General Usage

What it is About?

The gsc tool is to make a link between the OBS (Open Build Service) and Git repository per a package. The Git repository is keeping all the versions of the package source (do not mix with the software component sources!) and is an ultimate source to all packages across the OS releases.

Typically, Open Build System (OBS) is acting like a version control system, but it has a number of limitations for modern development. One of the missing parts gsc is solving where package releases and its sources (do not mix with the installed software sources) can be tracked in a single Git repository.

Git OSC is tracking package versions in a separate branches, assisting with the changelog maintenance per a package version.

How Does it Work

Package, which is going to be linked to the Git repository must have a special file in the package: _git_pkg_repo. That file is normally generated automatically during package linking. It is an XML file with two fields in it:

  1. Package Git repository URL
  2. Name of the release branch (typically release-version, e.g. release-1.2).

If for some reasons you want to create it manually, it looks like so:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<git>
  <url>github.com:johnsmith/my-package</url>
  <branch>release-1.0</branch>
</git>

Understanding the Workflow

The GSC is also encoding a workflow with it, where no more osc or git commands needed to be used directly anymore. For example:

  • Cloning, making changes, committing to the branches at OBS and Git at the same time, keeping in sync everything.
  • Changelog entry is pre-constructed out of Git commits.
  • Submit Requests are done in a separate Git branches and then merged afterwards on SR being accepted.
  • Tracking of all package sources (e.g. random uncovered changes to the .spec file is not possible).
  • Each release has its own Git branch and each package can be bound to a specific branch.
  • “Reflashing” package from the Git source (or importing one from Git source).
  • More…

Currently supported workflow assumes each time package needs to be checked out into a private branch, all modification done there, and from the private branch must be performed submit request for further steps.

It is important to understand that Git repository is a master of all sources of the package, while package in the OBS is just its reflection and can be just deleted/purged permanently, then re-created again from the Git repo.