Open Stack

Hi,

With recent changes implemented by the OpenStack Foundation to include
projects other than "OpenStack" under its umbrella, it has become clear
that the "Project Infrastructure Team" needs to change.

The infrastructure that is run for the OpenStack project is valued by
other OpenStack Foundation projects (and beyond).  Our community has not
only produced an amazing cloud infrastructure system, but it has also
pioneered new tools and techniques for software development and
collaboration.

For some time it's been apparent that we need to alter the way we run
services in order to accommodate other Foundation projects.  We've been
talking about this informally for at least the last several months.  One
of the biggest sticking points has been a name for the effort.  It seems
very likely that we will want a new top-level domain for hosting
multiple projects in a neutral environment (so that people don't have to
say "hosted on OpenStack's infrastructure").  But finding such a name is
difficult, and even before we do, we need to talk about it.

I propose we call the overall effort "winterscale".  In the best
tradition of code names, it means nothing; look for no hidden meaning
here.  We won't use it for any actual services we provide.  We'll use it
to refer to the overall effort of restructuring our team and
infrastructure to provide services to projects beyond OpenStack itself.
And we'll stop using it when the restructuring effort is concluded.

This is my first proposal: that we acknowledge this effort is underway
and name it as such.

My second proposal is an organizational structure for this effort.
First, some goals:

* The infrastructure should be collaboratively run as it is now, and
  the operational decisions should be made by the core reviewers as
  they are now.

* Issues of service definition (i.e., what services we offer and how
  they are used) should be made via a collaborative process including
  the infrastructure operators and the projects which use it.

To that end, I propose that we:

* Work with the Foundation to create a new effort independent of the
  OpenStack project with the goal of operating infrastructure for the
  wider OpenStack Foundation community.

* Work with the Foundation marketing team to help us with the branding
  and marketing of this effort.

* Establish a "winterscale infrastructure team" (to be renamed)
  consisting of the current infra-core team members to operate this
  effort.

* Move many of the git repos currently under the OpenStack project
  infrastructure team's governance to this new team.

* Establish a "winterscale infrastructure council" (to be renamed) which
  will govern the services that the team provides by vote.  The council
  will consist of the PTL of the winterscale infrastructure team and one
  member from each official OpenStack Foundation project.  Currently, as
  I understand it, there's only one: OpenStack.  But we expect kata,
  zuul, and others to be declared official in the not too distant
  future.  The winterscale representative (the PTL) will have
  tiebreaking and veto power over council decisions.

  (This is structured loosely based on the current Infrastructure
  Council used by the OpenStack Project Infrastructure Team.)

None of this is obviously final.  My goal here is to give this effort a
name and a starting point so that we can discuss it and make progress.

-Jim