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]
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pqm_email = Canonical PQM <pqm@bazaar-vcs.org>
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submit_branch = http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~bzr-pqm/bzr/x.y
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parent_branch = http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~bzr-pqm/bzr/x.y
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public_branch = http://bazaar.example.com/prepare-x.y
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submit_to = bazaar@lists.canonical.com
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smtp_server = mail.example.com:25
127
Please see <http://doc.bazaar.canonical.com/developers/HACKING.html#an-overview-of-pqm>
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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)
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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 2011-12-03, 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 1.14."
205
The diff before you commit will be something like::
207
=== modified file 'NEWS'
208
--- NEWS 2008-09-17 23:09:18 +0000
209
+++ NEWS 2008-09-23 16:14:54 +0000
217
+This release includes many bug fixes and a few performance and feature
218
+improvements. ``bzr rm`` will now scan for missing files and remove them,
219
+like how ``bzr add`` scans for unknown files and adds them. A bit more
220
+polish has been applied to the stacking code. The b-tree indexing code has
221
+been brought in, with an eye on using it in a future repository format.
222
+There are only minor installer changes since bzr-1.7rc2.
224
bzr 1.7rc2 2008-09-17
225
---------------------
228
=== modified file 'bzrlib/__init__.py'
229
--- bzrlib/__init__.py 2008-09-16 21:39:28 +0000
230
+++ bzrlib/__init__.py 2008-09-23 16:14:54 +0000
232
# Python version 2.0 is (2, 0, 0, 'final', 0)." Additionally we use a
233
# releaselevel of 'dev' for unreleased under-development code.
235
-version_info = (1, 7, 0, 'candidate', 2)
236
+version_info = (1, 7, 0, 'final', 0)
239
# API compatibility version: bzrlib is currently API compatible with 1.7.
241
Note that the NEWS file formatting has evolved, this example needs to
244
#. Tag the new release::
248
#. Push those changes to a bzr repository that is public and accessible on
249
the Internet. PQM will pull from this repository when it attempts to merge
250
your changes. Then submit those changes to PQM for merge into the
251
appropriate release branch::
254
bzr pqm-submit -m "(mbp) Release 1.14 (Martin Pool)"
258
bzr lp-propose -m "Release 1.14" --approve lp:bzr/1.14
261
#. When PQM succeeds, pull down the master release branch.
264
Making the source tarball
265
-------------------------
267
#. Change into the source directory and run ::
271
#. Now we'll try expanding this tarball and running the test suite
272
to check for packaging problems::
274
make check-dist-tarball | subunit2pyunit
276
You may encounter failures while running the test suite caused by your
277
locally installed plugins. Use your own judgment to decide if you can
278
release with these failures. When in doubt, disable the faulty plugins
279
one by one until you get no more failures. Alternatively, you can use
280
``BZR_DISABLE_PLUGINS`` or ``BZR_PLUGIN_PATH=-site`` to disable one or
283
Remember that PQM has just tested everything too, this step is
284
particularly testing that the pyrex extensions, which are updated
285
by your local pyrex version when you run make dist, are in good
289
Publishing the source tarball
290
-----------------------------
292
#. Go to the relevant milestone page in Launchpad.
294
#. Create a release of the milestone, and upload the source tarball and
295
the GPG signature. Or, if you prefer, use the
296
``tools/packaging/lp-upload-release`` script to do this. Note that
297
this changes what the download widget on the Launchpad bzr home
298
page shows, so don't stop the release process yet, or platform binary
299
installers won't be made and the download list will stay very small!
300
<https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/586445>
303
Announcing the source freeze
304
----------------------------
306
#. Post to the ``bazaar`` list, saying that the source has been frozen
307
(gone gold). Be extra clear that this is only a *source* release
308
targeted at packagers and installer builders (see
309
<https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/645084>). This is the cue
310
for platform maintainers and plugin authors to update their code. This
311
is done before the general public announcement of the release.
314
Kick off the next cycle
315
-----------------------
317
#. To let developers work on the next release, do
318
`At the start of a release cycle` now.
320
#. Pause for a few days.
323
Publishing the release
324
----------------------
326
There is normally a delay of a few days after the source freeze to allow
327
for binaries to be built on various platforms. Once they have been built,
328
we have a releasable product. The next step is to make it generally
329
available to the world.
331
#. Go to the release web page at <https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/x.y.z>
333
#. Announce on the `Bazaar website <http://bazaar.canonical.com/>`_.
334
This page is edited via the lp:bzr-website branch. (Changes
335
pushed to this branch are refreshed by a cron job on escudero.)
337
#. Check that the documentation for this release is available in
338
<http://doc.bazaar.canonical.com>. It should be automatically build when the
339
branch is created, by a cron script ``update-bzr-docs`` on
340
``escudero``. As of today (2009-08-27) ``igc`` manually updates the
341
pretty version of it.
344
Announcing the release
345
----------------------
347
Now that the release is publicly available, tell people about it.
349
#. Make an announcement mail.
351
For release candidates or beta releases, this is sent to the ``bazaar``
352
list only to inform plugin authors and package or installer managers.
354
Once the installers are available, the mail can be sent to the
355
``bazaar-announce`` list too.
357
For final releases, it should also be cc'd to ``info-gnu@gnu.org``,
358
``python-announce-list@python.org``, ``bug-directory@gnu.org``.
360
In all cases, it is good to set ``Reply-To: bazaar@lists.canonical.com``,
361
so that people who reply to the announcement don't spam other lists.
363
The announce mail will look something like this::
365
Subject: bzr x.y.z released!
367
The Bazaar team is happy to announce availability of a new
368
release of the bzr adaptive version control system.
369
Bazaar is part of the GNU system <http://gnu.org/>.
371
<<Summary paragraph from news>>
373
Thanks to everyone who contributed patches, suggestions, and
376
Bazaar is now available for download from
377
https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/x.y.z/ as a source tarball; packages
378
for various systems will be available soon.
380
<<release notes from this release back to the last major release>>
382
Feel free to tweak this to your taste.
384
#. Make an announcement through <https://launchpad.net/bzr/+announce>
386
#. Update the IRC channel topic. Use the ``/topic`` command to do this,
387
ensuring the new topic text keeps the project name, web site link, etc.
389
#. Announce on http://freshmeat.net/projects/bzr/
391
This should be done for beta releases, release candidates and final
392
releases. If you do not have a Freshmeat account yet, ask one of the
395
The purpose here is to point users to the latest stable release while still
396
publishing announcements for development releases.
398
There are several kinds of modifications that could be done there via the
399
``Administration`` box in the lower right area of the page:
401
* Edit the project: This is where most of the URLs proposed in the
402
``Links`` box are edited. This should rarely change except for the URLs
403
related to the latest stable release.
405
* New announcement: When doing a release (beta, candidates, final), put the
406
summary of the release (you can't embed URLs there, the moderation staff
407
remove them). Users can still access the releases notes via the ``Release
408
Notes`` URL in the ``Links`` box in the upper right area of the page.
410
* Set direct download: When releasing a new stable release, this should
411
point to the corresponding launchpad page:
412
<https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/x.y.z/>
414
#. Update `<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazaar_(software)>`_ -- this should
415
be done for final releases but not for beta releases or Release Candidates.
417
#. Update the python package index: <http://pypi.python.org/pypi/bzr> - best
420
python setup.py register
422
Remember to check the results afterwards -- this should be done for
423
final releases but not for beta releases or Release Candidates.
425
To be able to register the release you must create an account on
426
<http://pypi.python.org/pypi> and have one of the existing owners of
427
the project add you to the group.
430
Merging the released code back to trunk
431
---------------------------------------
433
Merge the release branch back into the trunk. The
434
``doc/en/release-notes`` changes should be merged into the right place
435
because each release series has its own release-notes file, but
438
If it's not already done, advance the version number in ``bzr`` and
439
``bzrlib/__init__.py``. Submit this back into pqm for bzr.dev.
441
As soon as you change the version number in trunk, make sure you have
442
created the corresponding milestone to ensure the continuity in bug
443
targeting or nominating. Depending on the change, you may even have to
444
create a new series (if your change the major or minor release number), in
445
that case go to `At the start of a release cycle` and follow the instructions from there.
447
You should also merge (not pull) the release branch into
448
``lp:~bzr/bzr/current``, so that branch contains the current released code
451
Releases until the final one
452
----------------------------
454
Congratulations - you have made your first release. Have a beer
455
or fruit juice - it's on the house! If it was a beta, or
456
candidate, you're not finished yet. Another beta or candidate or
457
hopefully a final release is still to come.
459
The process is the same as for the first release. Goto `Doing a
460
particular release`_ and follow the instructions again. Some details change
461
between beta, candidate and final releases, but they should be
462
documented. If the instructions aren't clear enough, please fix them.
465
Getting the release into Ubuntu
466
-------------------------------
468
(Feel free to propose or add new sections here about what we should do to
469
get bzr into other places.)
471
For the currently-under-development release of Ubuntu, no special action
472
is needed: the release should be picked by Debian and synced from there into
475
Releases off stable bzr branches should go in to the ``-updates`` of the
476
Ubuntu release that originally contained that branch. (Ubuntu Lucid had
477
bzr 2.2.0, so should get every 2.2.x update.) This means going through
478
the `SRU (Stable Release Updates)
479
<https://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates>`__ process.
481
As of September 2010, bzr has applied to the technical board to be added
482
to the `MicroReleaseExceptions
483
<https://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates/MicroReleaseExceptions>`__
484
category so that whole bugfix releases can more easily be approved.
486
**After making a bzr stable-release release, nominate the most serious bug
487
for the appropriate Ubuntu release and subscribe the `ubuntu-sru` team.**
489
This requires a couple of tricks (please reconsider and tweak as things
490
evolves from one release to the other):
492
* create a distro task with the ``Also affects distribution`` button and
493
select ``bzr (Ubuntu)``.
495
* change the *URL* to point to ``ubuntu/+source/bzr`` instead of ``bzr``
496
(this is needed if you create the distro task but not if it exists
497
already). You should now be able to click the ``Nominate for release``
498
button and select the right Ubuntu release. As of September 2010, this
501
* ``maverick`` for the 2.2 series,
502
* ``lucid`` for the 2.1 series,
503
* ``karmic`` for the 2.0 series.
505
* Subscribe the ``~ubuntu-sru`` team to the bug.
507
* Add a comment targeted to ``~ubuntu-sru`` explaining the expectations
508
(we are targeting running the test suite during the build which, as of
509
September 2010, fails for known reasons that are currently addressed).
510
Search for bugs tagged with ``sru`` for examples and don't forget to tag
511
the bug you selected.
517
* `Packaging into the bzr PPA <ppa.html>`_ to make and publish Ubuntu
519
* `Bazaar Developer Document Catalog <index.html>`_
520
* `Development cycles <cycle.html>`_: things that happen during the cycle
521
before the actual release.
524
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added
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doc/developers/releasing.txt
