/** @page releases Release Processes This page provides an introduction to the OpenOCD Release Processes: - @ref releasewhy - Explain the motivations for producing releases on a regular basis. - @ref releasewho - Describes the responsibilities and authority required to produce official OpenOCD releases. - @ref releasewhen - Provides guidelines for scheduling activities for each release cycle. - @ref releasehow - Outlines all of the steps for the processes used to produce and release the package source archives. - @ref releasescript - Introduces the automated @c release.sh script. @section releasewhy Why Produce Releases? The OpenOCD maintainers produce releases periodically for many reasons. This section provides the key reasons for making releases on a regular basis and why a set of release processes should be used to produce them. At any time, source archives can be produced by running make dist in the OpenOCD project tree. With the 0.2.0 release, this command will package the tree into several popular archive formats: openocd-\.{tar.gz,tar.bz2,zip}. If produced properly, these files are suitable for release to the public. When released for users, these archives present several important advantages when contrasted to using the Subversion repository trunk: -# They allow others to package and distribute the code. -# They build easier for developers, because they contain a working configure script that was produced by the Release Manager. -# They prevent users from trying a random HEAD revision of the trunk. -# They free developers from answering questions about trunk breakage. Hopefully, this shows several good reasons to produce regular releases, but the release processes were developed with some additional design goals in mind. Specifically, the releases processes should have the following properties: -# Produce successive sets of archives cleanly and consistently. -# Implementable as a script that automates the critical steps. -# Prevent human operators from producing broken packages, when possible. -# Allow scheduling and automation of building and publishing milestones. The current release processes are documented in the following sections. They attempt to meet these design goals, but there may improvements remaining to be made toward automating the process. @section releaseversions Release Versions The OpenOCD version string is composed of three numeric components separated by two decimal points: @c x.y.z, where @c x is the @a major version number, @c y is the @a minor number, and @c z is the @a micro. For a bug-fix release, the micro version number will be non-zero (z > 0). For a minor release, the micro version number will be zero (z = 0). For a major releases, the minor version will @a also be zero (y = 0, z = 0). @subsection releaseversiontags Version Tags After these required numeric components, the version string may contain one or more version tags, such as '-rc1' or '-dev'. The trunk and all branches should have the tag '-dev' in their version number. This tag helps developers identify reports created from the Subversion repository, and it can be detected and manipulated by the release script. Specifically, this tag will be removed and re-added during the release process; it should never be manipulated by developers in submitted patches. The 'rc' tags indicate a "release candidate" version of the package. This tag will also be manipulated by the automated release process. Additional tags may be used as necessary. @subsection releaseversionsdist Packager Versions Distributors of patched versions of OpenOCD are encouraged to extend the version string with a unique version tag when producing external releases, as this helps to identify your particular distribution series. For example, the following command will add a 'foo1' tag to the configure.in script of a local copy of the source tree: @code tools/release.sh version bump tag foo @endcode This command will modify the configure.in script in your working copy only. After running the @c bootstrap sequence, the tree can be patched and used to produce your own derived versions. The same command can be used each time the derived package is released, incrementing the tag's version to facilitate tracking the changes you have distributed. @subsection releaseversionhow Version Processes The release process includes version number manipulations to the tree being released, ensuring that all numbers are incremented at the right time and in the proper locations of the repository. The version numbers for any branch should increase monotonically to the next successive integer, except when reset to zero during major or minor releases. The community should decide when major and minor milestones will be released. @section releasewho Release Manager OpenOCD archive releases will be produced by an individual filling the role of Release Manager, hereafter abbreviated as RM. This individual determines the schedule and executes the release processes for the community. @subsection releasewhohow RM Authority Each release requires one individual to fulfill the RM role; however, graceful transitions of this authority may take place at any time. The current RM may transfer their authority to another contributor in a post to the OpenOCD development mailing list. Such delegation of authority must be approved by the individual that will receive it and the community of maintainers. Initial arrangements with the new RM should be made off-list, as not every contributor wants these responsibilities. @subsection releasewhowhat RM Responsibilities In addition to the actual process of producing the releases, the RM is responsible for keeping the community informed of all progress through the release cycle(s) being managed. The RM is responsible for managing the changes to the package version, though the release tools should manage the tasks of adding or removing any required development branch tags and incrementing the version. @section releasewhen Release Schedule The OpenOCD release process must be carried out on a periodic basis, so the project can realize the benefits presented in answer to the question, @ref releasewhy. Starting with the 0.2.0 release, the OpenOCD project should produce a new minor release every month or two, with a major release once a year. Bug fix releases could be provided more frequently. These release schedule goals may be adjusted in the future, after the project maintainers and distributors receive feedback and experience. More importantly, the statements made in this section do not create an obligation by any member of the OpenOCD community to produce new releases on regular schedule, now or in the future. @subsection releasewhenexample Sample Schedule The RM must pro-actively communicate with the community from the beginning of the development cycle through the delivery of the new release. This section presents guidelines for scheduling key points where the community must be informed of changing conditions. If T is the time of the next release, then the following schedule might describe some of the key milestones of the new release cycle: - T minus one month: start of new development cycle - T minus two weeks: announce pending trunk closure to new work - T minus one week: close trunk to new work, begin testing phase - T minus two days: call for final bug fixes - T minus one day: produce -rc packages and distribute to testers - T minus one hour: produce final packages and post on-line - T minus zero: Announce the release to our mailing list and the world. Some additional supplemental communication will be desirable. The above list omits the step-by-step instructions to daily release management. Individuals performing release management need to have the ability to interact proactively with the community as a whole, anticipating when such interaction will be required and giving ample notification. The next section explains why the OpenOCD project allows significant flexibility in the part of the development that precedes the release process. @note The OpenOCD project does not presently produce -rc packages. As such, the step suggested in the list above should be read as trying to stimulate others to test the project build and packaging on as many platforms as possible. This proposition will be palatable once release management tools have been committed to the tree. @subsection releasewhenflex Schedule Flexibility The Release Manager should attempt to follow the guidelines in this document, but the process of scheduling each release milestone should be community driven at the start. By the end, missing features that were scheduled for a release must be dropped by the Release Manager, rather than allowing the release cycle to be delayed while waiting for them. Despite any assurances this schedule may appear to give, the Release Manager cannot schedule the work that will be done on the project, when it will be submitted, reviewed, and deemed suitable to be committed. In this way, the RM cannot act as a priest in a cathedral; OpenOCD uses the bazaar development model. The release schedule must adapt continuously in response to changes in the rate of churn. In particular, the suggested period of "one or two month" reflects some expectation of a fairly high rate of development. Fewer releases may be required if developers contribute less patches, and more releases may be desirable if the project continues to grow and experience high rates of community contribution. During each cycle, the RM should be tracking the situation and gathering feedback from the community. @section releasehow Release Process: Step-by-Step The release process may require a few iterations to work out any bugs. Even with the release script, some steps require clear user intervention -- and not only by the Release Manager. The following steps should be followed to produce each release: -# Produce final patches to the trunk (or release branch): -# Finalize @c NEWS file to describe the changes in the release - This file is Used to automatically post "blurbs" about the project. - This material should be produced during the development cycle. - Add a new item for each @c NEWS-worthy contribution, when committed. -# bump library version if our API changed (not yet required) -# Remove -dev tag from package version in configure.in: - For major/minor releases, remove version tag from trunk, @a or - For bug-fix releases, remove version tag from release branch. -# Branch or tag the required tree in the Subversion repository: - Tags and branches for releases must be named consistently: @par "${PACKAGE_TARNAME}-${PACKAGE_VERSION}" - For a major/minor release from the main trunk, the code should be branched and tagged in the repository: @verbatim svn cp .../trunk .../branches/${RELEASE_BRANCH} svn cp .../branches/${RELEASE_BRANCH} .../tags/${RELEASE_TAG} @endverbatim - For bug-fix releases produced in their respective branch, a tag should be created in the repository: @verbatim svn cp .../branches/${RELEASE_BRANCH} .../tags/${RELEASE_TAG} @endverbatim -# Prepare to resume normal development activities: - Archive @c NEWS file as doc/news/NEWS-${PACKAGE_VERSION}. - Create a new @c NEWS file for the next release - For major/minor release from the trunk: -# Bump major or minor package version in trunk. -# Restore version tag to trunk and release branch. - For bug-fix releases from a release branch: -# Bump bug-fix version in release branch. -# Restore version tag to release branch. -# Produce the package source archives: -# Start with a clean working copy, used for producing releases only. -# Switch to release tag branch: svn switch .../${RELEASE_TAG} -# Produce a ChangeLog for the release (using svn2cl). -# @c bootstrap, @c configure, and @c make the package. -# Run make distcheck to produce the distribution archives. -# Run make maintainer-clean verify the repository is empty. -# Create signature files using md5sum, sha1sum, etc. -# Publish documentation for the release: - Allow users to access the documentation for each of our releases. - Place static copies of the following files on the project website: - @c NEWS: to provide a blurb for each release - @c ChangeLog: to show exactly what has been changed - User Guide, Developer Manual: to allow easy on-line viewing -# Upload packages and post announcements of their availability: -# Release packages into files section of berliOS project site: -# Create the new release for the new version. -# Provide @c NEWS and ChangeLog files, as requested. -# Upload files via FTP to ftp://ftp.berlios.de/incoming/ -# Edit descriptions for each file. -# Send E-mail Release Notice -# Post announcement e-mail to the openocd-development list. -# Announce updates on freshmeat.net and other trackers. -# Submit big updates to news feeds (e.g. Digg, Reddit, etc.). @section releasescript The Release Script Many of the processes described in the last section are no longer entrusted to humans. Instead, the @c release.sh script provides automation of the mechanical steps. Presently, the @c release.sh script automates steps 1(c) through 4, allowing the Release Manager from perform these tasks in easy steps. The following task still need to be automated: - Step 5: produce documentation for website using released source archive. - Step 6(a): package archive upload process. - Step 6(b): package announcement e-mail process. - Step 6(c): post files and announce them using releaseforge. In addition, support for '-rc' releases needs to be added. @subsection releasescriptcmds Release Script Commands The following output was taken from the release script: @verbatim usage: tools/release.sh [options] Main Commands: info Show a summary of the next pending release. release Release the current tree as an archive. upload Upload archives to berliOS project site Build Commands: bootstrap Prepare the working copy for configuration and building. configure Configures the package; runs bootstrap, if needed. build Compiles the project; runs configure, if needed. Packaging Commands: changelog Generate a new ChangeLog using svn2cl. package Produce new distributable source archives. stage Move archives to staging area for upload. Repository Commands: commit Perform branch and tag, as appropriate for the version. branch Create a release branch from the project trunk. tag Create a tag for the current release branch. Other Commands: version ... Perform version number and tag manipulations. clean Forces regeneration of results. clean_all Removes all traces of the release process. help Provides this list of commands. For more information about this script, see the Release Processes page in the OpenOCD Developer's Manual (doc/manual/release.txt). WARNING: This script should be used by the Release Manager ONLY. @endverbatim Run tools/release.sh help for current command support. @subsection releasescriptopts Release Script Options The @c release.sh script recognizes some command-line options that affect its behavior: - @c --live : Use this option to perform a live release. When this option has been given, the release commands will affect the repository; otherwise, the script reports the actions to take, and it produces archives that are unsuitable for public release. @note Only the Release Manager should use the @c --live option, as it will make permanent changes to the Subversion repository that cannot be undone. @subsection releasescriptenv Release Script Environment The @c release.sh script recognizes some environment variables which affect its behavior: - @c CONFIG_OPTS : Passed as options to the configure script. - @c MAKE_OPTS : Passed as options to the 'make' processes. @section releasetutorial Release Tutorials This section provides tutorials for using the Release Script to perform common release tasks. @subsection releasetutorialsetup Release Tutorial Setup The tutorials in this section assume the following environment variables have been set properly: @verbatim SVN_USER="maintainer" SVN_URL="https://${SVN_USER}@svn.berlios.de/svnroot/repos/openocd" @endverbatim @subsection releasetutorialminor Minor Release Tutorial This section provides a step-by-step tutorial for a Release Manager to use to run the @c release.sh script to produce a minor release. If the proper environment has been set, the following steps will produce a new minor release: -# Check out (or update) the project trunk from the berliOS repository: @code svn checkout "${SVN_URL}/trunk" openocd-trunk @endcode -# Change to the new working copy directory: @code cd openocd-trunk @endcode -# Run @c release.sh to produce the minor release: @code tools/release.sh all @endcode @subsection releasetutorialmicro Bug-Fix Release Tutorial This section provides a step-by-step tutorial for a Release Manager to use to run the @c release.sh script to produce a bug-fix release. In addition to the environment variables described in the introduction to these tutorials, the following variables are also used in the instructions for this section: @verbatim PACKAGE_BRANCH_VERSION="x.y.z" PACKAGE_BRANCH="openocd-${PACKAGE_BRANCH_VERSION}" @endverbatim If the proper environment has been set, the following steps will produce a new bug-fix release: -# Check out (or update) the release branch from the project repository: @code svn checkout "${SVN_URL}/branches/${PACKAGE_BRANCH}" "${PACKAGE_BRANCH}" @endcode @code cd "${PACKAGE_BRANCH}" @endcode -# Run @c release.sh to produce the bug-fix release: @code tools/release.sh all @endcode @section releasetodo Release Script Shortcomings Improved automated packaging and distribution of OpenOCD requires more patching of the configure script. The final release script should be able to manage most steps of the processes. The steps requiring user input could be guided by an "assistant" that walks the Release Manager through the process from beginning to end, performing basic sanity checks on their various inputs (e.g. the @c NEWS blurb). */ /** @file This file contains the @ref releases page. */