# Build Fedora Workstation live ISO with image builder

# OUTDATED DOCUMENT! The canonical version now lives at https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/FedoraWorkstationImageBuilder !!!

## Summary

Image builder is a set of modern tools for building operating system images. Its goal is to make the builds reliable and reproducible. Moreover, it's designed to give the end users a simple workflow to build their own custom images. The aim of this change is to switch the build tool for Fedora Workstation live ISO from livemedia-creator to image builder.

## Owner
Name: Ondřej Budai
Email: [e-mail]
Name: Jiří Konečný
Email:
Name: Simon de Vlieger
Email: [e-mail]

## Current status

Targeted release: Fedora Linux 39
Last updated: 2023-06-19
[<will be assigned by the Wrangler> devel thread]
FESCo issue: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
Release notes tracker: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>

## Detailed Description
Image builder is currently getting support for building [live ISOs](https://github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer/pull/3440). Once the PR implementing the new image type is merged, [the pungi-fedora confi guration](https://pagure.io/pungi-fedora/blob/8b2c85799cce5c096484cdebe1dbe521eaf7fe92/f/fedora.conf#_530) needs to be updated. This change will ensure that pungi creates an osbuildImage task in koji instead of the currently used livemedia one.

Pungi and Koji already support image builder, so no additional work is required there (refer to the [pungi](https://docs.pagure.org/pungi/configuration.html#osbuild-composer-for-building-images) and [koji](https://github.com/osbuild/koji-osbuild/) documentation). The only missing part in terms of infrastructure is provisioning ppc64le worker machines for image builder, see the relevant [fedora-infra ticket](https://pagure.io/fedora-infrastructure/issue/11243).

Note that image builder is already used for [building ISOs and raw disks of Fedora IoT](https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/IoTArtifactsWithOSBuild). Therefpre, this proposal does not introduce a new tool to the Fedora build pipeline.

## Feedback
## Benefit to Fedora
The maintainer team of image builder believes that the project undergoes more comprehensive testing compared to lorax/livemedia-creator. Thus, by switching to image builder, Fedora should experience fewer issues with the image building pipeline.

Another advantage is the project's emphasis on making image builder more user-friendly. End users can easily build their own customized version of the live ISO using a simple [TOML blueprint file](https://www.osbuild.org/guides/image-builder-on-premises/blueprint-reference.html) and a [CLI interface](https://www.osbuild.org/guides/image-builder-on-premises/building-an-image-from-cli.html). This approach, utilizing well-known file formats, is a positive step compared to livemedia-creator's kickstart files. More information about building customized images can found on [Major Hayden's blog](https://major.io/2022/05/06/build-a-custom-centos-stream-9-cloud-image/) or in [a conference talk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsQySAEOeFs&t=17001s) given by Ondřej Budai, one of the proposal owners. Moreover, image builder provides [a graphical interface](https://github.com/osbuild/cockpit-composer/) for visually defining blueprints, further simplifying the workflow.

We believe that image builder can also be beneficial to the [Respins SIG](https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Respins-SIG) as it nicely aligns with their objective of providing a simple method for building up-to-date, customizable images.

## Scope

Proposal owners: Finishing implementing support for the live ISO upstream and collaborate with release engineering to switch the pungi config to use image builder.

Other developers:

Our focus for this change is specifically on Fedora Workstation. Nevertheless, we are open to collaborating with all spins/SIG to transition their build pipelines to image builder. However, for the initial switch, we aim to minimize the impact by focusing on a single artifact. We anticipate that more artifacts will be transitioned in subsequent releases of Fedora Linux.

Release engineering: Provide ppc64le machines to image builder. Switch the pungi config to use image builder.

Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change)

Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)

Alignment with Community Initiatives:

# Upgrade/compatibility impact

There shouldn't be any. The goal of this proposal is to build the same images as livemedia-creator does, just using a different tooling.

# How To Test

Once the pungi config is changed, grab the ISO built by image builder and test if there are any unexpected changes.

# User Experience

No change is expected.

# Dependencies

The Workstation SIG and the installer team are working on a change to use the new installer web UI for the Workstation live ISO. We are fully aware of this change and have the capability to build ISOs with and without the new UI. As a result, these changes should be independent of each other. Furthermore, the installer and image builder teams are closely collaborating, ensuring that any issues that may arise can be addressed with high priority.

# Contingency Plan

Contingency mechanism: Revert the change in pungi, the old tooling is used.
Contingency deadline: Final freeze (the change is trivially revertable)
Blocks release? No

# Documentation

I don't think there's a docs impact.

# Release Notes
Categories:

ChangePageIncomplete
SelfContainedChange