apt-ostree/.notes/rpm-ostree/service-files/rpm-ostree-countme.service.md

rpm-ostree-countme.service

Overview

Weekly reporting service for anonymous usage statistics. This service collects and reports system deployment information to help with project metrics and development decisions.

Service File

[Unit]
Description=Weekly rpm-ostree Count Me reporting
Documentation=man:rpm-ostree-countme.service(8)
ConditionPathExists=/run/ostree-booted

[Service]
Type=oneshot
User=rpm-ostree
DynamicUser=yes
StateDirectory=rpm-ostree-countme
StateDirectoryMode=750
ExecStart=rpm-ostree countme

Key Components

Unit Section

• Description: Human-readable description of the service
• Documentation: Reference to manual page
• ConditionPathExists=/run/ostree-booted: Only run on OSTree-booted systems

Service Section

• Type=oneshot: Run once and exit
• User=rpm-ostree: Run as dedicated user
• DynamicUser=yes: Create user dynamically if needed
• StateDirectory=rpm-ostree-countme: Persistent state directory
• StateDirectoryMode=750: Secure permissions for state directory
• ExecStart=rpm-ostree countme: Execute countme command

What It Does

Core Functions

1. Usage Statistics: Collects anonymous usage data
2. Deployment Information: Reports system deployment details
3. Project Metrics: Helps track adoption and usage patterns
4. Development Insights: Provides data for development decisions

Data Collected

The rpm-ostree countme command typically collects:

• System architecture and distribution
• OSTree deployment information
• Package installation statistics
• System configuration details
• Anonymous identifiers for tracking

Privacy Features

• Anonymous Reporting: No personally identifiable information
• Opt-out Capability: Users can disable reporting
• Secure Storage: State directory with restricted permissions
• Limited Scope: Only collects necessary metrics

Timer Integration

This service is triggered by rpm-ostree-countme.timer which:

• Runs 5 minutes after boot
• Executes every 3 days with 1-day randomized delay
• Prevents thundering herd problems

Dependencies

• OSTree-booted system (/run/ostree-booted)
• rpm-ostree command-line tool
• systemd

apt-ostree Equivalent

For apt-ostree, this would be apt-ostree-countme.service with:

• Command: apt-ostree countme
• State directory: apt-ostree-countme
• APT-specific metrics collection
• Debian/Ubuntu system information
• Privacy-compliant data collection