[packagekit] [RFE] Enable packagekit to download updates at leisure and install them during the next reboot

[Richard Hughes]

On 15 June 2010 12:15, Huzaifa Sidhpurwala
<sidhpurwala.huzaifa at gmail.com> wrote:
> I have been using packagekit for some time now and it an amazing piece of
> software. Kudos to everyone working on this.

Blush. :-)

> There is one feature which i think would make updating desktops much more
> easier and safer, that would be
> ability to install software on reboot, so that existing applications are not
> disturbed. So here is my suggestion:

A few people have asked me for related functionality for other
corporate desktop products, so it's probably a good idea we include
something like this upstream rather than let people hack other stuff
on top.

> 1. PackageKit downloads the updates silently in a cache folder. This can be
> toggled on or off by root or
>     users (depending on policykit)

Sure, we can do that now with a tiny bit of code. Adding a bit of code
to PkPackageSack could turn it from a 10 line chunk of code to a 1
line chuck of code, and possibly a good idea.

> 2. On reboot, just before the gdm window, it opens a dialog , asking if the
> user, if he wants to install those updates. If the user
>     agrees the updates are installed , if not optionally it should be able
> to mail the admin of or system that it failed etc.

This would be done pre-gdm-login? Pre-X? Post-authenticate-in-session?

> This basically has many advantages:
> 1. Applications sp ones based on gecko get mangled, when they are updates
> and behave strangely. The best way to update
> then is to close them update and open them, which would mean loosing all
> work.

Right.

> 2. The above enables corporate desktop updates in a more easier and
> controlled way.

Sure, which other people have requested. So, deliverable for this functionality:

* Function added to PkPackageSack to download all packages to a directory
* Path added to the config file for the boot-time-updates
* Command added to pkcon, update-at-next-boot
* Command added to pkcon, install-boot-updates
* A directory path for the cache, /usr/cache/PackageKit/updates (?)

Questions:

1. Do we delete the files in the boot-time cache after they are updated?
2. Do we use GNOME PackageKit to do the integration bits in gdm, or
rely on a pre-X environment in the init?
3. Do we want to install files at boot time also? If so we need some
sort of manifest.

Richard.