What

Vcpkg port definitions currently exist in three locations with no clear ownership model:

1. Central registry (monitoring_system/vcpkg-ports/) — All 8 system ports, most up-to-date, real SHA512 hashes, includes patches
2. Local ports ({database,network,pacs}_system/vcpkg-ports/) — Subset of ports, stale, SHA512 0 placeholders, no patches
3. Remote registry (kcenon/vcpkg-registry.git) — Only referenced by monitoring_system

The central registry in monitoring_system is the de facto canonical source, but this is not documented and creates confusion with stale local ports.

Why

• Stale local ports with SHA512 0 give the false impression of vcpkg readiness
• Contributors may modify the wrong port definition (local vs central)
• Patch files only exist in central registry — local ports lack critical fixes
• No documented procedure for which port location to update when making changes
• Blocks clean vcpkg registry submission workflow

Where

Current state

How

Option A: Centralize in monitoring_system (current de facto approach)

1. Remove stale local ports from database_system, network_system, pacs_system
2. Document monitoring_system as the canonical port registry
3. Add overlay-ports instructions to each repo's README
4. Sync central ports to kcenon/vcpkg-registry.git on each release

Option B: Centralize in dedicated vcpkg-registry repo

1. Move all ports from monitoring_system to kcenon/vcpkg-registry.git
2. Remove all local ports from individual repos
3. Each repo references the registry in vcpkg-configuration.json
4. Single place for port updates, patches, and CI validation

Option C: Per-repo ports (fully distributed)

1. Move each port to its own repo (each repo owns its port definition)
2. Remove central registry from monitoring_system
3. kcenon/vcpkg-registry.git aggregates from individual repos

Acceptance Criteria

• Port management strategy chosen and documented
• Stale local ports with SHA512 0 removed (regardless of strategy)
• Single authoritative location for each port definition
• Port update procedure documented (who updates what, when)
• CI validates port builds from the chosen canonical location