[ovs-discuss] options for OVN mailing lists, with a survey

[Frode Nordahl]

On Wed, Jun 10, 2020 at 7:01 PM Ben Pfaff <blp at ovn.org> wrote:
>
> Hi!
>
> TL;DR: please answer the simple question at the end of the email.
>
> Since Open vSwitch and OVN are now separate projects, it would be a good
> idea to separate their mailing lists as well.  This is easier said than
> done for at least two reasons:
>
>         * Mailing lists are troublesome to manage these days.  There are
>           few service providers that are willing to do the job.  Even
>           Linux Foundation just subcontracts them.  The current OVS
>           lists are grandparented in but LF is not willing to add more
>           lists under the same terms.
>
>         * OVN and Open vSwitch have given out email addresses to
>           individual contributors at ovn.org and Linux Foundation has
>           only given half-hearted assurances that they can do this.
>
> We are now considering our options.  One factor is the different ways
> that a mailing list can be run.  There are three major categories:
>
>         * "Open": anyone may post to the list regardless of whether they
>           subscribe (although spam gets dropped to some degree of
>           accuracy) and it will be delivered immediately.
>
>           This is how ovs-dev is configured.  We have to configure it
>           that way because ovs-dev gets CCed from linux-kernel and
>           netdev on a regular basis and that community expects mailing
>           lists to be open and will yell at us if they are not.
>
>         * "Moderated": anyone may post to the list, but if they are not
>           subscribed to it then it is diverted to a moderation queue.  A
>           moderator then glances at it to make sure it isn't spam, and
>           if it isn't, directs it to the list.  ALSO: the moderator
>           generally adds the sender email address to the list of allowed
>           sender addresses.  Thus, the FIRST email from a given sender
>           is delayed, but not subsequent ones.
>
>           This is how the rest of the OVS mailing lists are configured.
>           Justin and I are the current moderators.  I probably spend
>           only a minute or two a day on it, it's easy work.
>
>           I do not know of any commercial service providers that support
>           this configuration.
>
>         - "Closed": only subscribers may post.  Others' emails are
>           rejected.  OVS doesn't configure lists this way.
>
>           Commercial service providers, including LF's, do support this
>           configuration.
>
> If it is acceptable for OVN mailing lists to be closed, then we could do
> something relatively easy:
>
>         * Continue to manage ovn.org email addresses for individuals in
>           our current way, which works.
>
>         * Create a new lists.ovn.org MX host and turn it over to LF's
>           service provider to implement closed OVN mailing lists.
>
> Question: would it be acceptable for OVN mailing lists to be closed, so
> that emails from non-subscribers are rejected?  (See the definition of
> "closed" above.)

I think it would be acceptable to require people to subscribe to the
OVN list before they may post to it, given we maintain an open
subscription policy.

-- 
Frode Nordahl

> Thanks,
>
> Ben.
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