Project Name: checkuser-beta-wiki

Wikitech Usernames of requestors: Dreamy Jazz (@Ladsgroup suggested this to me)

Purpose:
To run a single wiki instance of mediawiki, with the CheckUser extension installed, to test database changes as CheckUser is not enabled on the beta cluster.

Brief description:
The beta wiki cluster cannot have the CheckUser extension enabled for privacy concerns (T214820). I'm currently working on changes that include database changes, and the process for altering a table usually requires having the change applied to the beta cluster. As such, alters to the database structure are harder to achieve especially if this requires removal or modification. Having a wiki where update.php can be run and CheckUser is also enabled allows testing database changes.

This, unlike a local testing wiki, could be accessed by others for testing purposes which makes it possible for the DBAs to verify that the alter to the database would not have unintended side effects and issues. The wiki is unlikely to need much in way of resources, but it would be good to have a replication and primary database. Access will only be needed for testing, so this wiki will not need to be open.

Ladsgroup suggested using a Cloud VPS instance in T321391. Because the data that CheckUser collects is private it was suggested to use Cloud VPS over Toolforge. I already have access to CheckUser data on the English Wikipedia, and would intend to keep access limited to only those with access to this kind of data on WMF wikis (and thus have signed the relevant NDAs).

How soon you are hoping this can be fulfilled: Removal of columns is coming to the cu_changes table in the short to medium term (as part of the follow up to T324907) and being able to test this using something like this setup is almost certainly required.