MPU Meeting Wednesday 8th July 2020

Ubuntu Focal Port of LCFG Platform

aptly code

Stephen has finished the aptly code for local repository management. Next: the documentation.

About the local repositories

There are two repositories. The main local repository houses the inf, uoe and world buckets; while packages submitted to the other repository, devel, can be used immediately. The idea is to submit test packages to devel for testing, then submit a finished version to the final destination repository. Packages in the devel repository can only be installed by machines which are on the develop release. Everything is currently on nessie but next week it will all be moved to the main packages server deneb. (SL6 packages have been cleared out to make room.) The repositories will be copied by IS using rsync then made available by them to other Schools. Access to our repositories is strictly controlled. Next: we'll need copies of the repositories on our disaster recovery server, along with suitable macros which could be used in an emergency.

apt configuration

This has been moved to the LCFG level. (This was dependent on the local repository management being sorted out.) apt will be configured in fully managed mode. This means that it will delete any packages which have not been specified in the machine's LCFG configuration! It's possible to exclude packages to block them from being installed. It's also possible to set priorities on repositories, so that for instance packages in the devel repository can get a lower priority. (This means that you can submit identical versions of packages to devel and to the final production repository without causing chaos.)

bashdefenv

it's now active! Most local configuration is there.

SL to Ubuntu cheat sheet

Chris made this. It's at SLToUbuntuCheatSheet.

User Security Training Materials

Temporarily on hold to make way for Ubuntu work.

SL7.8

This goes to the develop release on Tuesday.

Alastair is going to try out VirtualBox on SL 7.8.

Misc Development

Operational

OpenAFS 1.8.6

this is now the default version in the develop release. Install it by rebooting the machine.

VM charging

so far Chris has found that setting VM charges at about half of the IS virtual hosting charges ought to raise enough to pay for running costs and replacement costs of the KVM servers. Spreadsheet on request.

XRDP on IS

Alastair is going to try setting up one of our XRDP servers as a VM on the IS's virtual hosting service.

James XRDP machines

Chris is going to reduce the number of James machines used for XRDP.