[Nut-upsdev] Format of entires in data/driver.list

[Charles Lepple]

On 5/22/07, Arjen de Korte <nut+devel at de-korte.org> wrote:
> I want to propose to change the format of the entries in the
> data/driver.list file. Currently the format is (according to the header)
>
> # <manufacturer> <model name> <model extra> <driver>
[...]
> Now that we're seeing more and more UPSes with both serial and USB
> connections, I think it makes sense to add another (mandatory) field that
> lists the communication interface used by the driver. This allows for
> easier sorting of the list of drivers, now that the list is growing.

I can't find the exact script that parses this list (and I'm running
out of time on my lunch hour) but I think the format has been implicit
up to now.

Do we want to take this time to consider another format that is easier
to extend in the future?

I'm thinking of a key-value arrangement, much like the config sections
in ups.conf.

Additional keywords might include the "model year" to distinguish
between UPSes with the same model name but different innards.

> I also want to suggest that if a UPS has both serial and USB interfaces,
> but we currently only support one, that we mention the other too with 'not
> supported' in the <driver> field. This will help users determine quickly
> (and unambiguously) if they can use the interface of their choice with
> NUT.

How about "needs testing" in addition to "supported" and "unsupported"?

A while back, Ross Vamos-Wentworth (sp?) had a larger database of
peoples' experiences with various UPS models and drivers. Maybe we
could have a similar system where people can report success or failure
online. (This would be more up-to-date than the autogenerated HTML
driver list.)

-- 
- Charles Lepple