Changes/AnacondaModularization

Anaconda modularization

Summary

Anaconda installer will be split into several modules that will communicate over DBus using stable API.

Owner

• Name: Jiří Konečný
• Email: jkonecny@redhat.com
• Release notes owner:

Current status

• Targeted release: Fedora 28
• Last updated: 2018-01-15
• Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>

Detailed Description

Anaconda will be split into several modules that will communicate over DBus. The goal is to introduce a stable way to interact with Anaconda to support its customization, extensibility and testability. It will be easier to monitor the installation, maintain an install class or an addon, drop some modules or provide your own UI.

This is just the first part of our move towards a modular (DBus) solution. The whole Anaconda logic will not be moved in F28 to modules at once, instead small parts will be moved to the DBUS modules incrementally. This process will start with simple non-critical parts (e.g. reading, parsing and getting kickstart data for modules) and progressively move to more complicated and critical parts (e.g. running installation tasks like package installation), while making sure the installation keeps working as expected.

Benefit to Fedora

• Anaconda addons have stable API to work with.
• Users can create their own UI or even UI less installation.
• Enables running the UI as a non-root user (a requirement for running Anaconda GUI natively on Wayland in the future).
• Anaconda modules can be enabled and disabled or even not present in the installation environment.
• Better test-ability of Anaconda.

Scope

• Proposal owners:
  • Split Anaconda to modules with DBus API.
  • Old UI must be modified to use new DBus API.

• Other developers:
  • Thanks to the nature of how addons work right now, we need a cooperation from the Anaconda addon developers.

• Release engineering: #7240
  • List of deliverables: N/A

• Policies and guidelines:
  • No change should be required

• Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)

Upgrade/compatibility impact

This change should be backward compatible. No user intervention will be required.

How To Test

Testing should stay the same for Fedora QA. Existing tests should be working all the time.

User Experience

User experience should be consistent with the older releases.

Dependencies

Only addon packages may require some changes in their code.

Contingency Plan

• Contingency mechanism:
  • New rawhide fallback branch will be created on the day of switching first component to the new DBus modular solution.
  • All critical patches (blockers, freeze exceptions...) will be backported to this fallback branch.
  • This special branch can be used if contingency plan is needed.

• Contingency deadline: A week before final freeze
• Blocks release? No

Documentation

https://rhinstaller.wordpress.com/2017/10/09/anaconda-modularisation/

Most of the articles here: https://rhinstaller.wordpress.com

Release Notes

TODO