Small refinements in the documentation

diff --git a/docs/install.rst b/docs/install.rst
index 7cb9cb9..34cf968 100644 (file)
--- a/docs/install.rst
+++ b/docs/install.rst
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ Installation
 
 This guide describes how to install snf-image-creator on an Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
 system. It it highly recommended to have virtualization capable hardware.
 
 This guide describes how to install snf-image-creator on an Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
 system. It it highly recommended to have virtualization capable hardware.

-snf-image-creator can work on processors that do not support virtualization but
-it will be extremely slow.
+snf-image-creator will work on processors that do not support virtualization
+but it will be extremely slow.

 
 Dependencies
 ============
 
 Dependencies
 ============

@@ -23,22 +23,22 @@ snf-image-creator depends on the following programs:
 
 The first four programs (python2, setuptools, libguestfs and Python Dialog)
 need to be installed manually by the user. In an Ubuntu 12.04 LTS system this
 
 The first four programs (python2, setuptools, libguestfs and Python Dialog)
 need to be installed manually by the user. In an Ubuntu 12.04 LTS system this

-can be archived using packages directly provided by the distribution, using
-the following command:
+can be archived by installing packages provided by the distribution, using the
+following command:

 
 .. code-block:: console
 
    $ apt-get install python-setuptools python-guestfs python-dialog
 
 
 .. code-block:: console
 
    $ apt-get install python-setuptools python-guestfs python-dialog
 

-The rest of the dependencies will be resolved by setuptools.
+The rest of the dependencies will be automatically resolved by setuptools.

 
 Python Virtual Environment
 ==========================
 
 Since snf-image-creator and the rest of it's dependencies won't be installed
 
 Python Virtual Environment
 ==========================
 
 Since snf-image-creator and the rest of it's dependencies won't be installed

-using packages provided by the distribution it's better to work in an isolated
-python virtual environment (virtualenv). Installing the Virtual Python
-Environment builder in Ubuntu can be accomplished using the following command:
+using packages, it's better to work in an isolated python virtual environment
+(virtualenv). Installing the Virtual Python Environment builder in Ubuntu can
+be accomplished using the following command:

 
 .. code-block:: console
 
 
 .. code-block:: console
 

diff --git a/docs/overview.rst b/docs/overview.rst
index 55f0e15..da72b86 100644 (file)
--- a/docs/overview.rst
+++ b/docs/overview.rst
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@ Overview
 snf-image-creator is a simple command-line tools for creating OS images. The
 original media from which the image is created, can be a block device or a
 regular file that represents a hard disk. Given a media file, snf-image-creator
 snf-image-creator is a simple command-line tools for creating OS images. The
 original media from which the image is created, can be a block device or a
 regular file that represents a hard disk. Given a media file, snf-image-creator

-will create a snapshot for it and will run a number of image preparation task
-on the snapshot, before the image is created.
+will create a snapshot for it and will run a number of system preparation
+operations on the snapshot, before the image is created.

 
 Snapshotting
 ============
 
 Snapshotting
 ============

@@ -16,15 +16,14 @@ the program do not affect the original media.
 Preparation
 ===========
 
 Preparation
 ===========
 

-Some of the image preparation operations that run on each image are OS
-specific. snf-image-creator will use heuristics to detect the OS of the image
-and determine which operations should run on it. The main purpose of running
-them is to:
+Some of the system preparation operations are OS specific. snf-image-creator
+will use heuristics to detect the OS of the media and determine which
+operations should perform on it. The main purpose of running them is to:

 
  * Shrink the image
  * Clear out sensitive user data (passwords, ssh keys, history files, etc.)
 
  * Shrink the image
  * Clear out sensitive user data (passwords, ssh keys, history files, etc.)

- * Prepare the image for being deployed on a virtual environment (change device
-   names, remove persistent net rules, etc.)
+ * Prepare the guest OS for being deployed on a virtual environment (change
+   device names, remove persistent net rules, etc.)

 
 Creation
 ========
 
 Creation
 ========

diff --git a/docs/usage.rst b/docs/usage.rst
index a7c371e..05443e4 100644 (file)
--- a/docs/usage.rst
+++ b/docs/usage.rst
@@ -47,21 +47,21 @@ snf-image-creator receives the following options:
 
 
 Most input options are self-describing. If you want to save a local copy for
 
 
 Most input options are self-describing. If you want to save a local copy for

-the image, you need to specify *-o* option. In order to upload the image to
-pithos, you need to specify valid credentials with *-a* and *-t* options and a
-filename using *-u* option. To also register the image with ~okeanos, specify a
-name using the *-r* option.
+the image you create, you specify *-o* option. To upload the image to
+*pithos+*, you specify valid credentials with *-a* and *-t* options and a
+filename using *-u*. If you want to register the image with *~okeanos*,
+in addition to *-u* specify a registration name using *-r*.

 
 

-By default snf-image-creator will run a number of system preparation
-preparations on the snapshot of the media and will shrink the last partition
+By default snf-image-creator will perform a number of system preparation
+operations on the snapshot of the media and will shrink the last partition

 found, before extracting the image. Both can be disabled by specifying
 *--no-sysprep* and *--no-shrink* respectively.
 
 found, before extracting the image. Both can be disabled by specifying
 *--no-sysprep* and *--no-shrink* respectively.
 

-If *--print-sysprep* is defined, then snf-image-creator will only run the OS
-detection part and will output the system preparation operation that would and
-would not run during image creation. This behavior is, convenient because it
-allows you to see the available system preparation tasks that you can enable or
-disable with *-{enable,disable}-sysprep* options when you create a new image.
+If *--print-sysprep* is defined, the program will exit after outputing a
+list of enabled and disabled system preparation operation appliable to this
+media source. The user can enable or disable specific *syspreps* when creating
+an image, using *-{enable,disable}-sysprep* options. You can specify those
+options multiple times to enable or disable multiple *syspreps*.

 
 Running *snf-image-creator* with *--print-sysprep* on a raw file that hosts a
 debian system, we get the following output:
 
 Running *snf-image-creator* with *--print-sysprep* on a raw file that hosts a
 debian system, we get the following output:

@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ debian system, we get the following output:
    Enabling recovery proc
    Launching helper VM... done
    Inspecting Operating System... found a(n) debian system
    Enabling recovery proc
    Launching helper VM... done
    Inspecting Operating System... found a(n) debian system

-   Mounting image... done
+   Mounting the media read-only... done

    
    Enabled system preparation operations:
        cleanup-cache:
    
    Enabled system preparation operations:
        cleanup-cache:

@@ -124,12 +124,12 @@ debian system, we get the following output:
    
    cleaning up...
 
    
    cleaning up...
 

-If I want your images to also have all normal user accounts and all mail files
-removed, you can create it specifying the *--enable-sysprep* option like this:
+If we want the image to have all normal user accounts and all mail files
+removed, we can create it specifying *--enable-sysprep* option like this:

 
 .. code-block:: console
 
 
 .. code-block:: console
 

-   $ snf-image-creator --enable-sysprep cleanup-mail,remove-user-accounts ...
+   $ snf-image-creator --enable-sysprep cleanup-mail --enable-sysprep remove-user-accounts ...

 
 Dialog-based version
 ====================
 
 Dialog-based version
 ====================

@@ -146,9 +146,9 @@ Dialog-based version
      -l FILE, --logfile=FILE
                             log all messages to FILE
 
      -l FILE, --logfile=FILE
                             log all messages to FILE
 

-If the input media is not specified in the command line, then the user will be
-asked to specify it in the first dialog box. After the input media is examined
-and the program is initialized, the user is given the choice to run
+If the input media is not specified in the command line, in the first dialog
+box the user will be asked to specify it. After the input media is examined and
+the program is initialized, the user will be given the choice to run

 *snf-mkimage* in *wizard* or *expert* mode.
 
 Wizard mode
 *snf-mkimage* in *wizard* or *expert* mode.
 
 Wizard mode

@@ -158,11 +158,14 @@ When *snf-mkimage* runs in *wizard* mode, the user is just asked to provide the
 following basic information:
 
  * Name: A short name for image (ex. "Slackware")
 following basic information:
 
  * Name: A short name for image (ex. "Slackware")

- * Description: An one line description for the image (ex. "Slackware Linux 14.0 with KDE")
- * Account: An ~okeanos account e-mail
+ * Description: An one-line description for the image (ex. "Slackware Linux 14.0 with KDE")
+ * Account: An *~okeanos* account email

  * Token: A token corresponding to the account defined previously
 
  * Token: A token corresponding to the account defined previously
 

-For most users the functionality this mode provides should be sufficient.
+After confirming, the image will be extracted, uploaded to *pithos+* and
+registered to *~okeanos*. The user will also be given the choice to keep a local
+copy of it. For most users the functionality this mode provides should be
+sufficient.

 
 Expert mode
 -----------
 
 Expert mode
 -----------

@@ -172,18 +175,18 @@ process. In the picture below the main menu can be seen:
 
 .. image:: /snapshots/main_menu.png
 
 
 .. image:: /snapshots/main_menu.png
 

-In the *Customize* submenu the user can control:
+In the *Customize* sub-menu the user can control:

 
 

- * The system preparation operations that will run during the image creation process
+ * The system preparation operations that will be applied on the media

  * Whether the image will be shrunk or not
  * The properties associated with the image
  * Whether the image will be shrunk or not
  * The properties associated with the image

- * Which configuration tasks will run during image deployment
+ * The configuration tasks that will run during image deployment

 
 

-In the *Register* submenu the user can provide:
+In the *Register* sub-menu the user can provide:

 
 

- * The credentials to login to ~okeanos
- * A pithos filename for the uploaded diskdump image
- * A name for the image to be registered to ~okeanos with
+ * The credentials to login to *~okeanos*
+ * A pithos filename for the uploaded *diskdump* image
+ * A name for the image to be registered to *~okeanos* with

 
 By choosing the *Extract* menu entry the user can dump the image to the local
 file system and finally, if the user selects *Reset*, the system will ignore
 
 By choosing the *Extract* menu entry the user can dump the image to the local
 file system and finally, if the user selects *Reset*, the system will ignore

@@ -227,45 +230,47 @@ in *Wizard* or *Expert* mode. Choose *Wizard*.
 
 .. image:: /snapshots/01_wizard.png
 
 
 .. image:: /snapshots/01_wizard.png
 

-Then you will be asked to provide a name, a description, an ~okeanos account
+Then you will be asked to provide a name, a description, an *~okeanos* account

 and the token corresponding to this account. After that you will be asked to
 confirm the provided data.
 
 .. image:: /snapshots/06_confirm.png
 
 and the token corresponding to this account. After that you will be asked to
 confirm the provided data.
 
 .. image:: /snapshots/06_confirm.png
 

-Choosing *YES* will create the image and upload it to your ~okeanos account.
+Choosing *YES* will create the image and upload it to your *~okeanos* account.

 
 

-Things you need to pay attention on when creating images
+Things you need to pay attention to when creating images

 ========================================================
 
 Para-virtualized drivers
 ------------------------
 
 ========================================================
 
 Para-virtualized drivers
 ------------------------
 

-~Okeanos uses the VirtIO framework. The disk I/O controller and the Ethernet
-cards on the VM instances are para-virtualized and need special VirtIO drivers.
+*~Okeanos* uses the *VirtIO* framework. The disk I/O controller and the Ethernet
+cards on the VM instances are para-virtualized and need special *VirtIO* drivers.

 Those drivers are included in the Linux Kernel mainline since version 2.6.25
 and are shipped with all the popular Linux distributions. The problem is that
 Those drivers are included in the Linux Kernel mainline since version 2.6.25
 and are shipped with all the popular Linux distributions. The problem is that

-if those drivers are built as modules, they need to be preloaded using an
-initial ramdisk, otherwise the VM will not be able to boot.
+if the driver for the para-virtualized disk I/O controller is built as
+module, it needs to be preloaded using an initial ramdisk, otherwise the VM
+will not be able to boot.

 
 In the image creation demonstration above, we initially installed the Ubuntu
 
 In the image creation demonstration above, we initially installed the Ubuntu

-system on a a hard disk (ubuntu_hd.raw) that was para-virtualized (pay
-attention on the *if=virtio* option of the kvm line). The Ubuntu installer
-detected that the disk was paravirtualized and made sure the appropriate
-drivers will be preloaded each time the system boots. In many distros this is
+system on a hard disk (*ubuntu_hd.raw*) that was connected on a
+para-virtualized interface (pay attention to the *if=virtio* option of the kvm
+line). Ubuntu and Debian create a generic initial ramdisk file that contains
+many different modules, including the VirtIO drivers. In many distros this is

 not the case. In Arch Linux for example, the user needs to manually add
 not the case. In Arch Linux for example, the user needs to manually add

-*virtio_blk* and *virtio_pci* drivers in */etc/mkinitcpio.conf* and then
-rebuild the initial ramdisk [#f1]_ to make the virtio drivers get preloaded
-during boot.
+*virtio_blk* and *virtio_pci* drivers in */etc/mkinitcpio.conf* and rebuild the
+initial ramdisk [#f1]_ to make the virtio drivers get preloaded during boot.
+For now, *snf-image-creator* cannot resolve this kind of problems and it's left
+to the user to do it.

 
 Swap partitions
 ---------------
 
 If you want your image to have a swap partitions, make sure this is the last
 partition on the disk. If snf-image-creator detects a swap partition in the end
 
 Swap partitions
 ---------------
 
 If you want your image to have a swap partitions, make sure this is the last
 partition on the disk. If snf-image-creator detects a swap partition in the end

-of the input media, it will remove the partition during shrinking and will save
+of the input media, it will remove the partition when shrinking and will save

 enough information to be able to recreate it during image deployment. This will
 enough information to be able to recreate it during image deployment. This will

-make your image smaller and will speed up the deployment process.
+make the image smaller and will speed up the deployment process.

 
 .. rubric:: Footnotes
 
 
 .. rubric:: Footnotes