Changes for 2.13.0 (securedrop-admin as Debian package) #735
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nathandyer
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nathandyer
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I took a broad pass through this for grammar / small nits and left a few minor suggestions. This is outstanding, thanks so much @ChumOfChance!
We'll hold off on approving or merging until we have a chance to actually test everything in practice during QA, and once the 2.13.0 release is ready
| Changes in SecureDrop 2.13.0 | ||
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| SecureDrop 2.13.10 marks a major change from previous versions as the ``securedrop-admin`` tool is now provided as a Debian package installed on Tails using ``apt`` and available system-wide, rather than as a tool that must be run directly from a local cloned version of the SecureDrop repository. |
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I think local is an adverb here, so it should be:
| SecureDrop 2.13.10 marks a major change from previous versions as the ``securedrop-admin`` tool is now provided as a Debian package installed on Tails using ``apt`` and available system-wide, rather than as a tool that must be run directly from a local cloned version of the SecureDrop repository. | |
| SecureDrop 2.13.10 marks a major change from previous versions as the ``securedrop-admin`` tool is now provided as a Debian package installed on Tails using ``apt`` and available system-wide, rather than as a tool that must be run directly from a locally cloned version of the SecureDrop repository. |
Then again, I don't pretend to have an expert grasp on the English language, so feel free to dismiss if I'm horribly mistaken here.
Co-authored-by: Nathan Dyer <[email protected]>
jskinne3
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jskinne3
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A couple of (non-blocking) thoughts from my read-through
| Make sure you have :doc:`installed SecureDrop already <../installation/install>`. | ||
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| First, on the *Admin Workstation*: | ||
| Make note of the Source Interface Onion URL. Now from a Terminal |
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Super small nitpick: I would move "Make note of the Source Interface Onion URL." into the prior paragraph.
| apt-cache policy securedrop-admin | ||
| If the version is the same as the version number displayed in the footer of your *Source Interface*, you are running the applicable version of the SecureDrop code on your workstation, and can proceed to the next step. |
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Would this benefit from a screenshot?
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Fixes #733
With the move to
securedrop-adminas a Debian package, there are numerous changes throughout the docs. The paths and commands for most operations have changed.Please closely check all the paths that have changed. These changes are based on freedomofpress/securedrop#7606 (comment) and #733 (comment) but it's possible I made a mistake or assumed the wrong path. I think it would be wise to test the documentation steps for many/all of these scenarios.
Note that we will keep a 2.12.10 version of the docs live at least for some time after the 2.13.0 release, as a reference for users using previous versions who are troubleshooting issues before upgrading or need to migrate/restore from backups on older versions.
I've pre-emptively linked to where I expect the blog post announcing 2.13.0 to be posted, assuming it will have more details about the move to a Debian package.
There are also some minor edits for consistent style or errors as I noticed them.
Major changes:
The cloned
securedroprepository is only needed for the initial bootstrapping process. I have changed the Install instructions so that this cloning is done to/~rather that to~/Persistent. The repo will not persist after reboot on Tails. I believe it is no longer needed once thesecuredrop-adminpackage is installed successfully. This is intended to ease confusion for long-time users who may revert to the habit of trying to run./securedrop-adminfrom the~/Persistent/securedropdirectory and reinforced the change.I removed the https://docs.securedrop.org/en/stable/admin/maintenance/update_workstations.html page because it is no longer relevant.
I have re-ordered one part of the Install instructions, moving the initial
securedrop-admin trailsbootstraprun on the Admin Workstation, to an earlier step than it would be if following the older instructions closely. This is mostly done to simplify the instructions for setting up a Journalist Workstation.In this PR, the instructions to "Onboard Journalists" (create a Journalist Workstation) reference sections of the "Set up the Admin Workstation" page, which is not ideal (this was the case previously as well).
Eventually I think it would be better to split "Set Up the Admin Workstation" into a page with Admin Workstation-specific instructions, and one with generic instructions for setting up a Tails USB with the
secredrop-adminpackage, since this is done for both Admin Workstations and Journalist Workstations.Alternatively, the instructions could be repeated in the "Onboard Journalists" page.
I'm opting not to make such changes in this PR, instead sticking closer to the status quo, because I think making such change properly coherent would necessitate bigger changes to the entire flow of instructions for installing and deploying.
Test plan
The following pages/sections have instructions or troubleshooting steps that now have different commands and/or paths. These should be checked and in many cases tested.