Tracking: Rancher Partner Charts listing (rancher/partner-charts#1158)

[cevheri]

Tracks the LibreDB Studio Helm chart submission to the Rancher Partner Charts repository and the related SUSE partner process, so progress is visible to everyone following the project.

• Submission PR: Add LibreDB Studio rancher/partner-charts#1158
• Repository requirements: https://github.com/rancher/partner-charts#what-are-the-requirements-for-adding-a-project-to-this-repository
• Ready for Rancher certification requirements: https://www.suse.com/product-certification/ready/rancher-certification-requirements/

Related: #108 (distribution channels epic)

Chart / rancher/partner-charts track

• Submission PR opened (Add LibreDB Studio rancher/partner-charts#1158)
• Gap analysis against repository requirements (main finding: the chart must be deployable with default values; previously helm install failed at render time on required secrets)
• Chart installs with default values via zero-config bootstrap (fix(helm): install with default values — zero-config bootstrap as chart default #165, merged 2026-07-07)
• Chart metadata fixes: multi-arch image annotation, prerelease flag (fix(helm): install with default values — zero-config bootstrap as chart default #165)
• docs/RANCHER.md with supported Rancher/RKE2/K3s/Kubernetes versions (fix(helm): install with default values — zero-config bootstrap as chart default #165)
• Fix shipped in a chart release to https://libredb.org/libredb-studio/ (chart 0.1.9 / appVersion 0.9.50, released 2026-07-07; index digest verified against the release asset)
• partner-charts PR refreshed: rebase onto main-source, regenerate with partner-charts-ci, add Fetch: newer to upstream.yaml (waiting on the certification signal from SUSE)
• PR approved and merged; chart available in the Rancher Apps catalog

SUSE partner program track

• SUSE One partner application submitted (INNOVATE specialization, per SUSE's guidance)
• Partner application approved
• SUSE Ready for Rancher certification completed
• Catalog listing content provided for the Partner Certification & Solutions Catalog
• Listed in the SUSE Partner Certification & Solutions Catalog

Progress updates will be posted as comments as items complete.

[cevheri]

Progress update, 2026-07-07:

Chart 0.1.9 (appVersion 0.9.50) is live on https://libredb.org/libredb-studio/ and carries everything the gap analysis called for:

• helm install libredb libredb/libredb-studio now deploys a working instance with no values set (zero-config bootstrap; fix(helm): install with default values — zero-config bootstrap as chart default #165). Verified end-to-end against the published chart: default-values render pulls image 0.9.50 and references no missing Secret keys.
• Zero-config is guarded for multi-replica setups (render refuses replicaCount > 1 / autoscaling without a shared JWT secret), and strict fail-closed installs remain available via config.authBootstrap=off.
• Chart metadata declares linux/arm64 and clears the prerelease flag.
• docs/RANCHER.md documents supported Rancher/Kubernetes/distribution versions and the validated combinations.
• CI now runs a default-values ct install on every chart change, so the "deployable with default values" requirement stays continuously verified.

Remaining chart-side work is gated on the SUSE certification signal: rebase rancher/partner-charts#1158 onto main-source and regenerate with partner-charts-ci (picking up chart 0.1.9+ and adding Fetch: newer to upstream.yaml).

Related maintenance: #167 tracks a helm-release workflow hardening found while shipping this (index/OCI publish steps lacked the already-released guard; repaired and root-caused).

[cevheri]

Progress update, 2026-07-07 (evening):

Chart 0.1.9 has now been validated end-to-end on a real Rancher installation (Rancher v2.14.3, single-node Docker install, bundled K3s v1.35.5+k3s1), driven as a two-stage agent workflow with a human gate:

• Nine-scenario matrix, all PASS: zero-config default install (the partner-charts requirement, proven through Rancher's Apps catalog via a ClusterRepo), explicit secrets, strict-mode refusal (negative test), strict mode with the optional user account, existingSecret, multi-replica guard refusal plus shared-secret multi-replica (10/10 logins through the Service), persistence across pod recreation, and a 0.1.8 -> 0.1.9 upgrade with unchanged credentials.
• Rancher UI evidence captured (catalog card, install form, installed app, pod-log credentials banner).
• Results distilled into the repo via docs(rancher): real-Rancher validation results, persistence note, E2E task and catalog listing #169: RANCHER.md validated-combinations table now carries the Rancher row and a chart column, plus a persistence StorageClass note discovered during the run. Raw run evidence stays untracked by design.
• The SUSE catalog listing content is finalized in deploy/rancher/CATALOG_LISTING.md, ready to hand to the SUSE team together with docs/RANCHER.md.

Both SUSE deliverables (catalog listing content, Rancher support documentation) are now complete. Remaining work on this track is gated on the SUSE One partner application (a portal verification issue was reported to the partner team and a reset is awaited) and the certification signal for the partner-charts PR refresh.