface</h3></div></div></div><p>The user interface is a set of HTML pages that are used to drive the underlying API. It is restricted to site-wide administrators because the actions taken here can dramatically affect the state of the running OpenACS.</p> </div><div class="sect2"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"> <a name="apm-requirements-dev-interface" id="apm-requirements-dev-interface"></a>Requirements: The Developer's Interface</h3></div></div></div><p>The intent of the developer's interface is to enable the developer to construct and maintain APM packages. It will be possible to disable the developer's interface for production sites to help reduce the chance of site failure; much of the functionality here can have cascading effects throughout the OpenACS and should not be used on a production site.</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>10.0 Define a package.</strong></span></p><p>The developer must be able to create a new package by specifying some identifying information for the package. This includes a package name, a package key, version information, owner information, and a canonical URL.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>10.1</strong></span> The APM must maintain the state of all locally generated packages.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>10.50</strong></span> If the developer fails to provide the required information, the package cannot be created.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>10.55</strong></span> All of the package information should be editable after creation, except for the package key.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.10.60</strong></span> The package creator must specify whether the package is capable of being used in sub-sites, or if only a single, global instance of the package is permitted.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.10.65</strong></span> If the developer fails to provide unique information for unique fields specified in the data model requirements, the package cannot be created.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>20.0 Add files to a package</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>20.1</strong></span> The developer must be able to add files to the package. This is done by copying the files into the package directory in the host OS's filesystem. Files can be added at any point after package creation.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>20.3</strong></span> Once a package has been versioned and distributed, no new files should be added to the package without incrementing the version number.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>20.5</strong></span> The APM's UI should facilitate the process of adding new files, by scanning the filesystem for new files automatically, and allowing the developer to confirm adding them.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>20.10</strong></span> The developer cannot add files to a given package via the UI that do not exist in the filesystem already.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>20.15</strong></span> Package file structure must follow a specified convention. Please see the <a class="link" href="apm-design" title="Package Manager Design">design document</a> for what we do currently.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>30.0 Remove files from a package</strong></span></p><p>The developer must be able to remove files from a package. This can be done in two ways.</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: circle;"> <li class="listitem"> <p> <span class="strong"><strong>30.1</strong></span> Access the APM UI, browse the file list, and remove files.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>30.1.1</strong></span>If a file is removed from the package list, but not from the filesystem, an error should be generated at package load time.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p> <span class="strong"><strong>30.5</strong></span> Remove the file from filesystem.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>30.5.1</strong></span> The APM UI should take note of the fact that the file is gone and offer the developer an option to confirm the file's deletion.</p> </li> </ul></div> </li><li class="listitem"> <p> <span class="strong"><strong>40.0 Modify files in a package</strong></span>.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>40.1</strong></span> The developer should be able to modify files in the filesystem. The APM UI should not interfere with this.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>40.5</strong></span> However, if the developer modifies files containing procedural definitions, APM UI should allow a means to <span class="strong"><strong>watch</strong></span> those files and automatically reload them if changed. See requirement 50.0 for more detail.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>40.10</strong></span> Also, although a change in files implies that the package distribution file is out of date, it is the developer's responsibility to update it.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.45.0 Manage Package Dependency Information</strong></span>.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.45.1</strong></span> The developer should be able to specify which interfaces the package requires.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.45.5</strong></span> The developer should be able to specify which interfaces the package provides.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.45.10</strong></span> Circular dependencies are not allowed.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>50.0 Watch a file</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.50.1</strong></span> The developer should be able to assign a watch to any Tcl procedure file, whether in /packages or /tcl.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>50.5</strong></span> If a watched file is locally modified, then it will be automatically reloaded, thus allowing for any changes made to take affect immediately.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.50.10</strong></span> The setting of a watch should be persistent across server restarts.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>60.0 Display an XML package specification</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>60.1</strong></span> The developer should be able to view the XML package specification that encodes all package information.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>70.0 Write an XML package specification to the filesystem</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>70.1</strong></span> The developer should be able to write an up-to-date XML specification to disk.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>70.5</strong></span> The developer should be able to request the current XML specification for all installed, locally generated packages.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>130.0 Distribution file generation</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>130.1</strong></span> The developer should be able to generate a .APM distribution file for the package with just one click.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>130.5</strong></span> Generating a distribution file implies doing an "up-to-date" check on all of the files. If any of the files have changed since package installation, then a new version of the package is created.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>140.0 Access CVS information</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>140.1</strong></span> The developer should be able to determine the CVS status of a package, or all packages, with a single click.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>4.400.0 Compound Package Construction</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.400.1</strong></span> The developer can include .APM packages (sub-packages) within a package (the compound package) like any other file.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.400.5</strong></span> The recommended usage for this feature is to allow for separation of optional and required components from the installation as well as better organization of files once installed. For example, all documentation for the community-core can be packages as <code class="computeroutput">community-core-doc.apm</code>. It is legal to include sub-packages with dependencies that are not satisfied by the packages in the compound package, but this is discouraged. In such a case, the sub-package should really be a separate package that is required by the compound package.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.400.10</strong></span> If a sub-package is required for the installation of the compound package, the compound package should have a registered dependency on the sub-package.</p> </li> </ul></div> </div><div class="sect2"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"> <a name="apm-requirements-admin-interface" id="apm-requirements-admin-interface"></a>Requirements: The Site-Wide Administrator's Interface</h3></div></div></div><p>The requirement of the administrator's interface is to enable the administrator to install, enable, upgrade, disable, deinstall, and delete packages.</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>80.0 Package Enable/Disable</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.80.1</strong></span> The administrator should be able mark an installed package as enabled. This means that the package is activated and its functionality is delivered through the Request Processor. As of OpenACS 4, this is done through the sub-site system.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.80.5</strong></span> Moreover, the administrator must be able to disable a package, thereby removing the functionality provided to a sub-site. As of OpenACS 4, this is done through the sub-site system.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>90.0 Package Install</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>90.1</strong></span> The administrator must be able to install new packages either from locally maintained .APM files or from URLs.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>90.5</strong></span> In the case of a URL, the APM transparently downloads the APM file off the web, proceeds with a file based installation, and then optionally removes the .APM file just downloaded.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>90.10.1</strong></span> If .APM files are present in a package, then it is considered a compound package (use 4.410.0).</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>90.15.0</strong></span> Installation requires these steps:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"> <li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>90.15.1</strong></span>The package dependencies are scanned. If some dependencies are not present, the system warns the administrator that installation cannot proceed until those packages are installed.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>90.15.2</strong></span> Assuming all dependencies are present, APM extracts the contents of the APM file into the /packages directory.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>90.15.3</strong></span> The administrator is offered the option of importing directly into CVS.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>90.15.4</strong></span> The administrator is given a list of data model scripts found in the package and can select which ones to be executed.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>90.15.5</strong></span> If no errors are recorded during this process, the package is enabled.</p></li> </ol></div> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>4.410.0 Compound package Install</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.410.1</strong></span> If .APM files are present in a package, then it is considered a compound package.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.410.5.0</strong></span> Installation of a compound package proceeds according to the following sequence:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"> <li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.410.5.1</strong></span> Identify the set of all sub-packages within the compound package by scanning for all files with .APM.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.410.5.2</strong></span> Identify which sub-packages are required by checking the dependencies of the compound package. If there dependencies not satisfied by the current system or the packages included with the compound package, halt installation and inform user to install these packages first.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.410.5.3</strong></span> Present Administrator with the ability to choose which sub-packages to install. Required sub-packages must be installed.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.410.5.4</strong></span> Proceed with the installation of each sub-package, starting with required packages. If the sub-package is already installed, then do nothing. Else, If the sub-package is a normal package, proceed according to <span class="strong"><strong>90.15.0</strong></span>, otherwise if it is a compound package, proceed according to <span class="strong"><strong>4.410.5.0</strong></span>.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.410.5.5</strong></span> If all required sub-packages are installed, proceed to install non-required sub-packages. If there was a failure during the installation of a required sub-package, then the installation of the compound package is also a failure.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.410.5.6</strong></span> Any attempt to install a compound package in the future involves a choice presented to the admin of installing any uninstalled sub-packages.</p></li> </ol></div> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>4.420.0 Recovering from failed package installation</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.420.1</strong></span> If any error is generated during package installation, the package is not considered installed. To recover from this failure, the package should be selected for installation again.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>100.0 Version Upgrade</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>100.1</strong></span> The administrator can upgrade to a new version of a package. This entails</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"> <li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>100.1.1</strong></span> Running any necessary and included upgrade scripts.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>100.1.5</strong></span> Replacing any old files with new versions.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>100.1.10</strong></span> Marking the old version of the package as 'superseded' and disabling it.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>100.1.15</strong></span> Assuming no errors from above, the new package is enabled.</p></li> </ol></div> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>110.0 Package Deinstall</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>110.1</strong></span> The administrator must be able to deinstall a package that has already been installed. Deinstallation entails:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"> <li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>110.1.1</strong></span> Running any data model scripts necessary to drop the package.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>110.1.5</strong></span> Moving all of the files into a separate location in the filesystem from the installed packages.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.110.1.10</strong></span> If the package is a compound package, then the administrator must confirm removing all sub-packages. Optionally, some sub-packages can be kept.</p></li> </ol></div><p> <span class="strong"><strong>110.5</strong></span> Deinstalled packages can be re-installed at a later date.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.110.10</strong></span> If deinstalling a package or any of its sub-packages breaks a dependency, then deinstallation cannot proceed until the package registering the dependency is removed.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>120.0 Package Deletion</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>120.1</strong></span> The administrator should be able to completely erase all records of the package. This involves removing all instances of the package, all related database tables and content.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>120.5</strong></span> This option can only be used if all package instances are deleted or marked as disabled. This is purposefully cumbersome because deleting all instances of a package can have far-sweeping consequences throughout a site and should almost never be done.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p><span class="strong"><strong>150.0 Scan for new or modified packages</strong></span></p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>150.1</strong></span> The administrator should be able to scan the filesystem for any changes made in any of the installed package files.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>150.5</strong></span> The administrator should be able to scan the filesystem for any newly installed packages.</p> </li> </ul></div> </div><div class="sect2"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"> <a name="apm-requirements-sub-admin-intf" id="apm-requirements-sub-admin-intf"></a>Requirements: The Sub-Site Administrator's Interface</h3></div></div></div><p>If the developer is in charge of creating packages and the administrator for installing them, then the sub-site administrator is responsible for configuring and enabling packages. In order for a package to be available for a sub-site it must be associated with the sub-site's type specification. This interface is part of the sub-site /admin interface.</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li class="listitem"> <p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.300</strong></span> Creating a package instance.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.300.1</strong></span> From the sub-site /admin interface, there should be an option to view all packages available in the system as well as an option to add a package to the subsite.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.300.5</strong></span> From the "add" option, the sub-admin can select from a list of packages registered as available in the sub-site type to which the sub-site belongs.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.300.19</strong></span> Once a package instance is added, it is available on the list of the subsite's available packages.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.305</strong></span> Configuring a package instance.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.305.1</strong></span> An automatic web interface that lists all parameters with current values must be available.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.305.5</strong></span> Changing the values for the parameters is accomplished simply by submitting an HTML form.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.310</strong></span> Enabling a package instance.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.310.1</strong></span> The sub-admin should be able to enable a package with a single click. Enabling a package means that the OpenACS will serve its URLs properly.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.315</strong></span> Disabling a package instance.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.315.1</strong></span> The sub-admin should be able to disable a package with a single click. Disabling a package means that the OpenACS will no longer serve those URLs.</p> </li><li class="listitem"> <p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.320</strong></span> Deleting a package instance.</p><p> <span class="strong"><strong>4.320.1</strong></span> Deleting a package instance involves deleting not only the package instance, but any and all content associated with it. It is questionable whether this option should even be available due to its drastic consequences. Reviewer comments appreciated.</p> </li> </ul></div> </div><div class="sect2"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"> <a name="apm-requirements-implementation" id="apm-requirements-implementation"></a>Implementation notes</h3></div></div></div><p>Despite the fact that requirements are meant to be design/implementation neutral, the following thoughts were in our head when specifying these requirements. You must be familiar with the new object design for this to be comprehensible.</p><p>When a package is installed system-wide, a corresponding acs_object_type is created for it. All parameters registered for the package are registered for that acs_object_type.</p><p>When a package instance is created, it is an acs_object. Its parameters are set using the acs_attribute_values table. The automatic web interface for setting package parameters should be one and the same with the interface for setting acs object attribute values. Consequently, the implementation of these features should be quite straightforward.</p> </div><div class="sect2"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"> <a name="apm-requirements-rev-history" id="apm-requirements-rev-history"></a>Revision History</h3></div></div></div><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" cellspacing="0" border="1"> <colgroup> <col><col><col><col> </colgroup><tbody> <tr> <td><span class="strong"><strong>Document Revision #</strong></span></td><td><span class="strong"><strong>Action Taken, Notes</strong></span></td><td><span class="strong"><strong>When?</strong></span></td><td><span class="strong"><strong>By Whom?</strong></span></td> </tr><tr> <td>0.1</td><td>Creation</td><td>8/10/2000</td><td>Bryan Quinn, Todd Nightingale</td> </tr><tr> <td></td><td>Reviewed</td><td>8/11/2000</td><td>John Prevost, Mark Thomas, and Pete Su</td> </tr><tr> <td>0.2</td><td>Revised and updated</td><td>8/12/2000</td><td>Bryan Quinn</td> </tr><tr> <td>0.3</td><td>Reviewed, revised, and updated - conforms to requirements template.</td><td>8/18/2000</td><td>Kai Wu</td> </tr><tr> <td>0.4</td><td>Minor edits before ACS 4 Beta.</td><td>9/30/2000</td><td>Kai Wu</td> </tr> </tbody> </table></div> </div> </div> <include src="/packages/acs-core-docs/lib/navfooter" leftLink="subsites-design" leftLabel="Prev" leftTitle="Subsites Design Document" rightLink="apm-design" rightLabel="Next" rightTitle="Package Manager Design" homeLink="index" homeLabel="Home" upLink="kernel-doc" upLabel="Up">