[katello-devel] Future feature RFC: Package Upload

[Mike McCune]

On 03/19/2012 12:25 PM, Brad Buckingham wrote:
> In the future, the plan is to provide Katello users with the ability to
> upload a package.  This email is to present a couple of options for
> accomplishing this in the UI and gather some initial feedback.
>
> Assumptions:
> - Prior to package upload, the target repository must exist.
> - When a package is uploaded, it will be uploaded only to the Library.
>
> The following are a couple of options for accomplishing this in the UI:
>
> 1. Incorporate it as part of Content Management ->  Custom Content Providers
>
>       For example,
>       a. select [provider] ->  Products&  Repos ->  [repository]
>       b. from the Repository Details subpanel, allow the user the ability
> to browse
>           to a package file and click 'Upload'

what if you want to have it land in a bunch of repos and you actually 
upload to the product and then pick which repos it ends up in?

I could see users wanting to upload a noarch RPM across various repos if 
we could give them that option.

>
> 2. Incorporate it as part of Content Management ->  Promotions
>
>       For example,
>       a. in the content tree, navigate to Repos
>       b. select the repo.  (Note: currently, users can see repos listed,
> but not select them).
>       c. from the Repository Details pane (new), allow the user the
> ability to browse
>           to a package file and click 'Upload'.  (Notes: We could also
> use this pane to display
>           a few details on the repository, such as name, url and other
> useful info.).
>
> I lean towards option 2 for a couple of reasons:
> - Before a user adds a package, they are likely to browse to see what
> packages exist.  Currently, this would be done from the Promotions page;
> therefore, they would already be on the page.
> - In the future, users will have the ability to download packages.
> Assuming this will be based on earlier implementations, this would be
> from the Promotions page; therefore, having both upload/download on
> Promotions keeps it 'somewhat' consistent.
>
> There may be other options as well.
>
> Any thoughts/opinions/preferences?
>

just as a reminder we can not allow for uploads directly into an 
environment.  All changes to products/repos in an Env must take place 
through a changeset.  This means that #2 if done through the Promotions 
UI would only allow for uploads if you were looking at the Library which 
might be kinda weird.

Like others have said I'd include this as part of the Content Browser 
since it seems like the perfect place to view what is there and possibly 
add things that are missing.  Promotions are about pushing existing 
content into environments, Content Browser should be there to view what 
you have in a more detailed manner but not be used for changing anything 
within the existing environments.

Mike