Werk #15250: Deprecate configuration of check plugin default levels via .mk file

This werk affects users who override the factory default levels of check plugins or other global variables using .mk files when upgrading to Checkmk 2.3. This way of configuring plugins has not been documented for a long time and will not be supported in Checkmk 2.3. A warning will be issued when upgrading to any 2.2 version.

These days, we expect all plugins to be configured using the appropriate rules in the GUI setup menu.

You will have to change your configuration before updating to 2.3. These are the required steps:

• Remove the definition from your configuration.
• Open the UI and navigate to the related check parameter ruleset.
• Configure the parameters there.

We understand that enforcing this is an inconvenience for users still using the old way of overriding the default parameters of a specific check plugin.

In the past, we have changed the structure of the data stored in these variables (because it is considered an implementation detail), which would break such configurations. In addition, the old way of using .mk files will not work for any plugin migrated to the new API anyway.

Rather than accidentally breaking configurations, or removing configuration options ad hoc as plugins are migrated, we are now deprecating this mechanism and removing it with version 2.3. Not only does this make the code easier to maintain (freeing up resources for more valuable features), but it is also more honest.

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