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This repository has been archived by the owner on Dec 6, 2022. It is now read-only.

3.0 FAQ

pellegs edited this page Feb 27, 2020 · 6 revisions

From GovCMS team We've recently updated some other docs and are deciding if a FAQ section would be useful. It might be a good place to add random pieces of information to keep the other pages simple. It also allows us to reference roadmap items. We welcome random items here, we might split them up later

GovCMS Distribution

How do I get new modules into the GovCMS distribution

New additions to the distribution are challenging because there is a risk of bloating. Each additional module/version needs manual testing. On the roadmap is a process to allow vendors to request new modules and these be available from a whitelist of modules, rather than adding them to the distribution.

I found a bug, is it Drupal or GovCMS?

Normally in Drupal site building if you find a bug you can track this down to the Drupal.org issue queues. However there are two aspects of GovCMS which make it a little tricky to hunt down bugs.

Out of the box GovCMS has a heavy combination of Panelizer, Content types, Paragraphs, Modifiers and so on. So some bugs can just be an edge case that has arisen from the combination of these modules and how they are configured.

Secondly, GovCMS modules are usually a step or two behind the latest versions. This means that a bug that you find could already be fixed. Drupal developers (eg. peers in Slack) who are not using GovCMS may try to reproduce this bug but are unable, since they are working with an up-to-date codebase.

A practical bug-fixing workflow:

  1. Assume the bug has already been fixed, search Drupal.org for the error text, ideally in the module issue queue.
  2. Check that it's not a known issue on the govcms8 meta thread
  3. ... or a known issue in the govcms distro queue
  4. Ask about the issue in GovCMS community channels.

GovCMS Platform

What certification does the platform have?

The 2019 reaccreditation of the GovCMS platform has completed. Talk to the GovCMS team for further information.

Can I use different docker images on the GovCMS platform?

Yes, you can change your docker-compose.yml or your Dockerfile.SERVICE if you are a PaaS customer. [some info about how to inspect image layers].

Can we use a different hosting solution for GovCMS?

You can host GovCMS distribution anywhere. (todo example of hosting and CI). Some advantages of hosting on the GovCMS platform are the helpdesk and the buying power around CDN services and DDOS protection.

Should we use dblog (watchdog) in production?

Best practice dictates the need to disable dblog module for performance reasons. So what if you don't have an alternative? You can enable dblog safely if you understand the implications.

If you turn on dblog manually in production, through the UI, it will be turned off on the next deploy - this will limit the long-term impact. Also, most of your pages are served from Akamai (CDN), and are not effected by whether dblog is on or off. When you enable dblog, you should be reviewing your log errors and fixing any issues that are apparent. If you need to leave the module on, please clear out log messages periodically.