Moving build configurations into git

[Paul Sokolovsky]

Hello Zach,

On Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:37:27 -0600
Zach Pfeffer <zach.pfeffer at linaro.org> wrote:

> Right now we have many build configurations. For example,

Do you mean "many", or "long", or "changing too often"?

> 
> https://android-build.linaro.org/builds/~linaro-android/staging-origen-11.12-release/#build=8
> 
> uses
> 
> MANIFEST_REPO=git://android.git.linaro.org/platform/manifest.git
> MANIFEST_BRANCH=linaro-android-11.12-release
> MANIFEST_FILENAME=staging-origen.xml
> TARGET_PRODUCT=origen
> TARGET_SIMULATOR=false
> TOOLCHAIN_URL=http://android-build.linaro.org/builds/~linaro-android/toolchain-4.6-2011.12/5/android-toolchain-eabi-linaro-4.6-2011.12-5-2011-12-12_14-40-40-linux-x86.tar.bz2
> TOOLCHAIN_TRIPLET=arm-linux-androideabi
> REPO_SEED_URL=http://android-build.linaro.org/seed/pandaboard.mirror.tar.gz
> SOURCE_OVERLAY="origen/20111215/vendor.tar.bz2"
> LAVA_SUBMIT=1
> LAVA_SUBMIT_FATAL=0
> SYNC_JOBS=10
> 
> I'd like to move this into a git in 12.01.
> 
> Does this seem feasible?

Well, let's remember why we have build configuration process as it is
now - to have it both flexible and extensible, and yet easy for any
Linaro engineer (not only from Android team, but also from Validation,
Kernel, etc.) to start using and use it. So, if we'll add "config from
git" support, we'll still need to keep current "easy edit by hand"
approach. Then, we'll have to approaches, with usual issues - more
stuff to maintain, more stuff for folks to remember, harder to use/more
chance of errors.

So, what are specific factors to call for adding that "config from
git"? If it's access control, I'd like to remind that we have special
"linaro-android-official-builders" group, only its members can edit
official builds. By limiting that group to 2-3 people for each release
process, there can be better change tracking. And only of keeping
explicit change log for (some) build configs is crucially required
feature, than IMHO it's worth to complicate process with additional
rules.

Otherwise, technically, I don't see big problems with implementing
that (at least in the simplest way), but that depends on more detailed
spec for how it should look/work.


Thanks,
Paul

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