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 the
6
`overall development cycle
7
<http://doc.bazaar.canonical.com/developers/cycle.html>`_, (go re-read this
8
document to ensure it hasn't been updated since you last read it) but it's
11
If you're doing your first release you can follow this document and read
12
each step explanation. It's also a good practice to read it for any release
13
to ensure you don't miss a step and to update it as the release process
16
If you're helping the Release Manager (RM) for one reason or another, you
17
may notice that he didn't follow that document scrupulously. He may have
18
good reasons to do that but he may also have missed some parts.
26
#. PQM access rights (or you won't be able to land any change)
28
#. Download the pqm plugin and install it into your ``~/.bazaar/plugins``::
30
bzr branch lp:bzr-pqm ~/.bazaar/plugins/pqm
32
#. Alternatively, you can download and install ``lp:hydrazine`` (the main
33
difference is that hydrazine requires the branch to land to be hosted on
39
In this document, we're talking about source releases only, packages and
40
installers are built from this but we won't talk about them here.
42
Every release is part of a series, ``bzr-2.4.1`` is part of series ``2.4``.
44
We do two different kind of releases: the betas releases and the stable
45
releases for a given series.
47
For a given series, releases will be done to deliver new versions of bzr to
48
different kinds of users:
50
#. beta releases: named ``x.ybn`` where ``x.y`` is the series and ``n``
51
starts at 1 and is incremented. These releases are targeted to beta
52
testers who don't want to run from source but are interested in features
55
#. stable releases: name ``x.y.z`` where ``x.y.`` is the series and ``z``
56
starts at 1 and is incremented. These releases are targeted at people
57
that want bugfixes only and no new features.
60
Differences in the release process between beta and stable release will be
61
mentioned when needed.
66
As of July 2011, we maintain four series (and one that is about to be EOLed).
67
Concurrently releasing them all at the same time makes it harder to shorten
68
the delay between the source availability and the package building longer
69
than necessary (we delay the official announcement until most of our users
70
can install the new release).
72
In order to continue to do time-based releases, we need to plan the
73
releases by series to minimize the collisions. In the end, it's the Release
74
Manager call to decide whether he prefers to do all releases at once
75
though, so the rules presented here are a conservative approach.
77
We want to respect the following rules:
79
#. as much as possible releases should not disturb development, and
80
ongoing development should not disturb releases,
82
#. the most recent development series should release once a month during
83
the beta period (see `Development cycles <cycle.html>`_ for more
86
#. the most recent stable series should release every other month (based
87
on the amount of bug fixes, this can be shorter or longer depending on
90
#. previous series should release on a regular basis without interfering
91
with the most recent series with a decreasing order of priority (again
92
this should be based on bugs importance and user feedback),
94
#. the death of a series should be planned ahead of time. 6 months should
95
give enough time to our users to migrate to a more recent series. This
96
doesn't mean we will make a release at the end of the series, just that
97
before the end date we *could* possibly put out another release if
98
there was a sufficiently important fix. Beyond that date, we won't
99
even land changes on that branch (unless something causes a miraculous
102
#. there should not be more than 2 releases in the same week (but the
103
Release Manager is free to ignore this (get in touch with packagers
106
#. the series are aligned with Ubuntu releases for convenience since we
107
create a new series every 6 months. This means that we support the
108
stable series for 18 months. Note that we also propose the most recent
109
stable series via the stable PPA but that the SRU processs allow us to
110
reach a wider audience.
112
At the start of a series cycle
113
==============================
115
To start a new series cycle:
117
#. Create a new series ``x.y`` at <https://launchpad.net/bzr/+addseries>.
119
#. Add milestones at <https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/+addmilestone> to that
120
series for the beta releases and the stable series mentioning their
121
expected dates. Only the milestone associated to the next release in
122
this series should be left active to avoid clutter when targeting bugs.
124
#. If you made a new series, you will need to create a new pqm-controlled
125
branch for this release series. This branch will be used only from the
126
first non-beta release onwards. It needs to be created by a Canonical
127
sysadmin (ask the core devs for instructions or to do it for you).
129
#. Start a new release-notes file::
131
cd doc/en/release-notes
132
cp series-template.txt bzr-x.y.txt # e.g. bzr-2.3.txt
135
#. Start a new whats-new file::
138
cp template.txt bzr-x.y.txt # e.g. bzr-2.6.txt
142
At the start of a release cycle
143
===============================
145
To start a new release cycle:
147
#. Send mail to the list with the key dates, who will be the release
148
manager, and the main themes or targeted bugs. Ask people to nominate
149
objectives, or point out any high-risk things that are best done early,
150
or that interact with other changes. This is called the metronome mail
151
and is described in `Development cycles <cycle.html>`_.
153
#. Make a local branch to prepare the release::
155
bzr branch lp:bzr/x.y x.y-dev
157
If you're doing your first beta release, branch from trunk::
159
bzr branch lp:bzr x.y-dev
161
Note that you will generally reuse the same branch for all releases in a
164
#. Configure pqm-submit for this branch, with a section like this (where
165
``x.y`` is the series for your release). **Or use hydrazine for easier
166
setup** ``~/.bazaar/locations.conf``::
168
[/home/mbp/bzr/x.y-dev]
169
pqm_email = Canonical PQM <pqm@bazaar-vcs.org>
170
submit_branch = http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~bzr-pqm/bzr/x.y
171
parent_branch = http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~bzr-pqm/bzr/x.y
172
public_branch = http://bazaar.example.com/x.y-dev
173
submit_to = bazaar@lists.canonical.com
174
smtp_server = mail.example.com:25
176
Please see <http://doc.bazaar.canonical.com/developers/HACKING.html#an-overview-of-pqm>
177
for more details on PQM
179
#. Update the version number in the ``bzr`` script, and the
180
``bzrlib/__init__.py`` file::
182
version_info = (x, y, z, 'dev', 0)
184
#. Add a new section at the top of the current release notes (in
185
``doc/en/release-notes``) about the new release, including its version
186
number and the headings from ``release-template.txt``.
188
#. Update the "What's New" documents in ``doc/en/whats-new``.
190
#. Make sure a milestone exists for your release and that it is active,
191
<https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y> lists the existing milestones,
192
<https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/x.y.z/+edit> allows you to toggle the
195
#. Commit this and send it to PQM.
198
Doing a particular release
199
==========================
201
Update the source code
202
----------------------
204
#. Check that there is a milestone for the release you're doing. If there
205
is no milestone it indicates a process problem - make the milestone but
206
also mail the list to raise this issue in our process. Milestones are
207
found at <https://launchpad.net/bzr/+milestone/x.y.z>.
209
#. Merge into your branch all previous stable series fixes that haven't been
210
merged yet. For example, if you're releasing 2.5.x, make sure the fixes
211
on 2.4, 2.3, etc have already been merged up::
215
and commit that merge in its own commit. This should happen only if the
216
devs landing changes in previous releases forgot to merge them up. Since
217
this can slow down the freeze, feel free to gently remind them about
218
their duties ;) If you feel unsafe resolving the conflicts or it's too
219
time consuming, contact the related devs and skip this merge.
221
#. In the release branch, update ``version_info`` in ``./bzrlib/__init__.py``.
222
Make sure the corresponding milestone exists.
223
Double check that ./bzr ``_script_version`` matches ``version_info``. Check
224
the output of ``./bzr --version``.
226
For beta releases use::
228
version_info = (2, 1, 0, 'beta', SERIAL)
232
version_info = (2, 1, 0, 'beta', 1)
234
For stable releases use::
236
version_info = (2, 1, 2, 'final', 0)
238
#. Update the ``./doc/en/release-notes/`` section for this release.
240
Check that all news entries related to this release have been added in
241
the right section. For example, if you're releasing 2.5b2, the following
242
command should display a a single chuk diff for the 2.5b2 release::
244
bzr diff -rbzr-2.5b1.. doc/en/release-notes/bzr-2.5.txt
246
Fill out the date and a description of the release under the existing
247
header (the diff above will help you summarizing). If there isn't one,
248
follow the instructions above for using the ``release-template.txt`` file
249
and remind people that they should document their changes there ;)
251
See *2.1.1* or similar for an example of what this looks like.
253
#. Add or check the summary of the release into the "What's New" document.
255
#. To check that all bugs mentioned in the release notes are actually
256
marked as closed in Launchpad, you can run
257
``tools/check-newsbugs.py``::
259
./tools/check-newsbugs.py doc/en/release-notes/bzr-x.y.txt
261
As of 2011-07-18, all bugs mentioned in the output of the script requires
262
some sort of intervention (either changing the status if it's not 'Fix
263
Released' or setting a different milestone if the bug hasn't been
264
fixed). A few false positives may remain in the older series, don't let
265
this slow you down too much. This script accepts options you may find
266
useful, use ``./tools/check-newsbugs.py`` to display its usage (``-w``
267
will open each bug in your browser for example).
269
#. For beta releases update the translation template::
273
This is especially important for the final beta release which is
274
when translations are frozen and translators are requested to make
277
#. For stable releases update the translations::
279
bzr merge lp:~bzr-core/bzr/bzr-translations-export-x.y
281
#. Commit these changes to the release branch, using a command like::
283
bzr commit -m "Release 2.3.1"
285
The diff before you commit will be something like::
287
=== modified file 'bzrlib/__init__.py'
288
--- bzrlib/__init__.py 2011-02-09 06:35:00 +0000
289
+++ bzrlib/__init__.py 2011-03-10 10:24:47 +0000
291
# Python version 2.0 is (2, 0, 0, 'final', 0)." Additionally we use a
292
# releaselevel of 'dev' for unreleased under-development code.
294
-version_info = (2, 3, 1, 'dev', 0)
295
+version_info = (2, 3, 1, 'final', 0)
297
# API compatibility version
298
api_minimum_version = (2, 3, 0)
300
=== modified file 'doc/en/release-notes/bzr-2.3.txt'
301
--- doc/en/release-notes/bzr-2.3.txt 2011-03-09 08:30:16 +0000
302
+++ doc/en/release-notes/bzr-2.3.txt 2011-03-10 10:40:47 +0000
307
-:2.3.1: NOT RELEASED YET
309
-External Compatibility Breaks
310
-*****************************
312
-.. These may require users to change the way they use Bazaar.
317
-.. New commands, options, etc that users may wish to try out.
322
-.. Improvements to existing commands, especially improved performance
323
- or memory usage, or better results.
326
+This is a bugfix release. Upgrading is recommended for all users of earlier
332
=== modified file 'doc/en/whats-new/whats-new-in-2.3.txt'
333
--- doc/en/whats-new/whats-new-in-2.3.txt 2011-02-03 16:29:18 +0000
334
+++ doc/en/whats-new/whats-new-in-2.3.txt 2011-03-10 11:10:36 +0000
336
improvements made to the core product, it highlights enhancements within the
337
broader Bazaar world of potential interest to those upgrading.
339
-Bazaar 2.3.0 is fully compatible both locally and on the network with 2.0 2.1,
340
-and 2.2, and can read and write repositories generated by all previous
341
+Bazaar 2.3.1 includes all the fixes in the un-released 2.0.7, 2.1.4 and 2.2.5
342
+versions that weren't included in 2.3.0 and fixes some bugs on its own.
344
+See the :doc:`../release-notes/index` for details.
346
+Bazaar 2.3 is fully compatible both locally and on the network with 2.0, 2.1,
347
+and 2.2. It can read and write repositories generated by all previous
353
#. Tag the new release::
357
#. Push those changes to a bzr branch that is public and accessible on the
358
Internet. PQM will pull from this branch when it attempts to merge your
359
changes. Then submit those changes to PQM for merge into the appropriate
363
bzr pqm-submit -m "(vila) Release 2.3.1 (Vincent Ladeuil)"
367
bzr lp-propose -m "Release 1.14" --approve lp:bzr/1.14
370
#. When PQM succeeds, pull down the master release branch.
373
Making the source tarball
374
-------------------------
376
#. Change into the source directory and run ::
380
#. Now we'll try expanding this tarball and running the test suite
381
to check for packaging problems::
383
make check-dist-tarball | subunit2pyunit
385
You may encounter failures while running the test suite caused by your
386
locally installed plugins. Use your own judgment to decide if you can
387
release with these failures. When in doubt, disable the faulty plugins
388
one by one until you get no more failures. Alternatively, you can use
389
``BZR_DISABLE_PLUGINS`` or ``BZR_PLUGIN_PATH=-site`` to disable one or
392
Until <http://pad.lv/839461> is fixed, you may encounter issues if you
393
cut a release for old stable branches (<= 2.2) and use a more recent
394
OS/distro. If that's the case, check the bug status and use the following
395
workaround if no fix is available::
397
export TTPATH=<local branch of lp:testtools -r 0.9.2>
398
export SUPATH=<local branch of lp:subunit -r 0.0.6>
399
PYTHONPATH=$TTPATH:$SUPATH/python PATH=$SUPATH/filters:${PATH} BZR_PLUGIN_PATH=-site make check-dist-tarball PYTHON=python2.6 | subunit2pyunit
401
Remember that PQM has just tested everything too, this step is
402
particularly testing that the pyrex extensions, which are updated
403
by your local pyrex version when you run make dist, are in good
407
Publishing the source tarball
408
-----------------------------
410
#. Go to the relevant <https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y> series page in Launchpad.
412
#. Create a release of the milestone, and upload the source tarball and
413
the GPG signature. Or, if you prefer, use the
414
``tools/packaging/lp-upload-release`` script to do this. Note that
415
this changes what the download widget on the Launchpad bzr home
416
page shows, so don't stop the release process yet, or platform binary
417
installers won't be made and the download list will stay very small!
418
<https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/586445>
421
Kick off the next cycle
422
-----------------------
424
From that point, there is no possible return, the tarball has been uploaded
425
so you can relax a bit.
427
You're still holding a "social" lock on the launchpad branch though. Until
428
your start the next cycle, nobody should land anything on this branch. If
429
they do, they either targeted the wrong branch or didn't update the news
430
file correctly, so the sooner the branch is opened again, the better.
432
This matters more for ``lp:bzr`` than for ``lp:bzr/x.y``, ``lp:bzr`` should
433
always be open for landing, so you should do `At the start of a release
434
cycle`_ as soon as possible (i.e. update the version number in ``bzr`` and
435
``bzrlib/__init__``, create/update the news files and create/update the
436
milestone for the next relase).
438
You may also need to do `At the start of a series cycle`_ if you're starting
441
The final beta - branching and translations
442
-------------------------------------------
444
A word of caution: the instructions above works well for all releases but
445
there is one special case that requires a bit more care: when you release
446
the *last* beta for a given ``x.y`` series (from trunk aka lp:bzr), you need
447
to setup *two* branches for the next cycle:
449
#. ``lp:bzr`` needs to be opened for the next *series* ``x.(y+1)``
451
#. ``lp:bzr/x.y`` needs to be opened for the next *release* ``x.y.0`` in the
452
series. Since this is first real use of ``lp:bzr/x.y``, this is also the
453
deadline for the PQM branch to be created.
455
Both are important as ``lp:bzr`` should remain open so any change can be
456
landed, ``lp:bzr/x.y`` on the other hand should be ready to receive bug
459
``lp:bzr`` is generally more important as the bug fixes on ``lp:bzr/x.y``
460
won't be released sooner than a month from now whereas people may already
461
been waiting to land on ``lp:bzr``.
465
#. Create or update the ``x.y`` PQM branch based on whatever
466
revision you want to release
468
#. Open ``lp:bzr`` for ``x.(y+1)``
470
#. Release ``x.y.0`` from ``lp:bzr/x.y``
472
#. Open ``lp:bzr/x.y`` for bug fixes
474
You also need to ensure Launchpad is set up to import/export
475
translations for the new branch and inform translators.
479
bzr push lp:~bzr-core/bzr/bzr-translations-export-x.y
481
#. On the translations series synchronization settings page
482
<https://translations.launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/+translations-settings>
483
turn on ``Import template files`` then for exports click ``Choose a
484
target branch`` and point it at the branch you just pushed.
486
#. E-mail translators to announce that the forthcoming stable release
487
of bzr is ready for translations. Send to
488
``translators@lists.launchpad.net`` and
489
``ubuntu-translators@lists.ubuntu.com``.
491
#. The series is now frozen for strings and API, see below for adding
492
that to the announcement.
494
Announcing the source freeze
495
----------------------------
497
#. Post to the ``bazaar@lists.canonical.com`` list, saying that the source
498
has been frozen (gone gold). Be extra clear that this is only a *source*
499
release targeted at packagers and installer builders (see
500
<https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/645084>). This is the cue for
501
platform maintainers and plugin authors to update their code. This is
502
done before the general public announcement of the release.
504
The freeze announcement generally guess the date of the official public
505
announcement, for the most recent stable series (the one supported by the
506
installers and most of the distributions) it's generally a few days after
507
the freeze. For older series supported only via SRUs for Ubuntu, we don't
508
control the process as tightly so guessing the date is not appropriate.
510
For the final beta release include in your announcement a notice of
511
API and translation freezes nothing that public methods should not
512
be removed or changed and strings should not be added or changed.
514
#. Pause for a few days.
517
Publishing the release
518
----------------------
520
There is normally a delay of a few days after the source freeze to allow
521
for binaries to be built on various platforms. Once they have been built,
522
we have a releasable product. The next step is to make it generally
523
available to the world.
525
#. Go to the release web page at <https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/x.y.z>
527
#. Announce on the `Bazaar website <http://bazaar.canonical.com/>`_.
528
This page is edited via the lp:bzr-website branch. (Changes
529
pushed to this branch are refreshed by a cron job on escudero.)
531
#. Check that the documentation for this release is available in
532
<http://doc.bazaar.canonical.com>. It should be automatically build when the
533
branch is created, by a cron script ``update-bzr-docs`` on
537
Announcing the release
538
----------------------
540
Now that the release is publicly available, tell people about it.
542
#. Make an announcement mail.
544
For beta releases, this is sent to the ``bazaar@lists.canonical.com`` and
545
``bazaar-announce@lists.canonical.com`` lists.
547
For stable releases (excluding SRUs which are for older stable releases),
548
it should also be cc'd to ``info-gnu@gnu.org``,
549
``python-announce-list@python.org``, ``bug-directory@gnu.org``.
551
In all cases, it is good to set ``Reply-To: bazaar@lists.canonical.com``,
552
so that people who reply to the announcement don't spam other lists.
554
The announce mail will look something like this::
556
Subject: bzr x.y.z released!
558
The Bazaar team is happy to announce availability of a new
559
release of the bzr adaptive version control system.
561
Bazaar <http://bazaar.canonical.com/> is a Canonical project and part
562
of the GNU project <http://gnu.org/> to produce a free operating
565
<<Summary paragraph from news>>
567
Thanks to everyone who contributed patches, suggestions, and
570
Bazaar is now available for download from
571
https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/x.y.z/ as a source tarball; packages
572
for various systems will be available soon.
574
<<release notes from this release back to the last major release>>
576
Feel free to tweak this to your taste.
578
#. Make an announcement through <https://launchpad.net/bzr/+announce>
580
#. Announce on http://freshmeat.net/projects/bzr/
582
This should be done for beta releases and stable releases. If you do not
583
have a Freshmeat account yet, ask one of the existing admins.
585
The purpose here is to point users to the latest stable release
586
(i.e. SRUs are excluded) while still publishing announcements for beta
589
There are several kinds of modifications that could be done there via the
590
``Administration`` box in the lower right area of the page:
592
* Edit the project: This is where most of the URLs proposed in the
593
``Links`` box are edited. This should rarely change except for the URLs
594
related to the latest stable release.
596
* New announcement: When doing a release, put the summary of the release
597
(you can't embed URLs there, the moderation staff remove them). Users
598
can still access the releases notes via the ``Release Notes`` URL in
599
the ``Links`` box in the upper right area of the page. When doing the
600
first stable release in a series, delete the ``Unstable installers``
601
<https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/x.ybn> and ``Unstable source tarball``
602
<http://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/x.ybn/+download/bzr-x.ybn.tar.gz>
603
links. Conversely, when creating the first beta in a development
604
series, create these links again. Check all links when doing other
607
* Set direct download: When releasing a new stable release, this should
608
point to the corresponding launchpad page:
609
<https://launchpad.net/bzr/x.y/x.y.z/>
611
#. Update `<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazaar_(software)>`_ -- this should
612
be done for the stable and beta releases.
614
#. Update the python package index: <http://pypi.python.org/pypi/bzr> - best
617
python setup.py register
619
Remember to check the results afterward -- this should be done for
620
stable releases but not for beta releases nor SRUs.
622
To be able to register the release you must create an account on
623
<http://pypi.python.org/pypi> and have one of the existing owners of
624
the project add you to the group.
627
Merging the released code back to trunk
628
---------------------------------------
630
Merge the release branch back into the trunk. The ``doc/en/release-notes``
631
changes should be merged into the right place because each release series
632
has its own release-notes file, but double-check.
634
If it's not already done, advance the version number in ``bzr`` and
635
``bzrlib/__init__.py``. Submit this back into pqm for bzr.dev.
637
As soon as you change the version number in trunk, make sure you have
638
created the corresponding milestone to ensure the continuity in bug
639
targeting or nominating. Depending on the change, you may even have to
640
create a new series (if your change the major or minor release number), in
641
that case go to `At the start of a series cycle`_ and follow the
642
instructions from there.
645
Releases until the final one
646
----------------------------
648
Congratulations - you have made your first release. Have a beer or fruit
649
juice - it's on the house! If it was a beta, you're not finished
650
yet. Another beta or hopefully a stable release is still to come.
652
The process is the same as for the first release. Goto `Doing a particular
653
release`_ and follow the instructions again. Some details change between
654
beta and stable releases, but they should be documented. If the instructions
655
aren't clear enough, please fix them.
658
Getting the release into Ubuntu
659
-------------------------------
661
(Feel free to propose or add new sections here about what we should do to
662
get bzr into other places.)
664
For the currently-under-development release of Ubuntu, no special action
665
is needed: the release should be picked by Debian and synced from there into
668
Releases off stable bzr branches should go in to the ``-updates`` of the
669
Ubuntu release that originally contained that branch. (Ubuntu Lucid had
670
bzr 2.2.0, so should get every 2.2.x update.) This means going through
671
the `SRU (Stable Release Updates)
672
<https://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates>`__ process.
674
Since September 2010, bzr has received approval by the technical
675
board for the `MicroReleaseExceptions
676
<https://wiki.ubuntu.com/StableReleaseUpdates/MicroReleaseExceptions>`__
677
category so that whole bugfix releases can more easily be
680
Progress on these realeases is tracked on the `SRU wiki
681
<http://wiki.bazaar.canonical.com/UbuntuStableReleaseUpdates>`_
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**After making a bzr stable-release release, nominate the most serious bug
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for the appropriate Ubuntu release and subscribe the `ubuntu-sru` team.**
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This requires a couple of tricks (please reconsider and tweak as things
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evolves from one release to the other):
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* create a distro task with the ``Also affects distribution`` button and
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select ``bzr (Ubuntu)``.
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* change the *URL* to point to ``ubuntu/+source/bzr`` instead of ``bzr``
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(this is needed if you create the distro task but not if it exists
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already). You should now be able to click the ``Nominate for release``
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button and select the right Ubuntu release. As of September 2010, this
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* ``oneiric`` for the 2.4 series,
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* ``natty`` for the 2.3 series,
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* ``maverick`` for the 2.2 series,
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* ``lucid`` for the 2.1 series,
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* Subscribe the ``~ubuntu-sru`` team to the bug.
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* Add a comment targeted to ``~ubuntu-sru`` explaining the expectations
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(we are targeting running the test suite during the build which, as of
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September 2010, fails for known reasons that are currently addressed).
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Search for bugs tagged with ``sru`` for examples and don't forget to tag
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the bug you selected.
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* `Packaging into the bzr PPA <ppa.html>`_ to make and publish Ubuntu
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* `Bazaar Developer Document Catalog <index.html>`_
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* `Development cycles <cycle.html>`_: things that happen during the cycle
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before the actual release.
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doc/developers/releasing.txt
