1 Here are most of the steps we (maintainers) follow when making a release.
3 * start from a clean, up-to-date git directory.
5 git checkout master; git pull
7 * Run ./configure && make maintainer-clean
9 * Ensure that the desired versions of autoconf, automake, bison, etc.
10 are in your PATH. See the buildreq list in bootstrap.conf for
13 * Ensure that you're on "master" with no uncommitted diffs.
14 This should produce no output: git checkout master; git diff
16 * Run bootstrap one last time. This downloads any new translations:
20 FIXME: enable excluded programs like arch? to get their manual pages?
22 * Pre-release testing:
24 Run the following on at least one SELinux-enabled (enforcing) and
25 one non-SELinux system:
28 make -j1 check RUN_VERY_EXPENSIVE_TESTS=yes RUN_EXPENSIVE_TESTS=yes
29 sudo env PATH="$PATH" NON_ROOT_USERNAME=$USER make -k check-root
31 Note the -j1 above. If you use -jN, for larger N, some of the expensive
32 tests are likely to interfere with concurrent performance-measuring or
33 timing-sensitive tests, resulting in spurious failures.
35 If "make distcheck" doesn't run "make syntax-check" for you, then run
40 * Set the date, version number, and release type [stable/alpha/beta] on
41 line 3 of NEWS, commit that, and tag the release by running e.g.,
43 build-aux/do-release-commit-and-tag 8.x stable
45 * Run the following to create release tarballs. Your choice selects the
46 corresponding upload-to destination in the emitted gnupload command.
47 The different destinations are specified in cfg.mk. See the definitions
48 of gnu_ftp_host-{alpha,beta,stable}.
50 # "TYPE" must be stable, beta or alpha
53 * Test the tarball. copy it to a few odd-ball systems and ensure that
54 it builds and passes all tests.
56 * While that's happening, write the release announcement that you will
59 Once all the builds and tests have passed,
61 * Run the gnupload command that was suggested by your "make stable" run above.
63 * Wait a few minutes (maybe up to 30?) and then use the release URLs to
64 download all tarball/signature pairs and use gpg --verify to ensure
65 that they're all valid.
67 * Push the NEWS-updating changes and the new tag:
69 v=$(cat .prev-version)
70 git push origin master tag v$v
72 * Send the gpg-signed announcement mail, e.g.,
75 Cc: coordinator@translationproject.org, coreutils@gnu.org
76 Cc: coreutils-announce@gnu.org
77 Subject: coreutils-8.0 released [stable]
78 Mail-Followup-To: bug-coreutils@gnu.org
80 * Approve the announcement here:
81 http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/admindb/coreutils-announce
83 * Announce it on Savannah, too:
85 https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/coreutils/
86 click on the "submit news", then write something like the following:
87 (If there is no such button, then enable "News" for the project via
88 the Main -> "Select Features" menu item, or via this link:
89 https://savannah.gnu.org/project/admin/editgroupfeatures.php?group=coreutils)
91 Subject: coreutils-8.0 released [stable]
94 ...paste the announcement here...
97 Then go here to approve it:
98 https://savannah.gnu.org/news/approve.php?group=coreutils
100 * After each non-alpha release, update the on-line manual accessible via
102 http://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/
106 build-aux/gnu-web-doc-update