Documentation: Add boot stage of execution to each module documentation

[ubuntu-server-builder]

This bug was originally filed in Launchpad as LP: #1876333

Launchpad details

affected_projects = []
assignee = None
assignee_name = None
date_closed = None
date_created = 2020-05-01T15:59:54.973559+00:00
date_fix_committed = None
date_fix_released = None
id = 1876333
importance = wishlist
is_complete = False
lp_url = https://bugs.launchpad.net/cloud-init/+bug/1876333
milestone = None
owner = longlivechief
owner_name = Brian Vanderbusch
private = False
status = triaged
submitter = longlivechief
submitter_name = Brian Vanderbusch
tags = ['docs']
duplicates = []

Launchpad user Brian Vanderbusch(longlivechief) wrote on 2020-05-01T15:59:54.973559+00:00

As a newcomer to cloud-init, the module documentation has been extremely helpful in laying out the options I can utilize. However, I often have to ask myself if i need to do something as a runcmd script rather than utilize a module, since the documentation doesn't clarify what boot stage (or stages as I've come to find out) a particular module is executed in.

Proposal:

Right after the summary of each module in the documentation, add a "Boot stages:" section.

I think this will also help reinforce the concept of the 5 boot stages of cloud-init to newcomers, and that will indirectly make it easier to entice new contributors.

[ubuntu-server-builder]

Launchpad user Dan Watkins(oddbloke) wrote on 2020-05-01T17:26:52.384908+00:00

So this is a little more complicated than it immediately appears, because the order of modules is configurable at image build time (in /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg).

That said, I think that a disclaimer to this effect at the top of the modules page is probably sufficient to allow us to include the phase that the upstream config (and therefore Ubuntu's, at least).

(We probably also want to have this automated somehow, so that we don't end up with stale documentation if things change phase etc.)

[ubuntu-server-builder]

Launchpad user Brian Vanderbusch(longlivechief) wrote on 2020-05-01T18:37:25.114031+00:00

That sounds great to me. Of course, that also would lead into documentation on controlling order and phase of modules in /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg.d. Example: https://paste.ubuntu.com/p/77pqCKjrBB/