Latest revision as of 14:23, 26 July 2021

tzdata-minimal

Summary

Split the tzdata package into two parts - tzdata and tzdata-minimal. tzdata will require tzdata-minimal. tzdata-minimal provides the minimal files needed to support UTC on containers.

Owner

Name: Patsy Griffin (Franklin)
Email: patsy@redhat.com

Current status

Targeted release: Fedora Linux 35
Last updated: 2021-07-26
FESCo issue: #2647
Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
Release notes tracker: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>

Detailed Description

This is the first step towards providing support for a minimal, UTC only, version of tzdata for containers. The tzdata-minimal package will be a stand-alone, UTC only, subset of tzdata. The tzdata package will require tzdata-minimal.

With this framework in place, other packages can develop code to detect a minimal tzdata installation. These packages will also need to provide appropriate messages when users request timezone information not available when only tzdata-minimal is installed.

Feedback

We have had requests for this functionality in order to support minimal container installations. Currently some container kickstart installations already ad hoc remove most of the timezone information provided by tzdata, leaving only UTC support available. This change provides a formal method of providing this support.

Both the glibc and python teams are aware of this proposed change. This change does not currently require changes in their code. The goal is for those packages that currently require tzdata as part of their build or install, move towards recommending tzdata instead.

Benefit to Fedora

This change will reduce the size of base container installations.

Scope

Proposal owners: Implement the proposal.
Other developers: Developers need to ensure that their packages continue to build and install with the new split tzdata/tzdata-minimal package changes.

Release engineering: No coordination required with Release Engineering.
Policies and guidelines: The policies and guidelines do not need to be updated.
Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)
Alignment with Objectives: N/A

Upgrade/compatibility impact

The only visible change will be a new package tzdata-minimal required by tzdata.

How To Test

Run a dnf upgrade of tzdata and observe that tzdata-minimal is now also installed as a dependency.

User Experience

Users will see that new updates to tzdata include a new package dependency on tzdata-minimal.

Dependencies

This change does not require or depend on changes to other packages. However, we hope that dependent packages will work towards recommending tzdata for builds and installs rather than requiring it.

Contingency Plan

Contingency mechanism: If we are unable to complete this feature by the final development freeze, we will revert to the shipped configuration.
Contingency deadline: 100% Code complete deadline
Blocks release? No

Documentation

No documentation changes are needed at this time.

Release Notes

The tzdata package is now divided into a UTC only package, tzdata-minimal, and tzdata.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{admon/important | Comments and Explanations | The page source contains comments providing guidance to fill out each section. They are invisible when viewing this page. To read it, choose the "view source" link.<br/> '''Copy the source to a ''new page'' before making changes!  DO NOT EDIT THIS TEMPLATE FOR YOUR CHANGE PROPOSAL.'''}}
-{{admon/tip | Guidance | For details on how to fill out this form, see the [https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/program_management/changes_guide/ documentation].}}
 <!-- The actual name of your proposed change page should look something like: Changes/Your_Change_Proposal_Name.  This keeps all change proposals in the same namespace -->
-= Change Proposal Name =
+= tzdata-minimal =
-tzdata-minimal
 == Summary ==
-<!-- A sentence or two summarizing what this change is and what it will do. This information is used for the overall changeset summary page for each release. Note that motivation for the change should be in the Benefit to Fedora section below, and this part should answer the question "What?" rather than "Why?". -->
+Split the tzdata package into two parts - tzdata and tzdata-minimal.  tzdata will require tzdata-minimal.  tzdata-minimal provides the minimal files needed to support UTC on containers.
 == Owner ==
-<!--
+* Name: Patsy Griffin (Franklin)
-For change proposals to qualify as self-contained, owners of all affected packages need to be included here. Alternatively, a SIG can be listed as an owner if it owns all affected packages.
+* Email: patsy@redhat.com
-This should link to your home wiki page so we know who you are.
--->
-* Name: [[User:FASAcountName| Your Name]]
-<!-- Include you email address that you can be reached should people want to contact you about helping with your change, status is requested, or technical issues need to be resolved. If the change proposal is owned by a SIG, please also add a primary contact person. -->
-* Email: <your email address so we can contact you, invite you to meetings, etc. Please provide your Bugzilla email address if it is different from your email in FAS>
 <!--- UNCOMMENT only for Changes with assigned Shepherd (by FESCo)
 * FESCo shepherd: [[User:FASAccountName| Shehperd name]] <email address>
@@ Line 33: / Line 24: @@
 <!-- Select proper category, default is Self Contained Change -->
 [[Category:SelfContainedChange]]
-<!-- [[Category:SystemWideChange]] -->
-* Targeted release: [[Releases/<number> | Fedora Linux <number> ]]
+* Targeted release: Fedora Linux 35
 * Last updated: <!-- this is an automatic macro — you don't need to change this line -->  {{REVISIONYEAR}}-{{REVISIONMONTH}}-{{REVISIONDAY2}}
 <!-- After the change proposal is accepted by FESCo, tracking bug is created in Bugzilla and linked to this page
@@ Line 43: / Line 34: @@
 ON_QA -> change is fully code complete
 -->
-* FESCo issue: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
+* FESCo issue: [https://pagure.io/fesco/issue/2647 #2647]
 * Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
 * Release notes tracker: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
 == Detailed Description ==
-<!-- Expand on the summary, if appropriate.  A couple sentences suffices to explain the goal, but the more details you can provide the better. -->
+This is the first step towards providing support for a minimal, UTC only, version of tzdata for containers.  The tzdata-minimal package will be a stand-alone, UTC only, subset of tzdata. The tzdata package will require tzdata-minimal.
+With this framework in place, other packages can develop code to detect a minimal tzdata installation.  These packages will also need to provide appropriate messages when users request timezone information not available when only tzdata-minimal is installed.
 == Feedback ==
-<!-- Summarize the feedback from the community and address why you chose not to accept proposed alternatives. This section is optional for all change proposals but is strongly suggested. Incorporating feedback here as it is raised gives FESCo a clearer view of your proposal and leaves a good record for the future. If you get no feedback, that is useful to note in this section as well. For innovative or possibly controversial ideas, consider collecting feedback before you file the change proposal. -->
+We have had requests for this functionality in order to support minimal container installations.  Currently some container kickstart installations already ad hoc remove most of the timezone information provided by tzdata, leaving only UTC support available.  This change provides a formal method of providing this support.
+Both the glibc and python teams are aware of this proposed change.  This change does not currently require changes in their code.  The goal is for those packages that currently require tzdata as part of their build or install, move towards recommending tzdata instead.
 == Benefit to Fedora ==
-<!-- What is the benefit to the distribution?  Will the software we generate be improved? How will the process of creating Fedora releases be improved?
+This change will reduce the size of base container installations.
-      Be sure to include the following areas if relevant:
-      If this is a major capability update, what has changed?
-           For example: This change introduces Python 5 that runs without the Global Interpreter Lock and is fully multithreaded.
-      If this is a new functionality, what capabilities does it bring?
-           For example: This change allows package upgrades to be performed automatically and rolled-back at will.
-      Does this improve some specific package or set of packages?
-           For example: This change modifies a package to use a different language stack that reduces install size by removing dependencies.
-      Does this improve specific Spins or Editions?
-           For example: This change modifies the default install of Fedora Workstation to be more in line with the base install of Fedora Server.
-      Does this make the distribution more efficient?
-           For example: This change replaces thousands of individual %post scriptlets in packages with one script that runs at the end.
-      Is this an improvement to maintainer processes?
-           For example: Gating Fedora packages on automatic QA tests will make rawhide more stable and allow changes to be implemented more smoothly.
-      Is this an improvement targeted as specific contributors?
-           For example: Ensuring that a minimal set of tools required for contribution to Fedora are installed by default eases the onboarding of new contributors.
-     When a Change has multiple benefits, it's better to list them all.
-     Consider these Change pages from previous editions as inspiration:
-     https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/Annobin (low-level and technical, invisible to users)
-     https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/ParallelInstallableDebuginfo (low-level, but visible to advanced users)
-     https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/VirtualBox_Guest_Integration (primarily a UX change)
-     https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/NoMoreAlpha (an improvement to distro processes)
-     https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/perl5.26 (major upgrade to a popular software stack, visible to users of that stack)
--->
 == Scope ==
-* Proposal owners:
+* Proposal owners: Implement the proposal.
-<!-- What work do the feature owners have to accomplish to complete the feature in time for release?  Is it a large change affecting many parts of the distribution or is it a very isolated change? What are those changes?-->
+* Other developers: Developers need to ensure that their packages continue to build and install with the new split tzdata/tzdata-minimal package changes.
-* Other developers: <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
-<!-- What work do other developers have to accomplish to complete the feature in time for release?  Is it a large change affecting many parts of the distribution or is it a very isolated change? What are those changes?-->
-* Release engineering: [https://pagure.io/releng/issues #Releng issue number] <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
-<!-- Does this feature require coordination with release engineering (e.g. changes to installer image generation or update package delivery)?  Is a mass rebuild required?  include a link to the releng issue.
-The issue is required to be filed prior to feature submission, to ensure that someone is on board to do any process development work and testing and that all changes make it into the pipeline; a bullet point in a change is not sufficient communication -->
-* Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change) <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
-<!-- Do the packaging guidelines or other documents need to be updated for this feature?  If so, does it need to happen before or after the implementation is done?  If a FPC ticket exists, add a link here. Please submit a pull request with the proposed changes before submitting your Change proposal. -->
+* Release engineering: No coordination required with Release Engineering.
+* Policies and guidelines: The policies and guidelines do not need to be updated.
 * Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)
-<!-- If your Change may require trademark approval (for example, if it is a new Spin), file a ticket ( https://pagure.io/Fedora-Council/tickets/issues ) requesting trademark approval from the Fedora Council. This approval will be done via the Council's consensus-based process. -->
+* Alignment with Objectives: N/A
-* Alignment with Objectives:
+== Upgrade/compatibility impact ==
-<!-- Does your proposal align with the current Fedora Objectives: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/project/objectives/ ? It's okay if it doesn't, but it's something to consider -->
+The only visible change will be a new package tzdata-minimal required by tzdata.
-== Upgrade/compatibility impact ==
 <!-- What happens to systems that have had a previous versions of Fedora installed and are updated to the version containing this change? Will anything require manual configuration or data migration? Will any existing functionality be no longer supported? -->
 <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
+== How To Test ==
+Run a dnf upgrade of tzdata and observe that tzdata-minimal is now also installed as a dependency.
-== How To Test ==
 <!-- This does not need to be a full-fledged document. Describe the dimensions of tests that this change implementation is expected to pass when it is done.  If it needs to be tested with different hardware or software configurations, indicate them.  The more specific you can be, the better the community testing can be.
@@ Line 124: / Line 85: @@
 <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
 == User Experience ==
+Users will see that new updates to tzdata include a new package dependency on tzdata-minimal.
 <!-- If this change proposal is noticeable by users, how will their experiences change as a result?
@@ Line 139: / Line 100: @@
 == Dependencies ==
+This change does not require or depend on changes to other packages.  However, we hope that dependent packages will work towards recommending tzdata for builds and installs rather than requiring it.
 <!-- What other packages (RPMs) depend on this package?  Are there changes outside the developers' control on which completion of this change depends?  In other words, completion of another change owned by someone else and might cause you to not be able to finish on time or that you would need to coordinate?  Other upstream projects like the kernel (if this is not a kernel change)? -->
@@ Line 145: / Line 107: @@
 == Contingency Plan ==
+* Contingency mechanism: If we are unable to complete this feature by the final development freeze, we will revert to the shipped configuration.
-<!-- If you cannot complete your feature by the final development freeze, what is the backup plan?  This might be as simple as "Revert the shipped configuration".  Or it might not (e.g. rebuilding a number of dependent packages).  If you feature is not completed in time we want to assure others that other parts of Fedora will not be in jeopardy.  -->
+* Contingency deadline: 100% Code complete deadline
-* Contingency mechanism: (What to do?  Who will do it?) N/A (not a System Wide Change)  <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
+* Blocks release? No
-<!-- When is the last time the contingency mechanism can be put in place?  This will typically be the beta freeze. -->
-* Contingency deadline: N/A (not a System Wide Change)  <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
-<!-- Does finishing this feature block the release, or can we ship with the feature in incomplete state? -->
-* Blocks release? N/A (not a System Wide Change), Yes/No <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
 == Documentation ==
-<!-- Is there upstream documentation on this change, or notes you have written yourself?  Link to that material here so other interested developers can get involved. -->
+No documentation changes are needed at this time.
-<!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
-N/A (not a System Wide Change)
 == Release Notes ==
+The tzdata package is now divided into a UTC only package, tzdata-minimal, and tzdata.
 <!-- The Fedora Release Notes inform end-users about what is new in the release.  Examples of past release notes are here: http://docs.fedoraproject.org/release-notes/ -->
 <!-- The release notes also help users know how to deal with platform changes such as ABIs/APIs, configuration or data file formats, or upgrade concerns.  If there are any such changes involved in this change, indicate them here.  A link to upstream documentation will often satisfy this need.  This information forms the basis of the release notes edited by the documentation team and shipped with the release.

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