----- Original Message -----
From: "Ryan Lane" <rlane32(a)gmail.com>
On Wed, Oct 2, 2013 at 12:48 PM, C. Scott Ananian
<cananian(a)wikimedia.org>wrote;wrote:
> One intermediate position might be for WMF to distribute virtual
> machine images
I'd rather provide cloud-init scripts with
instructions on how to use them.
The cloud init script could pull and run a puppet module, or a salt module,
or etc. etc.. Providing images kind of sucks.
Ok, time for me to throw an oar in the water, as an ops and support guy.
My perception of Brion's use of "officially supported" was, roughly,
"whomever is providing support to these hosting customers has a direct,
*formal* line of communication to the development staff".
The reason you build images, and version the images, is that it provides a
clear solid baseline for people providing such support to know (and,
preferably, be able to put their fingers on) exactly the release you're
running, so they can give you clear and correct answers -- it's not just
going to be the Mediawiki release number that's the issue there.
That's impossible to do reliably if you pull the code down and build it
sui generis on each customer's machine... which is what I understand
Ryan to be suggesting.
It's a little more work to build images, but you're not throwing it
away; you get it back in reduced support costs.
Cheers,
-- jra
--
Jay R. Ashworth Baylink jra(a)baylink.com
Designer The Things I Think RFC 2100
Ashworth & Associates
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