How Feature Requests Are Prioritized

Once an Feature Request is accepted, it needs to be implemented. If you can find a developer for it, or one signs up for implementing it, then the Feature Request becomes top priority (at least for that developer).

Between releases of Bacula, we will generally solicit Feature Request input for the next version, and by way of this email, we suggest that you send discuss and send in your Feature Requests for the next release. Please verify that the Feature Request is not in the current list (attached to this email).

Once users have had several weeks to submit Feature Requests, the keeper of the projects list will organize them, and request users to vote on them. This will allow fixing prioritizing the Feature Requests. Having a priority is one thing, but getting it implement is another thing – we are hoping that the Bacula community will take more responsibility for assuring the implementation of accepted Feature Requests.

Feature Request format:

============= Empty Feature Request form ===========
Item n:   One line summary ...
  Date:   Date submitted
  Origin: Name and email of originator.
  Status:

  What:   More detailed explanation ...

  Why:    Why it is important ...

  Notes:  Additional notes or features (omit if not used)
============== End Feature Request form ==============

============= Example Completed  Feature Request form ===========
Item 1:   Implement a Migration job type that will move the job
          data from one device to another.
  Origin: Sponsored by Riege Sofware International GmbH. Contact:
          Daniel Holtkamp <holtkamp at riege dot com>
  Date:   28 October 2005
  Status: Partially coded in 1.37 -- much more to do. Assigned to
          Kern.

  What:   The ability to copy, move, or archive data that is on a
          device to another device is very important.

  Why:    An ISP might want to backup to disk, but after 30 days
          migrate the data to tape backup and delete it from
          disk.  Bacula should be able to handle this
          automatically.  It needs to know what was put where,
          and when, and what to migrate -- it is a bit like
          retention periods.  Doing so would allow space to be
          freed up for current backups while maintaining older
          data on tape drives.

  Notes:  Migration could be triggered by:
           Number of Jobs
           Number of Volumes
           Age of Jobs
           Highwater size (keep total size)
           Lowwater mark
=================================================

See also

Possible Next Steps

Go back to Development Cycle.

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