4 release_managers_guide - Releasing a new version of perl 5.x
6 XXX as of Jul 2009, this file is still a work-in-progress. I think it
7 contains all the actions needed to build a release, but things may have
8 got skipped, and some things could do with polishing. Note that things
9 change each release, there may be new things not covered here, or
10 tools may need updating. DAPM
14 This document describes the series of tasks required - some automatic, some
15 manual - to produce a perl release of some description, be that a snaphot,
16 release candidate, or final release.
18 The release process is primarily executed by the current pumpking.
20 This document both helps as a check-list for the pumpking and is
21 a base for ideas on how the various tasks could be automated or
24 The outline of a typical release cycle is as follows:
26 (5.10.1 is released, and post-release actions have been done)
30 an occasional snapshot is released, that still identifies itself as
35 a few weeks before the release, a number of steps are performed,
36 including bumping the version to 5.10.2
38 ...a few weeks passes...
40 perl-5.10.2-RC1 is released
42 perl-5.10.2 is released
44 post-release actions are performed, including creating new
47 ... the cycle continues ...
52 =head2 Building a snapshot
54 A snapshot is intended to encourage in-depth testing from time-to-time,
55 for example after a key point in the stabilisation of a branch. It
56 requires less steps than a full release, and the version number of perl in
57 the tarball will usually still be the old one.
63 As there are no regular smokes [ XXX yet - please fix?] find out about the
64 state of VMS. If it's bad, think again.
68 Configure and build perl so that you have a Makefile and porting tools:
70 $ ./Configure -Dusedevel -des
80 Commit META.yml if it has changed:
82 $ git commit -m 'Updating META.yml in preparation for release of 5.x.y' META.yml
86 Check that the manifest is sorted and correct:
90 $ perl Porting/manicheck
93 Commit MANIFEST if it has changed:
95 $ git commit -m 'Updating MANIFEST in preparation for release of 5.x.y' MANIFEST
101 If this is a release candidate or final release, add an entry to
102 F<pod/perlhist.pod> with the current date, e.g.
104 5.8.9-RC1 2008-Nov-10
106 Make sure the correct pumpking is listed, and if this is your first time,
107 append your name to C<THE KEEPERS OF THE PUMPKIN>.
111 Build perl, then make sure it passes its own test suite, and installs.
113 $ ./Configure -des -Dusedevel -Dprefix=/tmp/perl-5.x.y-pretest
118 Create a tarball. Use the C<-s> option to specify a suitable suffix for
119 the tarball and directory name:
121 $ cd root/of/perl/tree
123 $ git clean -xdf # make sure perl and git agree on files
125 $ perl Porting/makerel -b -s `git describe` # for a snapshot
126 $ perl Porting/makerel -b -s RC1 # for a release candidate
127 $ perl Porting/makerel -b # for a final release
129 This creates the directory F<../perl-x.y.z-RC1> or similar, copies all
130 the MANIFEST files into it, sets the correct permissions on them,
131 adds DOS line endings to some, then tars it up as
132 F<../perl-x.y.z-RC1.tar.gz>. With C<-b>, it also creates a C<tar.bz2> file.
134 XXX if we go for extra tags and branches stuff, then add the extra details
139 Copy the tarballs (.gz and possibly .bz2) to a web server somewhere you
144 Download the tarball to some other machine. For a release candidate,
145 you really want to test your tarball on two or more different platforms
146 and architectures. The #p5p IRC channel on irc.perl.org is a good place
147 to find willing victims.
151 Check that C<./Configure -des && make all test> works on each test
156 Check that C<./Configure ... && make all test_harness install> works.
160 Check that the output of C<perl -v> and C<perl -V> are as expected,
161 especially as regards version numbers, patch and/or RC levels, and @INC
164 Note that the results may be different without a F<.git/> directory,
165 which is why you should test from the tarball.
169 Bootstrap the CPAN client on the clean install.
175 perl -MCPAN -e'install Inline'
177 Check that your perl can run this:
179 perl -lwe 'use Inline C => "int answer() { return 42;} "; print answer'
183 Bootstrap the CPANPLUS client.
187 Install an XS module.
191 If all is well, announce the snapshot to p5p. (For a release candidate,
192 instead follow the further steps described later.)
196 =head2 Actions prior to the first release candidate
198 A week or two before the first release candidate, there are some additional
199 tasks you should perform (actually, some of these should be done regularly
200 anyway, but they definitely need doing now):
206 Check F<Maintainers.pl> for consistency; both these commands should
209 perl Porting/Maintainers --checkmani
210 perl Porting/Maintainers --checkmani lib/ ext/
214 Ensure that dual-life CPAN modules are synchronised with CPAN. Basically,
217 ./perl -Ilib Porting/core-cpan-diff -a -o /tmp/corediffs
219 to see any inconsistencies between the core and CPAN versions of distros,
220 then fix the core, or cajole CPAN authors as appropriate. See also the
221 C<-d> and C<-v> options for more detail. You'll probably want to use the
222 C<-c cachedir> option to avoid repeated CPAN downloads.
224 To see which core distro versions differ from the current CPAN versions:
226 ./perl -Ilib Porting/core-cpan-diff -x -a
228 if you are making a maint release, run C<core-cpan-diff> on both blead and
229 maint, then diff the two outputs. Compare this with what you expect, and if
230 necessary, fix things up. For example, you might think that both blead
231 and maint are synchronised with a particular CPAN module, but one might
232 have some extra changes.
236 Ensure dual-life CPAN modules are stable, which comes down to:
238 for each module that fails its regression tests on $current
239 did it fail identically on $previous?
240 if yes, "SEP" (Somebody Else's Problem)
241 else work out why it failed (a bisect is useful for this)
243 attempt to group failure causes
245 for each failure cause
246 is that a regression?
247 if yes, figure out how to fix it
248 (more code? revert the code that broke it)
250 (presumably) it's relying on something un-or-under-documented
251 should the existing behaviour stay?
252 yes - goto "regression"
253 no - note it in perldelta as a significant bugfix
254 (also, try to inform the module's author)
258 Similarly, monitor the smoking of core tests, and try to fix.
262 Similarly, monitor the smoking of perl for compiler warnings, and try to
267 Run F<Porting/cmpVERSION.pl> to compare the current source tree with the
268 previous version to check for for modules that have identical version
269 numbers but different contents, e.g.:
271 $ cd ~/some-perl-root
272 $ ./perl -Ilib Porting/cmpVERSION.pl -xd ~/my_perl-tarballs/perl-5.10.0 .
274 then bump the version numbers of any non-dual-life modules that have
275 changed since the previous release, but which still have the old version
276 number. If there is more than one maintenance branch (e.g. 5.8.x, 5.10.x),
277 then compare against both.
279 Note that some of the files listed may be generated (e.g. copied from ext/
280 to lib/, or a script like lib/lib_pm.PL is run to produce lib/lib.pm);
281 make sure you edit the correct file!
283 Once all version numbers have been bumped, re-run the checks.
285 Then run again without the -x option, to check that dual-life modules are
290 Check that files managed by F<regen.pl> and friends are up to date. From
291 within your working directory:
299 If any of the files managed by regen.pl have changed, then you should commit
300 the updated versions:
302 $ git commit -m 'Updated files generated by regen tools for perl 5.x.y' <list of files>
307 Get perldelta in a mostly finished state.
308 Peruse F<Porting/how_to_write_a_perldelta.pod>, and try to make sure that
309 every section it lists is, if necessary, populated and complete. Copy
310 edit the whole document.
314 Bump the perl version number (e.g. from 5.10.0 to 5.10.1).
316 There is a tool to semi-automate this process. It works in two stages.
317 First, it generates a list of suggested changes, which you review and
318 edit; then you feed this list back and it applies the edits. So, first
319 scan the source dir looking for likely candidates:
321 $ Porting/bump-perl-version -s 5.10.0 5.10.1 > /tmp/scan
323 This produces a file containing a list of suggested edits, eg:
327 89: -MODULE_DESC = "Perl 5.10.0 for NetWare"
328 +MODULE_DESC = "Perl 5.10.1 for NetWare"
330 i.e. in the file F<NetWare/Makefile>, line 89 would be changed as shown.
331 Review the file carefully, and delete any -/+ line pairs that you don't
332 want changing. Remember that this tool is largely just grepping for '5.10.0'
333 or whatever, so it will generate false positives. Be careful not change
334 text like "this was fixed in 5.10.0"! Then run:
336 $ Porting/bump-perl-version -u < /tmp/scan
338 which will update all the files shown; then commit the changes.
340 Be particularly careful with F<INSTALL>, which contains a mixture of
341 C<5.10.0>-type strings, some of which need bumping on every release, and
342 some of which need to be left. Also note that this tool currently only
343 performs a single change per line, so in particular, this line in
344 README.vms needs special handling:
346 rename perl-5^.10^.1.dir perl-5_10_1.dir
351 Review and update INSTALL to account for the change in version number;
352 in particular, the "Coexistence with earlier versions of perl 5" section.
356 Update the F<Changes> file to contain the git log command which would show
357 all the changes in this release. You will need assume the existence of a
358 not-yet created tag for the forthcoming release; e.g.
360 git log ... perl-5.10.0..perl5.12.0
362 Due to warts in the perforce-to-git migration, some branches require extra
363 exclusions to avoid other branches being pulled in. Make sure you have the
364 correct incantation: replace the not-yet-created tag with C<HEAD> and see
365 if git log produces roughly the right number of commits across roughly the
371 Check some more build configurations, e.g.
373 -Duseshrplib -Dd_dosuid
376 Check that setuid installs works (for < 5.11.0 only).
377 XXX any other configs?
381 Make sure you have a PAUSE account suitable for uploading a perl release.
382 If you don't have a PAUSE account, then request one:
384 https://pause.perl.org/pause/query?ACTION=request_id
386 Check that your account is allowed to upload perl distros: goto
387 https://pause.perl.org/, login, then select 'upload file to CPAN'; there
388 should be a "For pumpkings only: Send a CC" tickbox. If not, ask Andreas
389 to add your ID to the list of people allowed to upload something called
394 Update F<AUTHORS>, using the C<Porting/checkAUTHORS.pl> script, and if
395 necessary, update the script to include new alias mappings.
397 XXX This script is currently broken (7/2009). It needs updating to work
398 with git and a lack of Changes files.
402 =head2 Building a release candidate
404 (At this point you should already have performed the actions described in
405 L</"Actions prior to the first release candidate">.) You should review
406 that section to ensure that everything there has done, and to see whether
407 any of those actions (such as consistency checks) need to be repeated.
413 Re-read the perldelta to try to find any embarrassing typos and thinkos;
414 remove any C<TODO> or C<XXX> flags; and run through pod and spell
417 podchecker -warnings -warnings pod/perl5101delta.pod
418 spell pod/perl5101delta.pod
422 Update patchlevel.h to add a C<-RC1>-or-whatever string; or, if this is a
423 final release, remove it. [ XXX how now?? see 34813 for old way ]
427 Update C<Module::Corelist>.
429 Note that if this is a maint release, you should run the following actions
430 from the maint directory, but edit the C<Corelist.pm> in I<blead> and
431 subsequently cherry-pick it.
433 corelist.pl uses ftp.funet.fi to verify information about dual-lifed
434 modules on CPAN. It can use a full, local CPAN mirror or fall back
435 to C<wget> or C<curl> to fetch only package metadata remotely.
437 (If you'd prefer to have a full CPAN mirror, see
438 http://www.cpan.org/misc/cpan-faq.html#How_mirror_CPAN)
441 Then change to your perl checkout.
443 If you have a local CPAN mirror, run:
445 $ perl -Ilib Porting/corelist.pl ~/my-cpan-mirror
449 $ perl -Ilib Porting/corelist.pl cpan
451 This will chug for a while. Assuming all goes well, it will
452 update lib/Module/CoreList.pm.
454 Check that file over carefully:
456 $ git diff lib/Module/CoreList.pm
459 If necessary, bump C<$VERSION> (there's no need to do this for
460 every RC; in RC1, bump the version to a new clean number that will
461 appear in the final release, and leave as-is for the later RCs and final).
463 Edit the version number in the new C<< 'Module::CoreList' => 'X.YZ' >>
464 entry, as that is likely to reflect the previous version number.
469 Add or update an entry to the C<%released> hash, including today's date
470 (if this is just a release candidate, set the date to '????-??-??').
472 Finally, commit the new version of Module::CoreList:
474 $ git commit -m 'Updated Module::CoreList for the 5.x.y release' \
475 lib/Module/Corelist.pm
480 Follow the instructions in the section L</"Building a snapshot">, then
481 carry on with the extra steps that follow here.
485 Disarm the patchlevel.h change [ XXX expand ]
489 Wait for the smoke tests to catch up with the commit which this release is
490 based on (or at least the last commit of any consequence).
492 Then check that the smoke tests pass (particularly on Win32). If not, go
498 Once smoking is okay, upload it to PAUSE. This is the point of no return.
499 You may wish to create a .bz2 version of the tarball and upload that too.
503 create a tag [XXX and branches and stuff ????], e.g.:
505 $ git tag perl-5.10.1-RC1 -m'Release Candidate 1 of Perl 5.10.1'
506 $ git push origin tag perl-5.10.1-RC1
510 Mail p5p to announce it, with a quote you prepared earlier.
514 Wait 24 hours or so, then post the announcement to use.perl.org.
515 (if you don't have access rights to post news, ask someone like Rafael to
521 =head2 Making a final release
523 At this point you should have a working release candidate with few or no
526 It's essentially the same procedure as for making a release candidate, but
527 with a whole bunch of extra post-release steps.
533 Follow the same steps as for making a release candidate, then
537 Ask Jarkko to update http://www.cpan.org/src/README.html and
538 Rafael to update http://dev.perl.org/perl5/
542 Create a new empty perlNNNdelta.pod file for the current release + 1;
543 see F<Porting/how_to_write_a_perldelta.pod>.
544 [ XXX Perhaps we should have an empty template file we can copy in. ]
546 In addition, edit F<pod.lst>, adding the new entry as 'D', and unmark previous
547 entry as 'D', then run C<perl pod/buildtoc --build-all> to update the
553 vms/descrip_mms.template
555 (F<vms/descrip_mms.template> still needs a manual edit to bump the
556 C<perldelta.pod> entry - it would be good for someone to figure out the fix.)
558 and change perlNNNdelta references to the new version in these files
566 Also, edit the previous delta file to change the C<NAME> from C<perldelta>
569 These two lists of files probably aren't exhaustive; do a recursive grep
570 on the previous filename to look for suitable candidates.
572 (see 16410843ea for an example).
576 If this was a maintenance release, then edit F<Porting/mergelog> to change
577 all the C<d> (deferred) flags to C<.> (needs review).
582 If this was a major release, then
588 bump the version, e.g. 5.12.0 to 5.13.0;
592 [ XXX probably lots more stuff to do, including perldelta,
597 Create a new maint branch with an empty Porting/mergelog file
598 [ XXX and lots of other stuff too, probably ]
604 Copy the perlNNNdelta.pod for this release into the other branches, and
605 remember to update these files on those branches too:
610 vms/descrip_mms.template
613 (see fc5be80860 for an example).
617 Make sure any recent F<pod/perlhist.pod> entries are copied to
618 F<perlhist.pod> on other branches; typically the RC* and final entries,
621 5.8.9-RC1 2008-Nov-10
622 5.8.9-RC2 2008-Dec-06
627 Remind the current maintainer of C<Module::CoreList> to push a new release
635 http://www.xray.mpe.mpg.de/mailing-lists/perl5-porters/2009-05/msg00608.html,
636 plus a whole bunch of other sources, including private correspondence.