688923 - host development VM image downloads for webdev projects

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(mozilla.org Graveyard :: Webdev, task)

Description

[Robert Helmer [:rhelmer]]

We're using Vagrant to script VM construction for a number of mozilla webdev projects now, which results in a working Virtualbox VM.

Instead of requiring contributors to install manually or run install/run vagrant to bootstrap an environment, we should periodically export VMs and upload them somewhere. Longer-term we can tie this into our CI processes, and automatically export VMs when they produce a build that passes tests.

This bug is just tracking having a place for these to live, which is linked to from the right "Get Involved" documentation. Ideally it would allow rsync as well as HTTP access, but I wouldn't call this a blocker.

CCing lorchard as I think he was interested in driving this, and davedash who mentioned that he wanted to start publishing ASAP.

Comment 1

[Les Orchard [:lorchard]]

What I'm thinking goes a bit further than the hosting itself. But rather than get bugzilla-happy with blocker bugs, here are some next steps off the top of my head:

* Assemble a group of webdev projects (and respective leads) committed to regularly producing VM images.

* Iron out kinks in VM image production for webdev projects. Need a wiki page to expand on this, share lessons learned, etc. (eg. git clone + vagrant up? fully self-contained virtualbox image, produced by vagrant + puppet?)

* Define "regularly" for each project - and schedule it so we keep doing it. By hand - monthly or after each major site push? Nightly via Jenkins? (Even if it's just monthly by hand, it would be cool to get *something* going and improve process later.)

* Commit to eating our own virtualized dogfood during development. (not sure how to goal-ify or measure that.)

* Work with IT to set up public hosting for VM downloads ranging in size from 500MB to 2GB - maybe bigger, depending on what Socorro yields

* Establish a process for project leads to update hosted VM images (ie. file an IT bug, or can we do better than that / annoy IT less?)

* Launch a public web page listing webdev projects, with content inviting contributors to download the latest VM image and instructions for use. (wiki page? moz.org page?)

* Blog about it! (I've got a post percolating in my head, fwiw)

Comment 2

[Les Orchard [:lorchard]]

(In reply to l.m.orchard [:lorchard] from comment #1)

> * Assemble a group of webdev projects (and respective leads) committed to
> regularly producing VM images.
> 
> * Iron out kinks in VM image production for webdev projects. Need a wiki
> page to expand on this, share lessons learned, etc. (eg. git clone + vagrant
> up? fully self-contained virtualbox image, produced by vagrant + puppet?)

Starting to do a brain dump here:
https://wiki.mozilla.org/Webdev:DevBoxVMImages

Comment 3

[Daniel Maher [:phrawzty]]

Old bug is old: is this still a thing, or can we close out?

Comment 4

[Les Orchard [:lorchard]]

Last project I was on that needed to host VM images (MDN) just ended up doing it on Amazon S3. So, I don't think this needs to be a Big Official Project, as long as we can just do that when needed.

As for production & maintenance of images... I think some folks were doing interesting things with spinning up Docker images in Jenkins? There's also Docker Hub, so I think 3rd parties have us covered on this too

TL;DR: This bug can probably go away

Comment 5

[Daniel Maher [:phrawzty]]

(In reply to Les Orchard [:lorchard] from comment #4)
> TL;DR: This bug can probably go away

Agreed. If we want to go the route of Big Official Project we can open a new bug and have a kick-off party with pie and soda.