Hello,

A word about 1.38.0:
Release 1.38.0 is evolving much as prior releases, that is to say, once people 
started to use it, we received a number of bug reports, some rather 
important. All the critical, serious, and important bugs have been fixed and 
if you want a copy, you can pull it from the Bacula CVS using branch 
Branch-1_38_0.   If all continues normally, I'll release a version 1.38.1 
this weekend which will contain fixes for all the currently known bugs.

Concerning future development of Bacula:
As I noted in the 1.38 ReleaseNotes, version 1.38 was different from prior 
versions because it had a lot more contributions. I expect that this trend 
will continue. As a consequence, I am going to modify how I normally do 
development, and instead of making a list of all the features that I will 
implement in the next version, I will personally sign up for one (maybe two) 
projects at a time, and when they are complete, I will release a new version. 

The difference is that I will have more time to review the new code that is 
being contributed, and will be able to devote more time to a smaller number 
of projects (1.38 had too many new features for me to handle correctly). 

I expect that future release schedules will be much the same, and the number 
of new features will also be much the same providing that the contributions 
continue to come -- and they show no signs of let up :-)

Feature requests -- RFCs:
In addition, I would like to "formalize" the feature requests (RFC) a bit.  
Instead of me maintaining an informal list of everything I run into 
(kernstodo), I would like to maintain a "formal" list of projects.  This 
means that all new feature requests, including those recently discussed on 
the email lists, must be formally submitted and approved. 

Formal submission of feature requests will take two forms: 1. non-mandatory, 
but highly recommended is to discuss proposed new features on the mailing 
list.  2. Formal submission of an RFC in a special format. I'll give an 
example of this below, but you can also find it on the web site under 
"Support -> Feature Requests".  Since it takes a bit of time to properly fill 
out a RFC form, you probably should check on the email list first.  

Once I receive the RFC, I will either accept it, send it back asking for 
clarification, send it to the email list asking for opinions, or reject it.

If it is accepted, it will go in the "projects" file (a simple ASCII file) 
maintained in the main Bacula source directory.

Implementation of RFCs:
Any qualified developer can sign up for a project. The project must have an 
entry in the projects file, and the developer's name will appear in the 
Status field.  

How RFCs are accepted:
Acceptance of RFCs depends on several things: 1. feedback from users. If it is 
negative, the RFC will probably not be accepted. 2. the difficulty of the 
project. A project that is so difficult that I cannot imagine finding someone 
to implement probably won't be accepted. 3. whether or not the RFC fits 
within the current stategy of Bacula (for example an RFC that requests 
changing the tape to tar format would not be accepted, ...)

How RFCs are prioritized:
Once an RFC is accepted, it needs to be implemented. If you can find a 
developer for it, or one signs up for implementing it, then the RFC becomes 
top priority (at least for that developer). 

Between releases of Bacula, I will generally solicit RFC input for the next 
version, and by way of this email, I suggest that you send discuss and send 
in your RFCs for the next release. Please verify that the RFC is not in the 
current list (attached to this email).

Once users have had several weeks to submit RFCs, I will organize them, and 
request users to vote on them. This will allow fixing prioritizing the RFCs.  
Having a priority is one thing, but getting it implement is another thing -- 
I am hoping that the Bacula community will take more responsibility for 
assuring the implementation of accepted RFCs.

RFC format:
============= Empty RFC form ===========
Item n:   One line summary ...
  Date:   Date submitted
  Origin: Name and email of originator.
  Status:

  What:   More detailed explanation ...

  Why:    Why it is important ...

  Notes:  Additional notes or features (omit if not used)
============== End RFC form ==============

============= Example Completed  RFC form ===========
Item 1:   Implement a Migration job type that will move the job
          data from one device to another.
  Origin: Sponsored by Riege Sofware International GmbH. Contact:
          Daniel Holtkamp <holtkamp at riege dot com>
  Date:   28 October 2005
  Status: Partially coded in 1.37 -- much more to do. Assigned to
          Kern.

  What:   The ability to copy, move, or archive data that is on a
          device to another device is very important.

  Why:    An ISP might want to backup to disk, but after 30 days
          migrate the data to tape backup and delete it from
          disk.  Bacula should be able to handle this
          automatically.  It needs to know what was put where,
          and when, and what to migrate -- it is a bit like
          retention periods.  Doing so would allow space to be
          freed up for current backups while maintaining older
          data on tape drives.

  Notes:  Migration could be triggered by:
           Number of Jobs
           Number of Volumes
           Age of Jobs
           Highwater size (keep total size)
           Lowwater mark
=================================================

By the end of November, I would like to have all the RFCs for the projects 
file, and have requested users to vote on them. As a consequence, please send 
your RFCs before 21 November, after which we will vote and prioritize 
them ...

This email is already way too long, so I will explain in a subsequent email 
(tomorrow) why I have signed up for project Item 1 -- see the attached 
projects file.

Your comments on this would be welcome -- as well as your RFCs.

-- 
Best regards,

Kern

  (">
  /\
  V_V
                
Projects:
                     Bacula Projects Roadmap 
                       08 November 2005

Below, you will find more information on future projects:

Item 1:   Implement a Migration job type that will move the job
          data from one device to another.
  Origin: Sponsored by Riege Sofware International GmbH. Contact:
          Daniel Holtkamp <holtkamp at riege dot com>
  Date:   28 October 2005
  Status: Partially coded in 1.37 -- much more to do. Assigned to
          Kern.

  What:   The ability to copy, move, or archive data that is on a
          device to another device is very important. 

  Why:    An ISP might want to backup to disk, but after 30 days
          migrate the data to tape backup and delete it from
          disk.  Bacula should be able to handle this
          automatically.  It needs to know what was put where,
          and when, and what to migrate -- it is a bit like
          retention periods.  Doing so would allow space to be
          freed up for current backups while maintaining older
          data on tape drives.

  Notes:  Migration could be triggered by:
           Number of Jobs
           Number of Volumes
           Age of Jobs
           Highwater size (keep total size)
           Lowwater mark

Item 2:   Implement extraction of Win32 BackupWrite data.
  Origin: Thorsten Engel <thorsten.engel at matrix-computer dot com>
  Date:   28 October 2005
  Status: Assigned to Thorsten. Implemented in current CVS

  What:   This provides the Bacula File daemon with code that
          can pick apart the stream output that Microsoft writes
          for BackupWrite data, and thus the data can be read
          and restored on non-Win32 machines.

  Why:    BackupWrite data is the portable=no option in Win32
          FileSets, and in previous Baculas, this data could
          only be extracted using a Win32 FD. With this new code,
          the Windows data can be extracted and restored on
          any OS.


Item 3:   Implement a Bacula GUI/management tool using Python
          and Qt.

  Origin: Kern
  Date:   28 October 2005
  Status: 

  What:   Implement a Bacula console, and management tools
          using Python and Qt.

  Why:    Don't we already have a wxWidgets GUI?  Yes, but
          it is written in C++ and changes to the user interface
          must be hand tailored using C++ code. By developing
          the user interface using Qt designer, the interface
          can be very easily updated and most of the new Python       
          code will be automatically created.  The user interface
          changes become very simple, and only the new features
          must be implement.  In addition, the code will be in
          Python, which will give many more users easy (or easier)
          access to making additions or modifications.

Item 4:   Implement a Python interface to the Bacula catalog.
  Date:   28 October 2005
  Origin: Kern
  Status: 

  What:   Implement an interface for Python scripts to access
          the catalog through Bacula.

  Why:    This will permit users to customize Bacula through
          Python scripts.

Item 5:   Implement more Python events in Bacula.
  Date:   28 October 2005
  Origin: 
  Status: 

  What:   Allow Python scripts to be called at more places 
          within Bacula and provide additional access to Bacula
          internal variables.

  Why:    This will permit users to customize Bacula through
          Python scripts.

  Notes:  Recycle event
          Scratch pool event
          NeedVolume event


Item 6:   Implement Base jobs.
  Date:   28 October 2005
  Origin: Kern
  Status: 
  
  What:   A base job is sort of like a Full save except that you 
          will want the FileSet to contain only files that are
          unlikely to change in the future (i.e.  a snapshot of
          most of your system after installing it).  After the
          base job has been run, when you are doing a Full save,
          you specify one or more Base jobs to be used.  All
          files that have been backed up in the Base job/jobs but
          not modified will then be excluded from the backup.
          During a restore, the Base jobs will be automatically
          pulled in where necessary.

  Why:    This is something none of the competition does, as far as
          we know (except perhpas BackupPC, which is a Perl program that
          saves to disk only).  It is big win for the user, it
          makes Bacula stand out as offering a unique
          optimization that immediately saves time and money.
          Basically, imagine that you have 100 nearly identical
          Windows or Linux machine containing the OS and user
          files.  Now for the OS part, a Base job will be backed
          up once, and rather than making 100 copies of the OS,
          there will be only one.  If one or more of the systems
          have some files updated, no problem, they will be
          automatically restored.

  Notes:  Huge savings in tape usage even for a single machine.
          Will require more resources because the DIR must send
          FD a list of files/attribs, and the FD must search the
          list and compare it for each file to be saved.

Item 7:   Add Plug-ins to the FileSet Include statements.
  Date:   28 October 2005
  Origin:
  Status: Partially coded in 1.37 -- much more to do.

  What:   Allow users to specify wild-card and/or regular
          expressions to be matched in both the Include and
          Exclude directives in a FileSet.  At the same time,
          allow users to define plug-ins to be called (based on
          regular expression/wild-card matching).

  Why:    This would give the users the ultimate ability to control
          how files are backed up/restored.  A user could write a
          plug-in knows how to backup his Oracle database without
          stopping/starting it, for example.

Item 8:   Implement huge exclude list support using hashing.
  Date:   28 October 2005
  Origin: Kern
  Status: 

  What:   Allow users to specify very large exclude list (currently
          more than about 1000 files is too many).

  Why:    This would give the users the ability to exclude all
          files that are loaded with the OS (e.g. using rpms
          or debs). If the user can restore the base OS from
          CDs, there is no need to backup all those files. A
          complete restore would be to restore the base OS, then
          do a Bacula restore. By excluding the base OS files, the
          backup set will be *much* smaller.


Item  9:  Implement data encryption (as opposed to communications
          encryption)
  Date:   28 October 2005
  Origin: Sponsored by Landon and 13 contributors to EFF.
  Status: Landon Fuller is currently implementing this.
                  
  What:   Currently the data that is stored on the Volume is not
          encrypted. For confidentiality, encryption of data at
          the File daemon level is essential. 
          Data encryption encrypts the data in the File daemon and
          decrypts the data in the File daemon during a restore.

  Why:    Large sites require this.

Item 10:  Permit multiple Media Types in an Autochanger
  Origin: 
  Status: 

  What:   Modify the Storage daemon so that multiple Media Types
          can be specified in an autochanger. This would be somewhat
          of a simplistic implementation in that each drive would
          still be allowed to have only one Media Type.  However,
          the Storage daemon will ensure that only a drive with
          the Media Type that matches what the Director specifies
          is chosen.

  Why:    This will permit user with several different drive types
          to make full use of their autochangers.

Item 11:  Allow two different autochanger definitions that refer
          to the same autochanger.
  Date:   28 October 2005
  Origin: Kern
  Status: 

  What:   Currently, the autochanger script is locked based on
          the autochanger. That is, if multiple drives are being
          simultaneously used, the Storage daemon ensures that only
          one drive at a time can access the mtx-changer script.
          This change would base the locking on the control device,
          rather than the autochanger. It would then permit two autochanger
          definitions for the same autochanger, but with different 
          drives. Logically, the autochanger could then be "partitioned"
          for different jobs, clients, or class of jobs, and if the locking
          is based on the control device (e.g. /dev/sg0) the mtx-changer
          script will be locked appropriately.

  Why:    This will permit users to partition autochangers for specific
          use. It would also permit implementation of multiple Media
          Types with no changes to the Storage daemon.

Item 12:  Implement red/black binary tree routines.
  Date:   28 October 2005
  Origin: Kern
  Status: 

  What:   Implement a red/black binary tree class. This could 
          then replace the current binary insert/search routines
          used in the restore in memory tree.  This could significantly
          speed up the creation of the in memory restore tree.

  Why:    Performance enhancement.




============= Empty RFC form ===========
Item n:   One line summary ...
  Date:   Date submitted 
  Origin: Name and email of originator.
  Status: 

  What:   More detailed explanation ...

  Why:    Why it is important ...

  Notes:  Additional notes or features (omit if not used)
============== End RFC form ==============


Items completed for release 1.38.0:
#4   Embedded Python Scripting (implemented in all Daemons)
#5   Events that call a Python program (Implemented in all
       daemons, but more cleanup work to be done).
#6   Select one from among Multiple Storage Devices for Job.
       This is already implemented in 1.37.
#7   Single Job Writing to Multiple Storage Devices. This is
       currently implemented with a Clone feature.
#-   Full multiple drive Autochanger support (done in 1.37)
#-   Built in support for communications encryption (TLS) 
       done by Landon Fuller.
#    Support for Unicode characters
       (via UTF-8) on Win32 machines thanks to Thorsten Engel.
Item  8:  Break the one-to-one Relationship between a Job and a
          Specific Storage Device (or Devices if #10 is implemented).

Completed items from last year's list:
Item 1:   Multiple simultaneous Jobs. (done)
Item 3:   Write the bscan program -- also write a bcopy program (done).
Item 5:   Implement Label templates (done).
Item 6:   Write a regression script (done)
Item 9:   Add SSL to daemon communications (done by Landon Fuller)
Item 10:  Define definitive tape format (done)
Item 3:   GUI for interactive restore. Partially Implemented in 1.34
          Note, there is now a complete Webmin plugin, a partial
          GNOME console, and an excellent wx-console GUI.
Item 4:   GUI for interactive backup
Item 2:   Job Data Spooling.
    Done: Regular expression matching.
Item 10:  New daemon communication protocol (this has been dropped).

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