4
This document describes the processes for making and announcing a Bazaar
5
release, and managing the release process. This is just one phase of
6
the `overall development cycle
7
<http://doc.bazaar.canonical.com/developers/cycle.html>`_, (go re-read
8
this document to ensure it hasn't been updated) but it's the most
9
complex part. This document gives a checklist you can follow from start
12
If you're helping the Release Manager (RM) for one reason or another, you
13
may notice that he didn't follow that document scrupulously. He may have
14
good reasons to do that but he may also have missed some parts.
16
Follow the document yourself and don't hesitate to create the missing
17
milestones for example (we tend to forget these ones a lot).
25
#. Download the pqm plugin and install it into your ``~/.bazaar/plugins``::
27
bzr branch lp:bzr-pqm ~/.bazaar/plugins/pqm
33
As of October 2010, we mantain four series. Concurrently releasing them
34
all at the same time makes it harder to shorten the delay between the
35
source availability and the package building longer than necessary (we
36
delay the official announcement until most of our users can install the new
39
In order to continue to do time-based releases, we need to plan the
40
releases by series to minimize the collisions. In the end, it's the Release
41
Manager call to decide whether he prefers to do all releases at once
42
though, so the rules presented here are a conservative approach.
44
We want to respect the following rules::
46
#. as much as possible releases should not disturb development, and
47
ongoing development should not disturb releases,
49
#. the most recent development series should release once a month during
50
the beta period (see `Development cycles <cycle.html>`_ for more
53
#. the most recent stable series should release every other month (based
54
on the amount of bug fixes, this can be shorter or longer depending on
57
#. previous series should relesase on a regular basis without interfering
58
with the most recent series with a decreasing order of priority (again
59
this should be based on bugs importance and user feedback),
61
#. the death of a series should be planned ahead of time. 6 months should
62
give enough time to our users to migrate to a more recent series. This
63
doesn't mean we will make a release at the end of the series, just that
64
before the end date we _could_ possibly put out another release if
65
there was a sufficiently important fix. Beyond that date, we won't
66
even land changes on that branch (unless something causes a miraculous
69
#. there should not be more than 2 releases in the same week (but the
70
Release Manager is free to ignore this (get in touch with packagers
73
#. the series are aligned with Ubuntu releases for convenience since we
74
create a new series every 6 months. This means that we support the
75
stable series for 18 months. Note that we also propose the most recent
76
stable series via the ppa, so whether we keep supporting LTS directly
77
or via the ppa is still an open question.
80
At the start of a release cycle
81
===============================
83
To start a new release cycle:
85
#. If this is the first release for a given *x.y* then create a new
86
series at <https://launchpad.net/bzr/+addseries>. There is one series
87
for every *x.y* release.
89
#. If you made a new series, create a new pqm-controlled branch for this
90
release series, by asking a Canonical sysadmin. This branch means that
91
from the first release beta or candidate onwards, general development
92
continues on the trunk, and only specifically-targeted fixes go into
95
#. If you made a new series, add milestones at
96
<https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/+addmilestone> to that series for
97
the beta release, release candidate and the final release, and their
100
#. Create a new milestone <https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/+addmilestone>
101
and add information about this release. We will not use it yet, but it
102
will be available for targeting or nominating bugs.
104
#. Send mail to the list with the key dates, who will be the release
105
manager, and the main themes or targeted bugs. Ask people to nominate
106
objectives, or point out any high-risk things that are best done early,
107
or that interact with other changes. This is called the metronome mail
108
and is described in `Development cycles <cycle.html>`_.
110
#. Make a local branch for preparing this release. (Only for the first
111
release in a series, otherwise you should already have a branch.) ::
113
bzr branch trunk prepare-1.14
115
#. Configure pqm-submit for this branch, with a section like this (where
116
x.y is the version to release). **Or use hydrazine for easy use**
117
``~/.bazaar/locations.conf``::
119
[/home/mbp/bzr/prepare-x.y]
120
pqm_email = Canonical PQM <pqm@bazaar-vcs.org>
121
submit_branch = http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~bzr-pqm/bzr/x.y
122
parent_branch = http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~bzr-pqm/bzr/x.y
123
public_branch = http://bazaar.example.com/prepare-x.y
124
submit_to = bazaar@lists.canonical.com
125
smtp_server = mail.example.com:25
127
Please see <http://doc.bazaar.canonical.com/developers/HACKING.html#an-overview-of-pqm>
128
for more details on PQM
130
#. Update the version number in the ``bzr`` script, and the
131
``bzrlib/__init__.py`` file::
133
version_info = (x, y, z, 'dev', 0)
135
#. If you made a new series, then start a new release-notes file::
137
cd doc/en/release-notes
138
cp series-template.txt bzr-x.y.txt # e.g. bzr-2.3.txt
141
#. Add a new section at the top of the current release notes (in
142
``doc/en/release-notes``) about the new release, including its version
143
number and the headings from ``release-template.txt``.
145
#. Update the "What's New" documents in ``doc/en/whats-new``.
147
#. Commit this and send it to PQM.
150
Doing a particular release
151
==========================
153
Update the source code
154
----------------------
156
#. Check that there is a milestone for the release you're doing. If there
157
is no milestone it indicates a process problem - make the milestone but
158
also mail the list to raise this issue in our process. Milestones are
159
found at <https://launchpad.net/bzr/+milestone/x.y.z>.
161
#. In the release branch, update ``version_info`` in ``./bzrlib/__init__.py``.
162
Make sure the corresponding milestone exists.
163
Double check that ./bzr ``_script_version`` matches ``version_info``. Check
164
the output of ``bzr --version``.
166
For beta releases use::
168
version_info = (2, 1, 0, 'beta', SERIAL)
172
version_info = (2, 1, 0, 'beta', 1)
174
For release candidates use::
176
version_info = (2, 0, 1, 'candidate', SERIAL)
178
For stable releases use::
180
version_info = (2, 1, 2, 'final', 0)
182
#. Update the ``./doc/en/release-notes/`` section for this release.
184
Fill out the date and a description of the release under the existing
185
header. If there isn't one, follow the instructions above for using the
186
``release-template.txt`` file.
188
See *2.1.1* or similar for an example of what this looks like.
190
#. Add a summary of the release into the "What's New" document.
192
#. To check that all bugs mentioned in the release notes are actually
193
marked as closed in Launchpad, you can run
194
``tools/check-newsbugs.py``::
196
./tools/check-newsbugs.py doc/en/release-notes/bzr-x.y.txt
198
(As of 2011-03-10, only a few false positives remain. Don't let this slow
201
#. Commit these changes to the release branch, using a command like::
203
bzr commit -m "Release 2.3.1"
205
The diff before you commit will be something like::
207
=== modified file 'bzrlib/__init__.py'
208
--- bzrlib/__init__.py 2011-02-09 06:35:00 +0000
209
+++ bzrlib/__init__.py 2011-03-10 10:24:47 +0000
211
# Python version 2.0 is (2, 0, 0, 'final', 0)." Additionally we use a
212
# releaselevel of 'dev' for unreleased under-development code.
214
-version_info = (2, 3, 1, 'dev', 0)
215
+version_info = (2, 3, 1, 'final', 0)
217
# API compatibility version
218
api_minimum_version = (2, 3, 0)
220
=== modified file 'doc/en/release-notes/bzr-2.3.txt'
221
--- doc/en/release-notes/bzr-2.3.txt 2011-03-09 08:30:16 +0000
222
+++ doc/en/release-notes/bzr-2.3.txt 2011-03-10 10:40:47 +0000
227
-:2.3.1: NOT RELEASED YET
229
-External Compatibility Breaks
230
-*****************************
232
-.. These may require users to change the way they use Bazaar.
237
-.. New commands, options, etc that users may wish to try out.
242
-.. Improvements to existing commands, especially improved performance
243
- or memory usage, or better results.
246
+This is a bugfix release. Upgrading is recommended for all users of earlier
252
=== modified file 'doc/en/whats-new/whats-new-in-2.3.txt'
253
--- doc/en/whats-new/whats-new-in-2.3.txt 2011-02-03 16:29:18 +0000
254
+++ doc/en/whats-new/whats-new-in-2.3.txt 2011-03-10 11:10:36 +0000
256
improvements made to the core product, it highlights enhancements within the
257
broader Bazaar world of potential interest to those upgrading.
259
-Bazaar 2.3.0 is fully compatible both locally and on the network with 2.0 2.1,
260
-and 2.2, and can read and write repositories generated by all previous
261
+Bazaar 2.3.1 includes all the fixes in the un-released 2.0.7, 2.1.4 and 2.2.5
262
+versions that weren't included in 2.3.0 and fixes some bugs on its own.
264
+See the :doc:`../release-notes/index` for details.
266
+Bazaar 2.3 is fully compatible both locally and on the network with 2.0, 2.1,
267
+and 2.2. It can read and write repositories generated by all previous
273
#. Tag the new release::
277
#. Push those changes to a bzr repository that is public and accessible on
278
the Internet. PQM will pull from this repository when it attempts to merge
279
your changes. Then submit those changes to PQM for merge into the
280
appropriate release branch::
283
bzr pqm-submit -m "(vila) Release 2.3.1 (Vincent Ladeuil)"
287
bzr lp-propose -m "Release 1.14" --approve lp:bzr/1.14
290
#. When PQM succeeds, pull down the master release branch.
293
Making the source tarball
294
-------------------------
296
#. Change into the source directory and run ::
300
#. Now we'll try expanding this tarball and running the test suite
301
to check for packaging problems::
303
make check-dist-tarball | subunit2pyunit
305
You may encounter failures while running the test suite caused by your
306
locally installed plugins. Use your own judgment to decide if you can
307
release with these failures. When in doubt, disable the faulty plugins
308
one by one until you get no more failures. Alternatively, you can use
309
``BZR_DISABLE_PLUGINS`` or ``BZR_PLUGIN_PATH=-site`` to disable one or
312
Remember that PQM has just tested everything too, this step is
313
particularly testing that the pyrex extensions, which are updated
314
by your local pyrex version when you run make dist, are in good
318
Publishing the source tarball
319
-----------------------------
321
#. Go to the relevant milestone page in Launchpad.
323
#. Create a release of the milestone, and upload the source tarball and
324
the GPG signature. Or, if you prefer, use the
325
``tools/packaging/lp-upload-release`` script to do this. Note that
326
this changes what the download widget on the Launchpad bzr home
327
page shows, so don't stop the release process yet, or platform binary
328
installers won't be made and the download list will stay very small!
329
<https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/586445>
332
Announcing the source freeze
333
----------------------------
335
#. Post to the ``bazaar`` list, saying that the source has been frozen
336
(gone gold). Be extra clear that this is only a *source* release
337
targeted at packagers and installer builders (see
338
<https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/645084>). This is the cue
339
for platform maintainers and plugin authors to update their code. This
340
is done before the general public announcement of the release.
343
Kick off the next cycle
344
-----------------------
346
#. To let developers work on the next release, do
347
`At the start of a release cycle` now.
349
#. Pause for a few days.
352
Publishing the release
353
----------------------
355
There is normally a delay of a few days after the source freeze to allow
356
for binaries to be built on various platforms. Once they have been built,
357
we have a releasable product. The next step is to make it generally
358
available to the world.
360
#. Go to the release web page at <https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/x.y.z>
362
#. Announce on the `Bazaar website <http://bazaar.canonical.com/>`_.
363
This page is edited via the lp:bzr-website branch. (Changes
364
pushed to this branch are refreshed by a cron job on escudero.)
366
#. Check that the documentation for this release is available in
367
<http://doc.bazaar.canonical.com>. It should be automatically build when the
368
branch is created, by a cron script ``update-bzr-docs`` on
372
Announcing the release
373
----------------------
375
Now that the release is publicly available, tell people about it.
377
#. Make an announcement mail.
379
For release candidates or beta releases, this is sent to the ``bazaar``
380
list only to inform plugin authors and package or installer managers.
382
Once the installers are available, the mail can be sent to the
383
``bazaar-announce`` list too.
385
For final releases, it should also be cc'd to ``info-gnu@gnu.org``,
386
``python-announce-list@python.org``, ``bug-directory@gnu.org``.
388
In all cases, it is good to set ``Reply-To: bazaar@lists.canonical.com``,
389
so that people who reply to the announcement don't spam other lists.
391
The announce mail will look something like this::
393
Subject: bzr x.y.z released!
395
The Bazaar team is happy to announce availability of a new
396
release of the bzr adaptive version control system.
397
Bazaar is part of the GNU system <http://gnu.org/>.
399
<<Summary paragraph from news>>
401
Thanks to everyone who contributed patches, suggestions, and
404
Bazaar is now available for download from
405
https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/x.y.z/ as a source tarball; packages
406
for various systems will be available soon.
408
<<release notes from this release back to the last major release>>
410
Feel free to tweak this to your taste.
412
#. Make an announcement through <https://launchpad.net/bzr/+announce>
414
#. Update the IRC channel topic. Use the ``/topic`` command to do this,
415
ensuring the new topic text keeps the project name, web site link, etc.
417
#. Announce on http://freshmeat.net/projects/bzr/
419
This should be done for beta releases, release candidates and final
420
releases. If you do not have a Freshmeat account yet, ask one of the
423
The purpose here is to point users to the latest stable release while still
424
publishing announcements for development releases.
426
There are several kinds of modifications that could be done there via the
427
``Administration`` box in the lower right area of the page:
429
* Edit the project: This is where most of the URLs proposed in the
430
``Links`` box are edited. This should rarely change except for the URLs
431
related to the latest stable release.
433
* New announcement: When doing a release (beta, candidates, final), put the
434
summary of the release (you can't embed URLs there, the moderation staff
435
remove them). Users can still access the releases notes via the ``Release
436
Notes`` URL in the ``Links`` box in the upper right area of the
437
page. When doing the first stable release in a series, delete the
438
``Unstable installers`` <https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/x.ybn> and
439
``Unstable source tarball``
440
<http://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/x.ybn/+download/bzr-x.ybn.tar.gz>
441
links. Conversely, when creating the first beta in a development series,
442
create these links again. Check all links when doing other kinds of
445
* Set direct download: When releasing a new stable release, this should
446
point to the corresponding launchpad page:
447
<https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/x.y.z/>
449
#. Update `<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazaar_(software)>`_ -- this should
450
be done for final releases but not for beta releases or Release Candidates.
452
#. Update the python package index: <http://pypi.python.org/pypi/bzr> - best
455
python setup.py register
457
Remember to check the results afterwards -- this should be done for
458
final releases but not for beta releases or Release Candidates.
460
To be able to register the release you must create an account on
461
<http://pypi.python.org/pypi> and have one of the existing owners of
462
the project add you to the group.
465
Merging the released code back to trunk
466
---------------------------------------
468
Merge the release branch back into the trunk. The
469
``doc/en/release-notes`` changes should be merged into the right place
470
because each release series has its own release-notes file, but
473
If it's not already done, advance the version number in ``bzr`` and
474
``bzrlib/__init__.py``. Submit this back into pqm for bzr.dev.
476
As soon as you change the version number in trunk, make sure you have
477
created the corresponding milestone to ensure the continuity in bug
478
targeting or nominating. Depending on the change, you may even have to
479
create a new series (if your change the major or minor release number), in
480
that case go to `At the start of a release cycle` and follow the instructions from there.
482
You should also merge (not pull) the release branch into
483
``lp:~bzr/bzr/current``, so that branch contains the current released code
486
Releases until the final one
487
----------------------------
489
Congratulations - you have made your first release. Have a beer
490
or fruit juice - it's on the house! If it was a beta, or
491
candidate, you're not finished yet. Another beta or candidate or
492
hopefully a final release is still to come.
494
The process is the same as for the first release. Goto `Doing a
495
particular release`_ and follow the instructions again. Some details change
496
between beta, candidate and final releases, but they should be
497
documented. If the instructions aren't clear enough, please fix them.
500
Getting the release into Ubuntu
501
-------------------------------
503
(Feel free to propose or add new sections here about what we should do to
504
get bzr into other places.)
506
For the currently-under-development release of Ubuntu, no special action
507
is needed: the release should be picked by Debian and synced from there into
510
Releases off stable bzr branches should go in to the ``-updates`` of the
511
Ubuntu release that originally contained that branch. (Ubuntu Lucid had
512
bzr 2.2.0, so should get every 2.2.x update.) This means going through
513
the `SRU (Stable Release Updates)
514
<https://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates>`__ process.
516
As of September 2010, bzr has applied to the technical board to be added
517
to the `MicroReleaseExceptions
518
<https://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates/MicroReleaseExceptions>`__
519
category so that whole bugfix releases can more easily be approved.
521
**After making a bzr stable-release release, nominate the most serious bug
522
for the appropriate Ubuntu release and subscribe the `ubuntu-sru` team.**
524
This requires a couple of tricks (please reconsider and tweak as things
525
evolves from one release to the other):
527
* create a distro task with the ``Also affects distribution`` button and
528
select ``bzr (Ubuntu)``.
530
* change the *URL* to point to ``ubuntu/+source/bzr`` instead of ``bzr``
531
(this is needed if you create the distro task but not if it exists
532
already). You should now be able to click the ``Nominate for release``
533
button and select the right Ubuntu release. As of September 2010, this
536
* ``maverick`` for the 2.2 series,
537
* ``lucid`` for the 2.1 series,
538
* ``karmic`` for the 2.0 series.
540
* Subscribe the ``~ubuntu-sru`` team to the bug.
542
* Add a comment targeted to ``~ubuntu-sru`` explaining the expectations
543
(we are targeting running the test suite during the build which, as of
544
September 2010, fails for known reasons that are currently addressed).
545
Search for bugs tagged with ``sru`` for examples and don't forget to tag
546
the bug you selected.
552
* `Packaging into the bzr PPA <ppa.html>`_ to make and publish Ubuntu
554
* `Bazaar Developer Document Catalog <index.html>`_
555
* `Development cycles <cycle.html>`_: things that happen during the cycle
556
before the actual release.
559
vim: filetype=rst textwidth=74 ai shiftwidth=4
added
removed
doc/developers/releasing.txt
