[tor-dev] We need a new RPM maintainer

[Nick Mathewson]

Hi, all!

Ondrej Mikle, who has built our RPMs for a while, is no longer able to
do so. (He isn't using RPM distros any more, doesn't have as much free
time, and etc.)

First: Thanks, Ondrej, for all your hard work!

Here's the instructions he sent on how to do it (quoted with permission):
{{{
Basically every part of the process is documented here:

  https://gitweb.torproject.org/user/hiviah/rpm-build-scripts.git/tree/README

It's maybe not the best README, because the actual merge-and-build
part is in the middle (but I always use it, otherwise I'd just forget
all the necessary steps). Nevertheless, the introduction maybe
necessary for someone not familiar with the process.

The process in the short is:

0. have the environment ready (has to be done just once)
1. clone my own RPM fork which has RPM changes
(https://gitweb.torproject.org/user/hiviah/rpm-tor.git)
2. Merge and build according to "MERGING REPO USED FOR RPM BUILDING FROM ORIGIN"
3. Download, review, sign the built RPMs (I used feddei.tpo VM for
this, but you can have your own VM as I had last time since feddei.tpo
was down)
4. upload to palmeri.tpo
5. distribute to everyone else via "static-update-component
deb.torproject.org" on palmeri.tpo

I could walk somebody through this, as I said, this is not rocket
surgery, mostly attention to detail :)

If there ever was a critical need for a special build due to some
unforseen bug, I could still do it, but this is for exceptional case
only.
}}}

The easiest way for RPMs to happen would be if somebody who already
has a Tor LDAP account wants to step forward and volunteer for a
while. It would be harder if this were somebody that we didn't know
who volunteered: until our RPM process creates reproducible builds, we
need to have some amount of trust in the person who creates them.

There may be other issues here too.  I am no packaging expert. :)

best wishes,
-- 
Nick Mathewson