Topic: Software Installer

[uniqsys]

Hi All,

I would like to increase my knowledge of the software installer on the Configuration Panel in Server Manager in order to enhance the Admin Manual, and for my own use.  I think that part of the documentation is a bit weak^* and needs to be enhanced for other people like me.  Therefore, could some knowledgeable people answer these questions please?

1.) When "manage individual packages" is enabled, quite an extensive list of packages comes up in the panel list.  None have any explanation as to their purpose and some are GUI.  Why would GUI packages be listed if SME as a server is not to have a GUI desktop style server interface?  Could adding these mess things up? My guess is yes. If so, why do we offer them?  For instance, why would one want to install Open Office on an SME server?  Could there be more of an explanation of what each is intended for or is it just too labor intensive to do that?

2.) I noticed that the contribs rpms are NOT listed in this panel and intuitively I would expect them to be because of the instruction "You can install additional software..." Also, so that people can install them and update them easily without a lot of configuration.  Would it be a good idea to include them?  If not, what direction should the manual give to users? Something like, "To install contribs see each individual contrib HOW TO."  Should we give thought to streamlining the way contribs are installed?  Thinking about this, I guess you could almost say it might be good to have a "contribs installer" panel like the "software installer" panel, but that may be too much additional work. I think we could use the software installer panel to do both just as easily.

3.) If anyone can think of other things that should be included in the manual on this topic, let me know.  I am willing to enhance this part of the Doc. Since I can't code, it is at least a little that I can do.

Thanks! 

PS Could someone let me know how to get those screen shots of server manager panels?  It would help a lot. I use Firefox on a SuSe 10 desktop. Thanks


* This is all the Admin Doc has to say about the Software Installer panel:

Chapter 13. Configuration
Software Installer Panel

The Software installer Panel allows you to configure and install updates to SME Server. You can install additional software from enabled repositories by setting 'Manage individual packages' to enabled.

[uniqsys]

Can't anyone help out here? 

[stephen noble]

There is more here about restricting which rpms are shown
http://wiki.contribs.org/AddingSoftware

Another method to yum install here
http://www.dungog.net/wiki/Install#Install
http://www.dungog.net/wiki/Smeserver-updates

to show contribs you have to have the repo enabled
repos by contrib aurthors may be OK
 apt dag and others with updated kernels are not

there are also bugs open to improve the display
ie to not show older rpms (only newer)

grab screen shots and edit with gimp

[mmccarn]

I started a response to you a couple days ago... then forgot to 'post' it...

manage individual packages
=====================
Formerly (pre SME 7.1.1), the default yum configuration only included the 3 production SME repositories. 
When using the software installer to manage individual packages, you would only see the packages that had been uploaded to the SME repositories.

With the release of SME 7.1 (or 7.1.1?) the developers decided to let unmodified base packages update from the CentOS repositories.  Doing this required that the appropriate centos repositories be enabled by default.

Once the CentOS repositories are enabled, the Software Installer offers to let you install anything from those repositores in addition to the packages on the SME repos.

contribs not listed
==============
There is an as-yet-unrealized plan to have officially approved contribs maintained in a repository that is available to all users using the Software Installer.  The post that I vaguely remember reading on this wanted a contrib to be reviewed by the developers for compatibility and security before inclusion.

Note: I could be wrong about this!

other notes for the wiki
==================
If  you are going to edit the wiki, try to find a way to help admins realize the potential security implications of installing software they don't understand using the software installer...  The SME basic package set is carefully designed to provide the best security available in a system that is at the same time easy to use.  *Any* package added by an unwary admin could inadvertently compromise your server security.

screen shots
===========
In Windoze you can do 'Alt-PrntScrn' to place the current window on the system clipboard as a graphic image - then just paste it into another app and you're all set.

On a Mac you press Ctrl-4 (or Ctrl-F4?), then highlight an area of the screen to create a picture of the highlighted area in a file on the user's desktop.

I found several hits on Google under 'suse print screen' - one says to use 'Alt PrintScreen' like Windows; another says 'Ctrl-Printscreen', and another says to use a command line tool to do it...

[uniqsys]

Thanks for the information.  I hope the plan for a contribs repo pans out.  This information helps a lot. Now I can get started on the Wiki with some real knowledge.

[stephen noble]

The rule of thumb I adopt is shell access commands don't go in the admin manual
they become howto's

admin is only for /server-manager usage

so in this case in the manual you may reference the howto that describes the db command tweaking