[Freeipa-devel] Let me introduce myself ... (working with sssd)

[Jason Gerard DeRose]

On Sun, 2009-04-12 at 11:44 +0200, Miguel P.C. wrote:
> Hello everyone.
> Hi Stephen, hi Simo.
> 
> My name is Miguel Pérez Colino and I'm currently working in my Master's
> Final Proyect which is focused in FreeIPA and Ubuntu.
> 
> My background in systems administration is pretty good, but I can't say
> the same about my programming and packaging skills. (Although I packaged
> updated versions of NUT for RH9 some years ago).
> 
> Right now, I'd like to start making an SSSD package for Ubuntu and I'm
> looking for the needed documentation to read (specially about the
> compilation/building part). Any advice will be really welcomed.

I have some experience packaging for Debian and Ubuntu, and I bet you
could talk Simo into dusting off his Debian packaging skills in order to
answer a question or two.

I'm no packaging guru, but here are some things to get you started:


1. Start by learning how to build binary Debian packages from the source
package of something already in Debian/Ubuntu.  I high recommend you
jump right into building your packages using pbuilder: it will build
your package in a clean chroot that is similar to the environment on a
Debian or Ubuntu build server.  You can install and setup pbuilder like
this:

    sudo apt-get install pbuilder lintian
    sudo pbuilder create --debootstrapopts --variant=buildd

Then say you want to build the `hello` package.  You can get the source
packages like this:

    cd /tmp
    apt-get source hello

And you then build it with pbuilder like this:

    sudo pbuilder --build hello_2.2-2.dsc

(Or whatever .dsc file you end up with.)  The built packages will be
placed in /var/cache/pbuilder/result/


2. Read the "Debian New Maintainers' Guide", but you can kinda skim it
as the examples may not apply well to what you are packaging.  Just get
the big picture:

  http://debian.org/doc/manuals/maint-guide/index.en.html


3. The "Debian Policy Manual" and "Debian Developer's Reference" are
what you'll keep under your pillow to answer specific questions:

  http://debian.org/doc/debian-policy/

  http://debian.org/doc/manuals/developers-reference/index.en.html


4. Definitely use CDBS (Common Debian Build System).  CDBS is a bunch of
macros that you can use in your debian/rules file.  This file used to be
where 75% of the packaging work was, but CDBS has made things much
easier:

  http://build-common.alioth.debian.org/cdbs-doc.html


5. Just look at how similar packages have been packages.  That's the
best way to learn.  Most of my Debian/Ubuntu packaging experience has
been with pure-Python packages (which are silly easy with CDBS), so I
probably don't have the knowledge to answer many specific questions on
packaging SSSD.  But if you get stuck, feel free to ping me... or
Simo.  ;)

Are you thinking of packaging the freeIPA server also?

Good luck and thanks for your interest in freeIPA!


-Jason

> Please, if I'm writting to the wrong list or asking for already written
> information, let me know. I really do not want to be unpolite :-)
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> M*