SOLVED sub version number really gone, how do you keep the overview with your freenas boxes?

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zambanini

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hello everybody!

we run a bunch of freenas boxes for backup space on different locations.
with 9.2 it was easy to know the release version and the problems each release had (well from 9.2.0 to 9.2.8). the problems with each bug fix release where ok. we tested each release, waited a couple of days to see what problems other users had and if everything was ok, we start deploying the new release to each box. this strategy worked quit well. yes, we were looking forward to purchase truenas, but since you have to buy the hw with it, shipping and everything else to europe does not make any sense.

with 9.3 and lets call it rolling releases (the hotfix and update function), this will not work anymore.

looking through redmine (bugs.freenas.org), hope that a bug fix does not effect other things and enough people test the new patch/update, taking care every box has the same release/version on it and be sure to know the known issue with each build numer...is hardly possible right now.


Do not get me wrong. I really love FreeNAS, I recommended it to other companies, freelancers and friends. It is really great project.

Right now it looks to me, that the new release system, as I understand it, makes things much more complicated related to maintenance.
 

DrKK

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I think the solution is obvious! Time for ixSystems Europe LLC, headquartered somewhere in Lower Saxony. Marbus and FlyingPersian and the Slovakian guy (forgot his name) will be in charge.
 

marbus90

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Did you really witness 8 different bugs, all fixed in different versions? Unless yes, my proposal would be to use only one tested version everywhere and only update due to security or functional issues.
 
J

jkh

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Hi folks!

The train-based updated model is definitely more powerful but also comes with its own challenges in figuring how what is where. There are three queries at bugs.freenas.org that will help, however:

  1. https://bugs.freenas.org/projects/freenas/issues?query_id=105 - SU Candidate. These are the bugs we're currently looking at for a future SU (though this list is admittedly fluid - bugs may depart this list based on our judgement, just as bugs can enter this list at any time).
  2. https://bugs.freenas.org/projects/freenas/issues?query_id=107 - Staged for Next SU. These are the bugs that will definitely be in the next SU. More useful.
  3. https://bugs.freenas.org/projects/freenas/issues?query_id=106 - Fixed in SU. These bugs have already been fixed and rolled into an SU.
Now, I will readily grant that while this is a start, it's still not a good way of differentiating one SU from another. We are, I'm afraid, going to have to get into the business of naming our SUs and folding everything you see above into a more milestone-centric model. Maybe we'll use numbers or maybe we'll use names (plus the dates we already use), not sure yet.
 

cyberjock

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Just make the first SU 9.3A, second one 9.3B, third 9.3C. ;)

Or we could just expect that when you say 9.3 you provide the build date.
 

depasseg

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My build numbers include the version. What's the problem? Perhaps some hyphens in the Date code would make it more readable, but at least the info is there.

Here's one that I just got updated today: FreeNAS-9.3-STABLE-201412142326
Here's one that was last updated last week: FreeNAS-9.3-STABLE-201412091831
 

zambanini

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First time that cyberbjock does not kill me

Depasseg, I guess you do not understand the problem ; )
 

depasseg

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It was hard to tell what your problem was. It sounded like the problems was not being able to keep track of version numbers (now that there are rolling updates). And I pointed out that the rolling updates also have version numbers.

 

depasseg

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zambanini

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depasseg you did not get it. Maybe you just want to increase your post count. Jkh and cyberbjock understand the problem, that is enough
 

depasseg

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yep that's it. not trying to help.
 

cyberjock

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Ericloewe

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A, B, C, D, ... sounds ok for a limited number of releases between major versions. For greater amounts, a patch tuesday-like thing with the releases being known by their month (or a variation on this) might make more sense.
 
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jkh

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Geez! You guys are making me progressively less and less motivated to change anything here. :)

Just to be clear, it is entirely possible to debug problems using the current scheme. You have the date (in GMT format) the build was created. You have a tag in all of the relevant git repos with 9.3-STABLE-<datestamp>. You have plenty of canned bug queries to let you know which bugs have been fixed, which are pending a fix, and which are simply "pending for the future". Changing the naming scheme to follow dangerous viral diseases like 9.3-DENGUE, 9.3-EBOLA, 9.3-HEPATITIS and so on will not change that in the slightest. Even an A, B, C, D and so on numbering scheme would actually be LESS informative than the current date-based scheme, since there is no correlation between a letter and anything else.
 

rogerh

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Is there any simple way to downgrade? If you use the manual update full .tgz file will it work safely over a later version? (Assuming of course you have joined in after the first release and have no snapshots of previous updates. My understanding is that the 9.3 download link points to the current fully updated version.)
 
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jkh

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You can "downgrade" simply by booting an earlier boot environment. Please read the documentation. Thanks.
 

Ericloewe

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Is there any simple way to downgrade? If you use the manual update full .tgz file will it work safely over a later version? (Assuming of course you have joined in after the first release and have no snapshots of previous updates. My understanding is that the 9.3 download link points to the current fully updated version.)

If it was previously installed, rolling back to an old version should be as simple as choosing it from the list of boot snapshots.

Other than that, basic 9.3 should still be available.

Edit: D'oh. Leapfrogged.
 

depasseg

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Agree that the traceability is there from bugs to releases. And that's why I keep posting the same thing over and over until it sinks in (or my post count breaks 1000).

Maybe the issue is that for a new install, what you can't do is pick a version that you want to upgrade to. It's either whatever version of ISO you might have on hand or update to the latest. You can't pick the equivalent of 9.3-DENGUE set of updates, right? IOW, On a new install someone couldn't say "I want to upgrade to the release -201412091225", if that wasn't the latest release.
 

rogerh

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Yes I realise you can downgrade if you have the earlier version. But if I go and install today's, and I want one from 10/12/14, then I should down load the original release and upgrade from that?
 
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