v21.12 Infrastructure
Taken from https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Creating_a_release_branch#Release_Cycle_Tasks_for_Core_Team_Members:
Edge preparation phase
-
Create an issue where device maintainers can reply back that they will test their device for the new release. => #1276 (closed) -
Announce in the release party chat, that the new pmOS release cycle begins and get everybody excited! -
Point them to the timeline here and ask them to carefully read the tasks on the list, what's marked with @maintainers. -
Point them to the issue you just created.
-
Wait for Alpine
- Wait until Alpine creates their
3.14-stable
branch inaports.git
(or whatever the next release is based on).- Alpine's workflow is setting up new builders and build edge from scratch first, and only after that is done, the new branch gets created. (postmarketOS workflow is the other way around, we create the branch first, then build all packages from there.)
- There is no fixed timeline from when the builders start up to when the branch gets created, typically a few weeks.
- The builder status can be followed at build.alpinelinux.org
Branching phase
-
Check the issue you created earlier. Did all device maintainers reply that they have time or appoint somebody else? If not, can you find somebody? Otherwise we need to drop the device from the release. -
Announce the new phase in the release party chat
pmbootstrap: adjust config
-
add apk-tools min version -
https://pkgs.alpinelinux.org/packages?name=apk-tools&branch=edge -
pmb/config/__init__.py:apk_tools_min_version
-
-
make a new pmbootstrap release now (or soon if now does not make sense). (not checked, release not done yet, let's make one soon) - bpo uses the master branch, so it will be fine without a release, however users will want to try out the new release and may not run master.
pmaports: create branch and initial changes
-
git checkout -b vXX.YY master
-
Create a === Branch vXX.YY from master ===
commit (third line:Related: https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Create_release_branch
)-
Remove channels.cfg (should only be in master) -
Change channel=edge
tochannel=vXX.YY
in pmaports.cfg -
replace master
in .gitlab-ci.yml (example)
-
-
git push
-
'''protect the new release branch in gitlab''', so nobody can force-push to it
pmaports: update master branch
-
git checkout master
-
add the new branch to channels.cfg, like this -
git push
pmaports: update os-release / remove packages / aportgen
-
git checkout vXX.YY
-
set version info for /etc/os-release in main/postmarketos-base/rootfs-etc-os-release
, bump pkgrel and commit -
remove packages: -
device/testing, device/unmaintained -
cross/-armhf, cross/-x86 -
cross/gcc4*, main/gcc4, cross/gcc6*, main/gcc6 -
main/postmarketos-ui-asteroid (no smartwatches are useful on stable branches at the moment)
-
-
run pmbootstrap aportgen
for packages in cross- may not be necessary if the branch was just created, since the packages on edge and the new stable branch will be the same
-
git push
bpo: adjust config
-
add the branch to the build.postmarketos.org config bpo/config/const/__init__.py:branches
- for x86_64 only
- ignore_errors: True
- add it below
branches["master"]
, so it builds with lower priority than master until it's released
-
restart bpo, it will start building x86_64 packages
bootstrap of binary packages
-
fix failing x86_64 packages - '''Patches need to go through edge first, then get backported to the stable branch!'''
- Try to get build fixes merged to edge quickly, ask for reviews in #postmarketos-devel, and consider merging trivial fixes right after they pass CI.
-
wait until all packages for x86_64 are built and published -
after x86_64 is published, activate armv7, aarch64 arches in bpo (if you activate them before, the builds will fail due to missing cross compilers!) -
fix up ARM packages too -
wait until all packages for ARM are built and published
Images: config & issue
-
update bpo's images config to build images for the new branch for all devices in community and main, except for: -
qemu-* -
arrow-db410c -
compare with devices in #1276 (closed), make sure pmaports.git devices matches that list
-
-
create an issue in pmaports with a checklist of devices in main and community -
tag the maintainers of each device -
ask them to verify that the images work as expected - #1331 (closed)
-
Adjust CI
-
disable x86, armhf in .gitlab-ci.yml on the release branch -
make sure pmaports.git CI runs through on the new branch. Examples of why it might fail: -
one postmarketos-ui package has a package from alpine testing in their _pmb_recommends. -
remove the UI if it is not used much (can bring it back on demand) or fork the package to the new branch -
consider fixing it in edge, so we don't run into this with the next release
-
-
-
adjust monitoring to run on the new release and make sure it passes
Testing and fixing phase
-
Announce the new phase in the release party chat (this one is especially important for all the maintainers!) - and ask them to do the testing within one week, as in the timeline. -
Prioritize merging fixes from maintainers (they do the heavy lifting in the testing and fixing phase, see timetable) -
Make sure to properly cherry pick fixes from MRs to edge, if they are intended for the upcoming release -
add new version to the pmaports gitlab issue template
Building phase
-
Did everybody test their devices? If not, we need to drop them. -
Announce the new phase in the release party chat -
Make sure all fixes are in -
Make sure new images are generated with the fixes (unless it's a fix for something that doesn't impact the experience much and is fine to get with the first update after installing)
Release phase
-
Try to plan a "release party" conference call date, to take place when the blog post is out. -
Announce the new phase in the release party chat, together with the planned date of blog post release.
No more WIP
-
bpo: configure the new branch to be not WIP anymore -
ensure that a pmbootstrap release been made with the apk-tools min version change
Write blog post
-
look at previous release blog posts for inspiration, then prepare a MR with the following changes. -
update config/download.py in postmarketos.org.git: -
latest_release(_title) -
update devices and categories. only list the ones where we actually build images.
-
-
-
write a blog post for the new release: -
Highlight major changes since the last release -
Mention new devices, and total list of devices -
Count devices that have their own wiki page as separate device -
E.g. OnePlus 6, 6T are two devices (two wiki pages), but variants of "Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015)" are one device (one wiki page) -
Don't count/list devices for which we don't build images (e.g. qemu-amd64, Arrow DragonBoard 410c)
-
-
Explain upgrade path (basically Upgrade release this page for now) -
Adjust the homepage config to point to the new release in the downloads page -
Add some cool photos (Martijn takes great photos, maybe ask him ;) ) -
Submit the blog post as MR to postmarketos.org.git. Make sure the team sees it. -
Wait for reviews
-
Release!
-
Merge the blog post -
Post to mastodon etc. and add the comment links at the bottom -
Edit channels.cfg, change descriptions: -
New release: "Latest release / Recommended for best stability" -
Old release: "Old release (supported until YYYY-MM-DD)" (one month from date of the release)
-
-
Update the Releases wiki page -
Move the new release to the list of active releases, link to the blog post -
Add a supported until date for the old release (but keep in the "active" list for now)
-
-
Update "Default description template for issues" in pmaports -
https://gitlab.com/postmarketOS/pmaports/edit -
In "On what postmarketOS version did you encounter the issue?", change: -
previous release: add " (supported until YYYY-MM-DD)" -
add the new release
-
-
-
Put a reminder in your calendar to drop support for the old release in one month (see below) -
Ping Martijn to add the branch to pkgs.postmarketos.org config -
Do the conference call in jitsi and celebrate the release :)
Dropping phase
A month after a new release has been published:
-
Announce the new phase in the release party chat -
drop the old release from monitoring -
bpo: configure images so they don't get built for the old release anymore -
bpo: cleanup the bpo images config: drop outdated (renamed) device ports (!2431 (merged)), drop kernel selection for msm8916 devices (!2632 (merged) ) -
bpo: configure branches so we don't try to build packages for old branches anymore -
e.g. on startup all branches are checked for new packages, we should keep the amount of branches that get checked minimal
-
-
pmaports.git channels.cfg: change description: -
"Old release (unsupported)"
-
-
Update Releases, move the release from active to old -
Update "Default description template for issues" in pmaports -
https://gitlab.com/postmarketOS/pmaports/edit -
In "On what postmarketOS version did you encounter the issue?", remove the old release
-
-
Go through issue assigned to the old release -
e.g. https://gitlab.com/postmarketOS/pmaports/-/issues?label_name[]=release-v21.03 -
close or re-label them as it makes sense
-
Edited by Oliver Smith