dbconfig-common

debian package maintainer tools for managing databases.

this document is licensed under the Academic Free License, Version 2.1

dbconfig-common is an implementation of the "best practices for database applications" draft, which provides debian packagers with an easy, reliable, and consistant method for managing databases used by debian packages.

dbconfig-common can:

support mysql and postgresql based applications
create databases and database users
access local or remote databases
upgrade/modify databases when upstream changes database structure
remove databases and database users
generate config files in many formats with the database info
import configs from packages previously managing databases on their own
prompt users with a set of normalized, pre-translated questions
handle failures gracefully, with an option to retry.
do all the hard work automatically
work for package maintainers with little effort on their part
work for local admins with little effort on their part
comply with an agreed upon set of standards for behaviour
do absolutely nothing if it is the whim of the local admin
perform all operations from within the standard flow of debian package maintenance (no additional skill is required of the local admin)

try it out!

as of mid-july, dbconfig-common has been uploaded to debian's unstable archive. if you're interested in trying it out, go ahead and check out the developers guide, which will teach you how to get your packages working with dbconfig-common. if you'd like to see some basic examples of dbconfig-common in action, check out the sample packages available at the following uris:


	deb http://people.debian.org/~seanius/policy/examples/ ./
	deb-src http://people.debian.org/~seanius/policy/examples/ ./

at these uri's, you can find the following packages:

db-test-mysql: a sample mysql using package.
db-test-pgsql: a sample pgsql using package.
db-test: a sample package supporting multiple formats
db-test-mysql-perl: a sample package using alternative script-based support

furthermore, there are two versions of the db-test packages available in the above location (though apt may only provide you with the later version). the second set of packages (version 2.1) should illustrate the support for upgrading provided by dbconfig-common.

more information

best practices for database application packages in debian. this document should be required reading for developers who want to package applications that use an underlying database.
developers guide for using dbconfig-common with debian packages. this should hopefully make life easier for both the debian packager as well as the local admin. there is both a simple "crash course", and a section for advanced usage.
detailed description of how dbconfig-common works. for the curious/hackers.

help out!

currently, there's a fair amount of work left to be done:

more translators/translations are needed for the templates
developers are needed to volunteer their packages with dbconfig-common
volunteers are needed to test the new packages
support for other database formats would be nice
more scheduled features are listed in /usr/share/doc/dbconfig-common/TODO

if you're interested in helping out, or just want to keep tabs on the state of the project, you are invited to check out the dbconfig-common alioth project page, which is used primarily for the mailing list and cvs repository).