81 lines
3.9 KiB
ReStructuredText
81 lines
3.9 KiB
ReStructuredText
.. _release_managers:
|
|
|
|
**************************
|
|
Release Manager Guidelines
|
|
**************************
|
|
|
|
.. contents:: Topics
|
|
|
|
The release manager's purpose is to ensure a smooth release. To achieve that goal, they need to
|
|
coordinate between:
|
|
|
|
* Developers with commit privileges on the `Ansible GitHub repository <https://github.com/ansible/ansible/>`_
|
|
* Contributors without commit privileges
|
|
* The community
|
|
* Ansible documentation team
|
|
|
|
Pre-releases: what and why
|
|
==========================
|
|
|
|
Pre-releases exist to draw testers. They give people who don't feel comfortable running from source
|
|
control a means to get an early version of the code to test and give us feedback. To ensure we get
|
|
good feedback about a release, we need to make sure all major changes in a release are put into
|
|
a pre-release. Testers must be given time to test those changes before the final release. Ideally we
|
|
want there to be sufficient time between pre-releases for people to install and test one version for
|
|
a span of time. Then they can spend more time using the new code than installing the latest
|
|
version.
|
|
|
|
The right length of time for a tester is probably around two weeks. However, for our three-to-four month
|
|
development cycle to work, we compress this down to one week; any less runs the risk
|
|
of people spending more time installing the code instead of running it. However, if there's a time
|
|
crunch (with a release date that cannot slip), it is better to release with new changes than to hold
|
|
back those changes to give people time to test between. People cannot test what is not released, so
|
|
we have to get those tarballs out there even if people feel they have to install more frequently.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beta releases
|
|
-------------
|
|
|
|
In a beta release, we know there are still bugs. We will continue to accept fixes for these.
|
|
Although we review these fixes, sometimes they can be invasive or potentially destabilize other
|
|
areas of the code.
|
|
|
|
During the beta, we will no longer accept feature submissions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Release candidates
|
|
------------------
|
|
|
|
In a release candidate, we've fixed all known blockers. Any remaining bugfixes are
|
|
ones that we are willing to leave out of the release. At this point we need user testing to
|
|
determine if there are any other blocker bugs lurking.
|
|
|
|
Blocker bugs generally are those that cause significant problems for users. Regressions are
|
|
more likely to be considered blockers because they will break present users' usage of Ansible.
|
|
|
|
The Release Manager will cherry-pick fixes for new release blockers. The release manager will also
|
|
choose whether to accept bugfixes for isolated areas of the code or defer those to the next minor
|
|
release. By themselves, non-blocker bugs will not trigger a new release; they will only make it
|
|
into the next major release if blocker bugs require that a new release be made.
|
|
|
|
The last RC should be as close to the final as possible. The following things may be changed:
|
|
|
|
* Version numbers are changed automatically and will differ as the pre-release tags are removed from
|
|
the versions.
|
|
* Tests and :file:`docs/docsite/` can differ if really needed as they do not break runtime.
|
|
However, the release manager may still reject them as they have the potential to cause
|
|
breakage that will be visible during the release process.
|
|
|
|
.. note:: We want to specifically emphasize that code (in :file:`bin/`, :file:`lib/ansible/`, and
|
|
:file:`setup.py`) must be the same unless there are extraordinary extenuating circumstances. If
|
|
there are extenuating circumstances, the Release Manager is responsible for notifying groups
|
|
which would want to test the code.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ansible release process
|
|
=======================
|
|
|
|
The release process is kept in a `separate document
|
|
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/10EWLkMesi9s_CK_GmbZlE_ZLhuQr6TBrdMLKo5dnMAI/edit#heading=h.ooo3izcel3cz>`_
|
|
so that it can be easily updated during a release. If you need access to edit this, please ask one
|
|
of the current release managers to add you.
|