Features/MediaRepo

= MediaRepo =

Summary
Support CD/DVD media as package sources in common front ends like PackageKit, yumex and maybe yum command line tool.

Owner

 * Alsadi: Muayyad Alsadi
 * email: alsadi [AT] ojuba [D0T] 0RG (with o as in orange not zero, see my FAS account)

Current status

 * Targeted release: Fedora ??
 * Last updated: 2009-08-23
 * Percentage of completion: 99%

I have completed 4 implementations so far
 * DeviceKit
 * HAL
 * GIO
 * os.system('mount')

I have implemented it in GIO and it's to be sent upstream after I do some local tests. After some tests on F11, it seems that there is a bug in GIO

a small issue needs to be fixed in policykit to allow root to mount the media and the 1% will be done.

Detailed Description
Since the retirement of pirut in F9, fedora users have no way of making any use of the several installation CDs or the DVD media, there is no package manager front end that support media repos. The current solution is to copy the rpm files and make a locale repo, which is not a simple task for a typical desktop user.

see also: RHBZ#435625

Benefit to Fedora
Allow users with no or slow internet connection to make use of the instillation media as a source of packages.

Packagekit




note: gnome-packagekit should be rebuilt.

Yumex NextGen




Scope

 * register a method that handle media sources in self.mediagrabber for classes that are based on YumBase in
 * yumex: src/yumapi.py
 * PackageKit: backends/yum/yumBackend.py class PackageKitYumBase(yum.YumBase):

the method is already implemented in pirut it's called pirutCDHandler, but it depends on HAL, maybe we need to port it to DeviceKit.

How To Test

 * 1) make an installation from DVD media accept the defaults
 * 2) add a package that is in the DVD but was not installed by default

I made .src.rpm for Fedora 11 available here:
 * PackageKit-0.4.8-3.oj3.src.rpm
 * yumex-2.0.5-7.oj3.src.rpm

for those who don't want to compile you can find the ready rpms:
 * yumex-2.0.5-7.oj3.noarch.rpm
 * browse for the PK packages

User Experience
PackageKit API now supports media change, it should display "Please insert so and so CD/DVD"

Dependencies

 * PackageKit
 * Yumex
 * Yum (if we want this feature in yum-cli)

Contingency Plan

 * this is an added feature, we are going to use PackageKit and Yumex without it as we used todo.

Documentation

 * how to add/remove a media repo
 * how to disable/enable a media repo

Release Notes

 * This functionality adds the ability in PackageKit and Yumex to utilize installation media (DVD and CDs) and prompt the use insert it which helps people with no internet connection and save bandwidth for those who have internet connection.

Comments and Discussion

 * See Talk:Features/MediaRepo