Re: [phpGroupWare-developers] Better integrate with distributions packages (read Debian...)

[Dave Hall]

Hi Olivier,

On Thu, 2007-05-10 at 14:35 +0200, Olivier Berger (old address) wrote:
> Hi.
> 
> I think we have discussed that face-to-face at the phpgw conf in Paris
> last year...
> 
> As you may now we are developping some Debian packages for phpgw-based
> apps for Picoforge (picoforge.org).
> 
> In this frame, we have thought of basic ways to integrate debconf
> scripts which handle applications parameterization in the Debian
> environment, and phpGroupware setup/
> 
> Basically, Picoforge requires some typical phpgw configuration, for
> instance for storing users/groups in LDAP, and we don't want the user to
> go through the whole setup/ typing of LDAP DNs etc.
> 

AFAIK our debs do some prepopulation also, although I think that is
mostly restricted to the header.inc.php - ajmitch?

> The packages postinst scripts will deduce proper values (from other
> applications like LDAP server debconf settings), store them in some
> file, and later on, at phpgw app installation, the defaults_records will
> load these in phpgw_config...
> 
> I'm thinking of trying to establish some better way to do that... so I
> welcome any comments/advices.
> 
> Have any of you thought to this problematics and trying and have some
> "automatic installation" system for phpgw, which would get its conf
> values from some static file-based system, rather than web dialogs ?
> 

When I was looking at offering phpgw via a SaaS model, I did look at
this.  I had a quick look for my notes tonight and I couldn't find them.
Off the top of my head I think I decided on a CLI install provisioning
system that would take a handful of args and just populate the db with a
hardcoded set + the install specific values.  From memory it would work
something like this

phpgw-install-domain <domain>

It would then do the rest.  The domain would be used for getting the db
values for the inserts, generating the DNs, paths etc.

I am not very familar with building debs (read i can hack existing
debian/{rules,control} files).  Is it possible to get the debconf data
for the phpgw debs and use that for your apps?

> The most interesting part would be handling the re-configuration (read
> dpkg-reconfigure) part and the impact on installed apps in phpgw, and
> funny ideas like that.

I know ajmitch is currently in Spain for the UDS, I don't know if he is
checking his mail, if he is, he might jump in on this thread.

Cheers

Dave