[ubuntu-cloud] Deprecation of Query2 format

[Ben Howard]

As a a follow-up, we would like any feedback on the query format. Over
the next few weeks the new format will change as we gather feedback from
our users; as such, the new formation announced should not be considered
immutable for the time being. Please expect changes to the format over
the next thirty days as the format is refined.

Thanks,
Ben



On 09/21/2012 05:20 PM, Ben Howard wrote:
> With 12.04 we introduced the Query2 [1], which is a machine readable
> method of consuming information related to the Cloud Images. Users of
> Query2 highlighted that the format producesunnecessarilyverbose
> files,and thuswasnot easily consumed. Subsequently, we came to the
> conclusion that a simplified format is needed in order to better serve
> the needs of our users. In light of these concerns, we will be
> deprecating the existing Query2  structure on 21 November 2012, pending
> [2]. 
>
> The simplified format can be found at [3]. The design principle behind 
> the new Query2 format is to eventually provide a web service, and as
> such, requests for the new format are accessed in an API-like way. Right
> now the naming structure is fairly rigid and hierarchical (see [4] for
> an example). The new Query2 format seeks to solve the deficiencies of
> the old format by removing the static verbosity, and instead is loosely
> structured with only a few required elements. We also standardized the
> differences between the "build" and "ec2" data types, so that that
> parsers for the new code can easily distinguish between response
> types. The latest image or build is now identified by the response, and
> we introduced a "request" section to validate the results and aide in
> debugging. Finally, the new structure will allow for the addition of
> future clouds, discovery of new versions of Ubuntu, and
> self-documentation of API requests. 
>
> The new format describes two principle ideas. The first is a  "cloud"
> which describes the published images; right now only EC2 is supported.
> The second is a "build" which describesthefiles which are downloadable.
> The default behavior of the new format is to give as  little information
> as possiblein orderto reduce parsing complexity. The trade off is that
> you will need to request the right file to get the  information you
> need. For example, [4] is a synonym of [5], as the format makes default
> assumptions*.
>
> Should you have any questions, comments,or concerns please feel free to
> reach out to me directly. 
>
> Thanks,
> Ben Howard
>
> [1]
> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PrecisePangolin/ReleaseNotes/UbuntuServer?action=recall&rev=47
> [2]
> https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/servercloud-r-query2-deprecation
> [3] https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/query2
> [4]
> http://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/query2/data=cloud&distro=precise&arch=amd64&stream=server&instance_type=ebs&region=us-east-1
> [5] https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/query2/data=cloud&distro=precise
>
>
> * Assumptions: Any request missing a request element will be filled in
> using a default. The defaults are "arch" of "amd64" , "stream" of
> "server", "instance_type" of  "ebs", EC2 region of "us-east-1" and
> "release_tag" of "release".
>

-- 


Ben Howard
ben.howard at canonical.com
Canonical
GPG ID 0x5406A866



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