cloud-utils

Overview

cloud-utils is a set of utilities for working with cloud images and cloud metadata. Upstream describes it as “a useful set of utilities for interacting with a cloud,” and the project includes tools such as growpart, cloud-localds, ec2metadata, and related helpers. (github.com)

In NiceOS, this package exists to provide those upstream utilities in RPM form, with distribution packaging, policy, and metadata managed in the dist-git repository.

Purpose and typical use cases

Typical uses include:

• expanding partitions on disk images with growpart
• preparing local NoCloud-style seed disks with cloud-localds
• querying instance metadata with ec2metadata
• mounting images or working with image-based workflows through the other helper scripts shipped upstream

The package is usually relevant to:

• system administrators who manage cloud or VM images
• developers and CI/CD maintainers who build or test images
• release or image engineering teams that need repeatable image preparation steps
• security engineers who review image-processing tooling as part of packaging or deployment checks

Upstream project

The upstream project is maintained by Canonical. Launchpad states that development happens on GitHub, and the canonical GitHub repository is canonical/cloud-utils. The upstream README describes the project as a useful set of utilities for cloud interaction. (launchpad.net)

If NiceOS maintainers need to rely on a specific upstream behavior or file layout, they should verify it against the current upstream repository before updating the package. Upstream details can change over time.

Dist-git repository contents

This dist-git repository is organized as follows:

• SPECS/ — RPM spec files and packaging logic
• SOURCES/ — source-related metadata and manifest files used by the RPM build
• METADATA/ — repository metadata used by NiceOS tooling and package management workflows
• SBOM/ — software bill of materials data, when maintained for this package

The repository is intended to hold packaging material, not the full upstream project history.

Source storage and integrity policy

Large upstream source archives are intentionally not stored in this Git repository.

Instead, source integrity is tracked through manifest files in SOURCES/. Those manifests are the place to check when you want to confirm which upstream source material the package is expected to use.

For maintainers, this means:

• do not add large upstream archives to the Git tree
• verify that SOURCES/ still matches the intended upstream source set before rebuilding
• regenerate or refresh packaging metadata if the upstream source set changes

NiceOS maintenance notes

Before updating this package, NiceOS maintainers should check:

• whether upstream changed any script names, install paths, or runtime expectations
• whether the spec file needs updates for new or removed installed files
• whether SOURCES/ manifests need regeneration to match the new upstream source material
• whether SBOM/ content, if present, still reflects the packaged contents
• whether any local patches still apply cleanly or should be dropped
• whether tests or verification steps need adjustment after upstream changes

Points of risk to consider:

• image-handling tools can affect partitions or filesystems if misused
• packaging changes may alter installed binaries, man pages, or permissions
• upstream may restructure tools or documentation between releases

If any of these areas are unclear, NiceOS maintainers should verify them before relying on the update.

Build and verification checklist

A practical RPM maintainer checklist:

• review the upstream release notes and current upstream repository state
• compare installed files against the existing spec file expectations
• verify that SOURCES/ manifests match the source material to be built
• check that any local patches still apply and are still needed
• rebuild the SRPM and RPMs in a clean environment
• inspect build logs for warnings, test failures, or missing file references
• run package-level smoke tests for the shipped utilities where practical
• confirm that documentation and man pages are installed as expected
• review the resulting file list for accidental additions or omissions
• update SBOM/ or other repository metadata only if the package workflow requires it

References

• Upstream project on Launchpad
• Upstream project on GitHub

Russian documentation

See README_RU.md for the Russian maintainer guide.

Dist-git repository notes

• Package repository: rpms/cloud-utils
• NiceOS branch: niceos-5.2
• This README is intentionally stable and does not include EVR, source archive checksums or lock hashes.