Features/Multiple schoolserver registration

Summary

Easily hop between multiple XS servers. Sugar will be able to register to multiple XS servers easily, without the need of clearing the registrations manually.

Owner

• Name: Manash Pratim Das

• Email: mpdmanash@gmail.com

Current status

• Targeted release: (SUGAR_VERSION)
• Last updated: 16 April 2016
• Status: Being discussed and draft developed link

Detailed Description

When a user wants to register to a new XS server, they to first manually clear the previous registration details (if present). Then they have to create new registration even if they are returning back to an XS server where their laptop has been registered before. For non-XO laptops, every new registration changes the random serial number of the laptop and serial number is used in backup url and backup paths for that laptop in the XS server. Hence registering multiple times with the same XS server leads to unnecessary change in backup path on non-XO laptops.

Also from the various field reports where a user (generally a teacher) has to register to multiple XS servers on move, it becomes difficult to keep clearing the registration details manually. (one such report here. The present system for registering a Sugar laptop with an XS server is depicted below.

This feature is aimed to enhance the Sugar-Server interaction that would include:

• • Automated management of registration data so that a user can connect to an XS server with only one click regardless of the server being new or previously registered, hence enabling quick hop between multiple XS servers.
  • Creating a new control panel section named "Server" to house the server related settings and provide a reorganized place for future settings to come.
  • Retain the registration data required for ds-backup if present in the system so that it can maintain its functionality.

The following is the proposed flow being developed for the feature:

• The main advantages of the above flow are:
  • Manual clear of registration is not required.
  • Each laptop will have same backup url and backup path (in XS:/library/users) for a particular XS as it was created on first registration with the server. As registration will be done only once. The "Register" button would rather say "Connect to Server". When user connects to an XS where it has registered previously (identified by the presence of pubkey), it would simply set its serial number, uuid and backup-url with the pre-registration data. This would enable better and advanced management of backups.
  • No extra input is required from the user. The user just has to connect to the XS server ssid and specify the jabber-server address as before.

Benefit to Sugar

This feature has emerged from a bug. The feature is supposed to bring Sugar closer to XS server and improve the user experience.

Scope

What work do the developers have to accomplish to complete the feature in time for release? Is it a large change affecting many parts of the distribution or is it a very isolated change? What are those changes?

• the changes only affect use of Sugar with compatible school servers, such as XS or XSCE,
• use of Sugar without a school server shall not be affected.

UI Design

The user does not have to provide any extra input. The user is to provide the jabber server url and click on the button to register to it as before. So no change of UI is required to achieve the functionality. But as discussed in the developer mailing list (link), it has been emphasized that a new control panel section named "Servers" should be created. This section will as of now only have two user inputs "Jabber Server" and "Collaboration Server" which will be moved in from its present location of the "Network" control panel section.

How To Test

Features/Multiple schoolserver registration/Testing

User Experience

The user experience is believed to increase quite significantly as it can be judged from the problems that are being faced now in this bug

Dependencies

None

Comments and Discussion

• Link to the discussion of this feature on lists.sugarlabs.org
• See the discussion tab for this feature.