Software update

Licensed: FSF Free/Libre & OSI approved

The Rockstor package code, as distributed, is developed under two main repositories:

Making the package license, as per the Fedora Project Wiki (Packaging:LicensingGuidelines):

  • “GPL-3.0-or-later AND (MIT AND Apache-2.0 AND GPL-3.0-or-later AND LGPL-3.0-or-later AND ISC)”

See the SPDX License List for details on the above assertions.

As such, the ‘rockstor’ package is fully Open Source; there is no contributor agreement, and everyone is encouraged to help in whatever way they can. It is very much developed in the open with key decisions made by the community and their interaction with Rockstor contributors and maintainers. See: About Us. This flow of ideas and open development is held as a founding principal and is instantiated in the Rockstor forum and within the code issues currently on GitHub.

In 2023 The Rockstor Project became a non-profit fiscally hosted by Open Source Europe (OSE) with the aim to establish sustainable Open Source project development and maintenance. Sustaining the required resources necessary; human included.

Released in 2013, around 2 years later the sustainable nature was approached, and redressed on our community forum. The consensus was to adopt a two-tiered updates model; Testing and Stable. Around 11 years later, during the 5.5.*-* testing phase, an addition third tier was added: Edge. And we re-adopted our original donations-only model from our earliest years. We hope that folks now understand non-profit endeavours like ours depend on fiscal support to survive.

Note

As from Rockstor version 5.5.1-* testing, and 5.6.0-0 stable, activating Stable Channel updates no longer requires a subscription to our non-profit Open Collective. Do keep in mind that we are still trying for sustainability. So do consider donating as every little helps. And little and often is good.

../../_images/update_channel_options.png

The ‘rockstor’ package Update Tiers.

Edge Channel

Note

Untested - Edge updates are definitely not intended for production use.

Edge tier updates are intended primarily for developers, i.e. those who wish to actively test and develop Rockstor, and who are entirely happy on the developmental edge. We have around three hundred unit tests that every ‘rockstor’ package passes prior to its release, but ultimately any production system needs wider field testing, which is why packages in Edge, if found to be basically functional, are promoted to the Testing Channel for far wider community testing, evaluation, and feedback.

As a transient scratch-pad for pre-testing channel packages, the associated repo will be aggressively pruned. Do not depend on any specific pkg version persisting within the Rockstor-Edge repo.

No charge

../../_images/activate_edge_channel.png

In Web-UI info/confirmation dialog.

Testing Channel

Note

In testing - Be advised that production use of Testing updates is discouraged.

All reasonable efforts are made to avoid obvious breakage in this channel. But ultimately the Testing channel is intended to find problems by way of community field-testing and reporting. Collaboration may involve partially implemented features of an experiment nature, likely published to Edge first, with the intention to provide a feature/fix testing platform that we can gradually stabilise before then releasing to the curated Stable Channel. I.e. we cyclically restart testing phases to periodically release end phase testing package to the Stable channel.

Participation in the Edge & Testing channels along with considered bug, code, or documentation contributions is the heart of Rockstor development. Note: patience and understanding can only benefit all those involved.

There is no better testing alternative than thousands of willing folk putting a proposed product to real-world use, and actively involving themselves in finding and/or fixing/reporting for the greater good. It’s the classic Bazaar model described in CatB.

No charge

../../_images/activate_testing_channel.png

In Web-UI info/confirmation dialog.

Stable Channel

Note

Tested - Stable updates are intended for Production use.

Here there is the reassurance that updates have been field tested first in the Testing channel. The Stable channel will receive the highest attention with regard to bug fixes, whereas the Edge & Testing channels are focused on developing those fixes ready for production. Attention is also paid to avoiding regressions from one Stable update to the next.

The Stable channel’s activation has an associated request to donate via our non-profit Open Collective. If you would like for this project to persist, consider the request as presents. See also the qualifying 3rd party Paid Support endeavour.

Note

A donation to our Open Collective non-profit is requested, but not required. Our sustainability depends on donations.

../../_images/activate_stable_channel.png

In Web-UI info/confirmation dialog.

Auto Updates

Rockstor’s current Web-UI does not include auto updates configuration. Although such a facility is planned. Pull requests, as always, are welcome; see: Contributing to Rockstor - Overview.

In the interim the well proven YaST2 can server this purpose. See Automatic online update. A minimum (60 MB) console only YaST2 can be installed via:

zypper install --no-recommends yast2-online-update-configuration

and the resulting online update module invoked there-after via:

yast2 online_update_configuration
../../_images/enable_auto_updates.png

The above shows the default settings once Automatic Online Update is selected (Alt+m). Use the onscreen instructions to make any required changes.

When enabled, all qualifying updates are auto installed at the chosen interval. This is only recommended when on the Stable Channel. The Testing Channel and Edge Channel, due to their developmental nature, are likely to break.

N.B. Rockstor is not necessarily compatible with other YaST modules. Although again, pull requests are welcome in this regard.