plea for uniform installation test configuration

I've just been upgrading several modules on a system and have
had some difficulty because the installation tests always fail in the
same way. Regrettably, each one has to be fixed in a different way.

I'd hope it would be possible to find a common paradigm so that the
tests normally work and so all modules use the same configuration
technique and data. This would simplify users' lives and probably the
maintainers' as well.

I don't understand enough to know a good solution (as will be apparent
from another thread :) but I'm hoping all the relevant parties subscribe
to this list and can put their heads together.

The test failure occurs because all the modules assume that they will be
able to access the 'test' database with a username of '' and a password
of ''. AFAIK, the username is interpreted to mean the current Linux
user, which is root since I'm doing a system-wide installation. But the
mysql root user has a password for security, so access fails.

I use the cpan installation shell, as many people do. To change the user
and/or password:

- DBD::mysql suggests editing the mysql_config script, but this is
installed in a non user editable directory (/usr/bin) by the distro I
use (suse). Alternatively, command-line switches can be set using cpan
(I've never had to do this for any other modules so I regard this as arcane)

- Class::DBI::mysql requires some environment variables to be set, which
in turn again means using arcane cpan facilities.

- Template Toolkit prompts for new values during the installation.

Setting environment variables and command-line switches is awkward since
it involves interrupting the installation. It also involves remembering
different processes for every package.

It seems to me that there are several steps that could be taken:

(1) Agree to use a different and explicit default username and password.
Perhaps 'test' and 'test'?

(2) Agree on a common method to store test configuration information for
use by all modules. Perhaps a file in a user-writable area of the
filesystem such as under /etc or in root's home directory?

(3) Modify the mysql distribution itself to create the agreed explicit
username and password, and update the mysql reference manual to reflect
the new situation.

Does any of this make sense? What do you think? Especially module
maintainers :)

Cheers, Dave


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