Guide to Open Source Software for Australian Government Agencies
Appendix C: Open source software packaging
If an agency is considering an in-house sourcing process, it needs to understand a number of complexities and issues involved in open source software packaging.
The process of installing and managing open source software varies greatly. Many of the popular packages are available on multiple computer platforms. The form of installation packaging usually depends on what installation formats are common on those platforms.
For example, versions of popular open source software designed to run on computers running Microsoft Windows are often packaged in a standard Windows installer utility. The software is usually compressed into a ZIP file or self-expanding executable file (EXE). Installation of this type of software is little different to installing traditional proprietary software. Most competent users would have few problems performing the installation.
However, a lot of open source software is available in platform-neutral archives, often in the form of compressed archive files. This is particularly common for applications that are developed as combinations of scripts and script libraries. Examples include many of the web-based applications such as groupware, content management systems and online database interface applications.
Server-based systems generally require the existence of various database, web and application servers prior to installation. They are more complicated to install and configure. Many require direct manipulation of system configuration files during the installation process. Agencies should make sure they have staff who are experienced in the technical configuration and management of software systems before undertaking such deployments.
Most mainstream open source applications are available in software bundles called packages. Packages involve a very different process of deploying and managing software.
For example, packages are very common on Linux and other open source platforms and most software available on the Linux operating systems is available as a package. A Linux distribution may contain between 500 to 5,000 such packages, each designed to deliver specific operating system functions. The whole Linux platform (kernel, libraries, components) and all applications are installed as packages with most packages including only files and modules directly related to that particular piece of software.
Complicating the picture is the fact that any particular package may require the existence of other software packages. This creates a hierarchy of interlinking dependencies where other packages may be required before a particular software package can be installed successfully. In the Linux world, engineers have produced a technical framework to safely and easily manage this complexity, meaning users managing Linux systems need only install the single software package of interest. The technical framework tools determine what other system components are necessary then notify the user about the requirement and wait for acknowledgment before fetching these components from either a local or trusted remote software repositories. The Linux tools then install all the prerequisite packages, along with the main application the user had requested.
Agencies using in-house procurement procedures need to be aware of any additional software components that may need to be introduced onto the agency’s computer systems to complete an OSS solution. Such software components need to be included in risk assessment.
Contact for information on this page: SourceIT@finance.gov.au