solver protocol (EDSP): first draft

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+** TENTATIVE PROPOSAL, VERY VERY VERY DRAFT **
+
+# APT External Dependency Solver Protocol (EDSP) - version 0.1
+
+This document describes the communication protocol between APT and
+external dependency solvers. The protocol is called APT EDSP, for "APT
+External Dependency Solver Protocol".
+
+
+## Components
+
+- **APT**: we know this one.
+- APT is equipped with its own **internal solver** for dependencies,
+  which is identified by the string `internal`.
+- **External solver**: an *external* software component able to resolve
+  dependencies on behalf of APT. Each external solver is identified by
+  an unique string (other than `internal`) called the solver **name**.
+
+At each interaction with APT, a single solver is in use.  When there is
+a total of 2 or more solvers, internals or externals, the user can
+choose which one to use.
+
+
+## Installation
+
+Each external solver is installed as a file under
+`/usr/lib/apt/solvers`. The naming scheme is
+`/usr/lib/apt/solvers/NAME`, where `NAME` is the name of the external
+solver.
+
+Each file under `/usr/lib/apt/solvers` corresponding to an external
+solver must be executable.
+
+No non-solver files must be installed under `/usr/lib/apt/solvers`, so
+that an index of available external solvers can be obtained by simply
+looking at the content of that directory.
+
+
+## Configuration
+
+Several APT options can be used to affect dependency solving in APT. An
+overview of them is given below. Please refer to proper APT
+configuration documentation for more, and more up to date, information.
+
+- **APT::Solver::Name**: the name of the solver to be used for
+  dependency solving. Defaults to `internal`
+
+- **APT::Solver::Strict-Pinning**: whether pinning must be strictly
+  respected (as the internal solver does) or can be slightly deviated
+  from. Defaults to `yes`.
+
+- **APT::Solver::Preferences**: solver-specific user preferences used
+  during dependency solving. Check your solver documentation for what is
+  supported here. Default to empty.
+
+
+## Protocol
+
+When configured to use an external solver, APT will resort to it to
+decide which packages should be installed or removed.
+
+The interaction happens **in batch**: APT will invoke the external
+solver passing the current status of installed and available packages,
+as well as the user request to alter the set of installed packages. The
+external solver will compute a new complete set of installed packages
+and gives APT a "diff" listing of which *additional* packages should be
+installed and of which currently installed packages should be
+*removed*. (Note: the order in which those actions have to be performed
+will be up to APT to decide.)
+
+External solvers are invoked by executing them. Communications happens
+via the file descriptors: **stdin** (standard input) and **stdout**
+(standard output). stderr is not used by the EDSP protocol. Solvers can
+therefore use stderr to dump debugging information that could be
+inspected separately.
+
+After invocation, the protocol passes through 3 separate phases:
+
+1. APT send to the solver a dependency solving **scenario**
+2. The solver solves dependencies. No communication with APT happens
+   during this phase.
+3. The solver sends back to APT an **answer**, i.e. either a *solution*
+   or an *error* report.
+
+
+### Scenario
+
+A scenario is a text file encoded in a format very similar to the "Deb
+822" format (AKA "the format used by Debian `Packages` files"). A
+scenario consists of two distinct parts: a **request** and a **package
+universe**, occurring in that order. The request consists of a single
+Deb 822 stanza, while the package universe consists of several such
+stanzas. All stanzas occurring in a scenario are separated by an empty
+line.
+
+
+#### Request
+
+Within a dependency solving scenario, a request represents the action on
+installed packages requested by the user.
+
+A request is a single Deb 822 stanza opened by a mandatory Request field
+and followed by a mixture of action and preference fields.
+
+The value of the **Request:** field is a string describing the EDSP
+protocol which will be used to communicate. At present, the string must
+be `EDSP 0.1`.
+
+a unique request identifier, such as an
+UUID. Request fields are mainly used to identify the beginning of a
+request stanza; their actual values are otherwise not used by the EDSP
+protocol.
+
+The following **action fields** are supported in request stanzas:
+
+- **Install:** (optional, defaults to the empty string) A space
+  separated list of package names, with *no version attached*, to
+  install. This field denotes a list of packages that the user wants to
+  install, usually via an APT `install` request.
+
+- **Remove:** (optional, defaults to the empty string) Same syntax of
+  Install. This field denotes a list of packages that the user wants to
+  remove, usually via APT `remove` or `purge` requests.
+
+- **Upgrade:** (optional, defaults to `no`). Allowed values: `yes`,
+  `no`. When set to `yes`, an upgrade of all installed packages has been
+  requested, usually via an APT `upgrade` request.
+
+- **Dist-Upgrade:** (optional, defaults to `no`). Allowed values: `yes`,
+  `no`. Same as Upgrade, but for APT `dist-upgrade` requests.
+
+- **Autoremove:** (optional, defaults to `no`). Allowed values: `yes`,
+  `no`. When set to `yes`, a clean up of unused automatically installed
+  packages has been requested, usually via an APT `autoremove` request.
+
+The following **preference fields** are supported in request stanzas:
+
+- **Strict-Pinning:** (optional, defaults to `yes`). Allowed values:
+  `yes`, `no`. When set to `yes`, APT pinning is strict, in the sense
+  that the solver must not propose to install packages which are not APT
+  candidates (see the `APT-Pin` and `APT-Candidate` fields in the
+  package universe). When set to `no`, the solver does only a best
+  effort attempt to install APT candidates. Usually, the value of this
+  field comes from the `APT::Solver::Strict-Pinning` configuration
+  option.
+
+- **Preferences:** a solver-specific optimization string, usually coming
+  from the `APT::Solver::Preferences` configuration option.
+
+
+#### Package universe
+
+A package universe is a list of Deb 822 stanzas, one per package, called
+**package stanzas**. Each package stanzas starts with a Package
+field. The following fields are supported in package stanzas:
+
+- All fields supported by Debian Packages file (see one of the
+  `/var/lib/apt/lists/*Packages` file for an example), *with the
+  exception of the Description field* that is not allowed.
+  
+  Among those fields, the following are mandatory: Package, Version,
+  Architecture.
+
+- **Installed:** (optional, default value `no`). Allowed values: `yes`,
+  `no`. When set to `yes`, the corresponding package is currently
+  installed.
+
+  ##TODO## changed with respect to current prototype, which uses Status
+
+- **APT-ID:** (mandatory). Unique package identifier, according to APT.
+
+- **APT-Pin:** (mandatory). Must be a non-negative integer. Package pin
+  value, according to current APT policy.
+
+- **APT-Candidate:** (optional, default value `no`). Allowed values:
+  `yes`, `no`. When set to `yes`, the corresponding package is granted
+  to have the highest pinning value among all the packages having the
+  same name.
+  
+  ##TODO## what about multi-arch? is the pin value granted to be the
+  higest also across different architectures?
+  
+
+### Answer
+
+An answer from the external solver to APT is either a *solution* or an
+*error*.
+
+The following invariant on **exit codes** must hold true. When the
+external solver is *able to find a solution*, it will write the solution
+to standard output and then exit with an exit code of 0. When the
+external solver is *unable to find a solution* (and aware of that), it
+will write an error to standard output and then exit with an exit code
+of 0. An exit code other than 0 will be interpreted as a solver crash
+with no meaningful error about dependency resolution to convey to the
+user.
+
+
+#### Solution
+
+A solution is a single Deb 822 stanza, starting with the field
+Solution. The following fields are supported in solution stanzas:
+
+- **Solution:** (mandatory). The value of this field is ignored,
+  although it should be a unique solution identifier, such as a UUID.
+
+- **Install:** (optional, defaults to the empty string). A space
+  separated list of strings of the form `PACKAGE=VERSION` where
+  `PACKAGE` is a package name and `VERSION` is an available version of
+  that package. The list denotes a set of packages that must be
+  installed to satisfy user request.
+
+- **Remove:** (optional, defaults to the empty string). Same as Install,
+  but denoting a set of packages that must be removed to satisfy user
+  request.
+
+
+#### Error
+
+An error is a single Deb 822 stanza, starting the field Error. The
+following fields are supported in error stanzas:
+
+- **Error:** (mandatory). The value of this field is ignored, although
+  it should be a unique error identifier, such as a UUID.
+
+- **Message:** (mandatory). The value of this field is a text string,
+  meant to be read by humans, that explains the cause of the solver
+  error.
+
+  ##TODO## can we support line continuations throughout this format? If
+  yes, they might come handy both for error stanzas and for solution
+  stanzas (which might have very long install/remove lines)
+
+
+** TENTATIVE PROPOSAL, VERY VERY VERY DRAFT **