OSCAR meta-package system

The deployment and management of software is an ongoing challenge for cluster systems administrators. The Open Source Cluster Application Resources (OSCAR) toolkit is designed to assist both novice and experienced administrators with cluster administration. The toolkit includes a meta-packaging system to help with cluster software distribution and installation. These meta-packages are called OSCAR packages. An OSCAR package may include binary software packages (e.g., RPMS) as well as a stock configuration, tests and documentation. This encapsulation enables OSCAR to better manage cluster software and allows users to select which pieces they would like to use. The modularity of the OSCAR packages has enabled the project to start new "spin off" projects that leverage the base toolkit and extend the functionality by adding new packages. As OSCAR has matured, new Linux distributions and cluster applications have been introduced. The extensibility of OSCAR via this modular meta-packaging system has been a major asset. However, certain limitations do exist. Since, a large part of the project\´s success is dependent upon contributions by others, the quality of this packaging system is of paramount importance to OSCAR. This paper provides a brief survey of the current v4.0 OSCAR meta-packaging system and then outlines some of the proposed enhancements that are currently on the project\´s road-map.