[kepler-dev] [Bug 3947] New: - Create a module manager

[bugzilla-daemon at ecoinformatics.org]

http://bugzilla.ecoinformatics.org/show_bug.cgi?id=3947

           Summary: Create a module manager
           Product: Kepler
           Version: 1.x dev
          Platform: Other
        OS/Version: All
            Status: NEW
          Severity: blocker
          Priority: P1
         Component: core
        AssignedTo: berkley at nceas.ucsb.edu
        ReportedBy: berkley at nceas.ucsb.edu
         QAContact: kepler-dev at kepler-project.org


Future releases of Kepler will consist of only "standard" modules which include
only the basic functionality of kepler.  Further functionality will be added on
in a dynamic plugin-type fashion.  This will be managed within kepler by the
module manager.  The module manager will be responsible for the following:

* Allowing a user to identify a module that needs to be loaded into the system.
 Modules should be able to reside locally on the users machine, or in the
Kepler repository on the web.
* Dynamically loading the resources within the module and managing any errors
* Allowing the user to remove a module from the system
* Allowing the user to upgrade a module to a new version
* This functionality should be integrated into the kepler UI.  Ideally, the UI
would show a list of available modules with a short desription that are
available on the repository, or allow the user to browse for a module on the
local drive.
* Encapsulating a module into a kar file would be nice since kepler already
uses kar files to load other types of resources.  This is not a strict
requirement, however.  
* A module should contain metadata on the creator, version, version(s) of
kepler it is compatible with, etc.  The module manager should not allow the
loading of modules onto a version of kepler with which the module is not
compatible.

This is an initial list of possible functionality.  Please add other ideas,
options to this bug.