Merge pull request #72 from gradescope/GSC-3539/add-docs-for-selectin…

…g-base-image [GSC-3539] Added documentation to the base images feature
gradescope · Jul 13, 2022 · 1136fca · 1136fca
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diff --git a/docs/base_image_selector.png b/docs/base_image_selector.png
diff --git a/docs/base_images.md b/docs/base_images.md
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+# Base Images
+
+Gradescope supports selecting a different base image to build your
+autograder with.
+
+[![Base Image Selector](base_image_selector.png)](base_image_selector.png)
+
+When you create a new autograder, it will default to the current
+default base image. Over time, new base image versions may be released
+and become the default version. We recommend that you update your
+autograders to use the latest versions when available to take
+advantage of the latest software updates and security features.
+
+Rebuilding an autograder or duplicating an autograder will use the
+same base image as was previously selected.
+
+## Base Image Options
+
+### Base Image OS
+
+This is the operating system which the base image is running
+(e.g. Ubuntu, Fedora, etc).
+
+### Base Image Version
+
+This is the major version of the OS which is loaded in the base image
+(E.g. 18.04 for Ubuntu). Note that minor software upgrades may happen
+from time to time without changing the major version of the OS
+(i.e. individual packages may receive minor updates while keeping the
+same version of the OS). This is up to the upstream OS maintainers'
+software upgrade policies.
+
+### Base Image Variant
+
+Variants may add to or modify the pre-installed software in the base
+image. This can be used to improve autograder build times by avoiding
+installing packages in the setup phase.
+
+Selecting *Base* will mean that it is a fresh install of the OS with
+no modifications to the default installed programs, other than what
+our autograder platform requires.
+
+Additional base images may be added which contain commonly installed
+packages, such as different versions of Python or Java. This should
+decrease the build time for those autograders.
diff --git a/docs/configure_autograder.png b/docs/configure_autograder.png
diff --git a/docs/getting_started.md b/docs/getting_started.md
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ the appropriate options and continue.
 [![Assignment](assignment_form.png)](assignment_form.png)
 
 Next you'll be asked to upload your autograder. Upload a zip file
-meeting the required [specifications](specs), and press "Update
-Autograder."
+meeting the required [specifications](specs), select the [base image](base_image)
+you would like to build the autograder with, and press "Update Autograder."
 
 [![Configure Autograder](configure_autograder.png)](configure_autograder.png)
 

diff --git a/docs/manual_docker.md b/docs/manual_docker.md
@@ -2,9 +2,12 @@
 
 To use the "Manual Docker Configuration" option, you'll need to use
 `gradescope/auto-builds` as the base image for your docker image.
-You can also use the tags `fedora` or `centos`, or older versions of
+You can also use the tags `fedora` or `centos`, or different versions of
 Ubuntu - see the complete list [on DockerHub](https://hub.docker.com/r/gradescope/auto-builds/tags/).
 
+Note: You can now also
+[use different base images with a zip file upload](base_images).
+
 You'll need to ensure that your image contains the `run_autograder` script at
 the path `/autograder/run_autograder`. This should match the requirements
 described on the [specifications](specs) page. In particular, at the end of the

diff --git a/docs/updates.md b/docs/updates.md
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 Here are some updates we've made to our autograder platform. If you have any questions or issues with any of these changes, please email [help@gradescope.com](mailto:help@gradescope.com).
 
+## July 13th, 2022
+
+We have added the ability to set the base image you want your autograder to build with. This means you are no longer required to build your own Docker container and use the manual docker configuration for zip file autograders which need a different base image. You can [find out more about base images here](base_images).
+
 ## March 17th, 2022
 
 An upstream update to our underlying host OS introduced a conflict with the default Ubuntu 18.04 base image used for building autograders. For users installing certain packages that depend on glibc, this may have manifested in the build error below:

diff --git a/mkdocs.yml b/mkdocs.yml
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ pages:
 - 'Autograder Specifications': specs.md
 - 'Manual Grading': manual_grading.md
 - 'Technical Details': tech.md
+- 'Base Images': base_images.md
 - 'Debugging via SSH': ssh.md
 - 'Troubleshooting': troubleshooting.md
 - 'Python 3 Issues': python3_issues.md