Bug 6546

Local layers can be specified (and are specified by default) for running local builds. Merged into master.

(In reply to comment #1)
> Local layers can be specified (and are specified by default) for running
> local builds. Merged into master.

I don't think this is what David Reyna had in mind when he requested this feature. I think he was more thinking along the lines of "let me import a layer to Toaster by providing a local path and not just a git repo". 

The ability to specify local files right now requires you to edit toasterconf.json. 

David: can you confirm?

Assigned to David to get more details.

The question is: what is the workflow for customers with custom layers, especially those under active development? How do they make them available to the Toaster Managed Build feature?

My original question was pointing out that layers under active development are going to always be in an un-packaged format, in other words not in a git repo, but the Toaster "import layer" interface currently requires all layers to be in a git format. In discussion with Alex and Paul, they pointed out that such layers would be tied to a local machine and thus not accessible to the presumably remote Toaster builders.

So, the ask is now to provide clear instructions on how developers can share their layer directories under active development to the Toaster Import Layer interface. 

This can be instructions in the form of (a) taking snapshots of an active layer directory and converting it into a git tree, (b) making that git repo accessible on the local intranet (is it just a path or does the user have to set up a git server?), and (c) telling the user the exact value to put into the Import Layer page.

Alex also mentioned an alternate workflow where the path can be manually added to the "toaster.conf" filea, with the restriction that the layer must be either be replicated on all hosts or the path must be a common NFS path. This would be interesting to also publish.

- David

I wrote "So, the ask is now to provide clear instructions on how developers can share their layer directories under active development to the Toaster Import Layer interface."

It appears that this is easy to do, and may already be documented.

  $ cd <custom_layer_dir>
  $ git init
  $ git add *

You now have your local layer directory in a form that Toaster can use directly.

Created attachment 2539 [details]
Help text

(In reply to comment #5)
> I wrote "So, the ask is now to provide clear instructions on how developers
> can share their layer directories under active development to the Toaster
> Import Layer interface."
> 
> It appears that this is easy to do, and may already be documented.

I don't think it is. We can do 2 things:

1. Add a section about importing layers to the Toaster manual

2. Change the help text for the "Git repository URL" field in the import layer page to include that you can specify a local path (see attached screenshot)

If everybody is happy with this, I can submit a patch for the help text and open a documentation issue to cover one above.

> 
>   $ cd <custom_layer_dir>
>   $ git init
>   $ git add *
> 
> You now have your local layer directory in a form that Toaster can use
> directly.

This relates to bug 8456, so setting milestone to 2.1 too

This enhancement is probably covered by bug 8456. I will leave it open to make the changes to the help text of the 'Git URL' field shown in the attached document. Will set to resolved once that's done.

Superseded by bug 9911, bug 9912, bug 9913 and bug 9914