propellor spin

debian/changelog

@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 propellor (0.9.3) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
 
+  * propellor --spin can now be used to update remote hosts, without
+    any central git repository being used. The git repository is updated
+    over propellor's ssh connection to the remote host. The central
+    git repository is still useful for running propellor from cron,
+    but this simplifies getting started with propellor.
+  * The git repo url, if any, is updated whenever propellor --spin is used.
   * Added prosody module, contributed by Félix Sipma.
   * Can be used to configure tor hidden services. Thanks, Félix Sipma.
   * When multiple gpg keys are added, ensure that the privdata file
@@ -9,9 +15,6 @@ propellor (0.9.3) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
     kernel when necessary.
   * Avoid outputting color setting sequences when not run on a terminal.
   * Run remote propellor --spin with a controlling terminal.
-  * The git repo url is updated whenever propellor --spin is used,
-    and a central git repo does not need to be set up before using --spin
-    for the first time.
 
  -- Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>  Mon, 10 Nov 2014 11:15:27 -0400
 

doc/README.mdwn

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ see [configuration for the Haskell newbie](https://propellor.branchable.com/hask
 
 ## quick start
 
-1. Get propellor installed
+1. Get propellor installed on your laptop.
      `cabal install propellor`
           or
      `apt-get install propellor`
@@ -44,25 +44,46 @@ see [configuration for the Haskell newbie](https://propellor.branchable.com/hask
 3. If you don't have a gpg private key already, generate one: `gpg --gen-key`
 4. Run: `propellor --add-key $KEYID`, which will make propellor trust
    your gpg key, and will sign your `~/.propellor` repository using it.
-5. Push the git repository to a central server (github or your own):
-   `cd ~/.propellor/; git remote add origin ssh://git.example.com/propellor.git; git push -u origin master`
-6. Edit `~/.propellor/config.hs`, and add a host you want to manage.
+5. Edit `~/.propellor/config.hs`, and add a host you want to manage.
    You can start by not adding any properties, or only a few.
-7. Pick a host and run: `propellor --spin $HOST`
-8. Now you have a simple propellor deployment, but it doesn't do
+6. Pick a host and run: `propellor --spin $HOST`
+7. Now you have a simple propellor deployment, but it doesn't do
    much to the host yet, besides installing propellor.
 
    So, edit `~/.propellor/config.hs` to configure the host (maybe
-   start with a few simple properties), and re-run step 7.
+   start with a few simple properties), and re-run step 6.
    Repeat until happy and move on to the next host. :)
-9. To move beyond manually running `propellor --spin` against hosts
-   when you change their properties, add a property to your hosts
-   like: `Cron.runPropellor "30 * * * *"`
-   
+8. Write some neat new properties and send patches!
+
+## adding a central git repository
+
+The above quick start uses propellor without any central git repository.
+Instead, the git repo on a host gets updated from the repo on your laptop
+whenever you run `propellor --spin $HOST`.
+
+A central git repository allows hosts to run propellor from cron and pick
+up any updates you may have pushed. This is useful when managing several
+hosts with propellor.
+
+You can add a central git repository to your existing propellor setup easily:
+
+1. Push propellor's git repository to a central server (github or your own):
+   `cd ~/.propellor/; git remote add origin ssh://git.example.com/propellor.git; git push -u origin master`
+
+2. Configure the url your hosts should use for the git repisitory, if
+   it differs from the url above, by setting up a remote named "deploy":
+   `cd ~/.propellor/; git remote add deploy git://git.example.com/propellor.git`
+
+2. Add a property to your hosts like:
+   `Cron.runPropellor "30 * * * *"`
+
+3. Let your hosts know about the changed configuration (including the url
+   to the central repository), by running `proellor --spin $HOST` for each
+   of your hosts.
+
    Now they'll automatically update every 30 minutes, and you can
    `git commit -S` and `git push` changes that affect any number of
    hosts.
-10. Write some neat new properties and send patches!
 
 ## debugging
 

src/Propellor/CmdLine.hs

@@ -315,10 +315,8 @@ boot = do
 		hout <- dup stdOutput
 		hClose stdin
 		hClose stdout
-		unlessM (boolSystem "git" [Param "fetch", Param "--progress", Param "--upload-pack", Param $ "./propellor --gitpush " ++ show hin ++ " " ++ show hout, Param "."]) $
-			errorMessage "git fetch from client failed"
-		unlessM (boolSystem "git" [Param "merge", Param "--quiet", Param "FETCH_HEAD"]) $
-			errorMessage "git merge failed"
+		unlessM (boolSystem "git" [Param "pull", Param "--progress", Param "--upload-pack", Param $ "./propellor --gitpush " ++ show hin ++ " " ++ show hout, Param "."]) $
+			errorMessage "git pull from client failed"
 
 -- Shim for git push over the propellor ssh channel.
 -- Reads from stdin and sends it to hout;