Release process
8 weeks prior
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | Create an issue to review latest stable version of all third party libraries and add to sprint. The issue should refer to the list at Moodle libraries credits. The issue can be based on MDL-52393. | Development Manager | |
2. | ✓ | Ensure we are running latest/good behat, phpunit and nodejs (npm) versions. | Integration Team | |
3. | ✓ | - Move QA tests for new features in old release with automated tests from MDLQA-1 to MDLQA-5249.
- Remind devs
|
Testing Maintainer | |
4. | ✓ | Create a "Must fix for X.Y" version in the Tracker and adjust the "TR - Set integration priority to one" and "TR - Move reopened out from current" jobs in all CI servers to point to it. Also edit the All "must fix" issues filters to both the release dashboard and also wrong uses of the version detected. | Integration Lead |
7 weeks prior
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | Full demo of new code and sign-off for internal HQ projects. Decide which projects will be completed by the code freeze. | Lead Developer | |
2. | ✓ | Check closed qa_test_required-labelled issues and create new QA tests as required. | Testing Maintainer |
6 weeks prior
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | Create the next "X.Y+1" (next dev) version in the Tracker (MDL and CONTRIB), so people can move delayed stuff to next major release if needed. | Integration Lead | |
2. | ✓ | Warn external developers about the impending code freeze in a post to the General developer forum. (example) | Development Manager | |
3. | ✓ | Modify and rename filters (1, 2 and 3) used in the Release urgent dashboard and rename the dashboard itself (QA part of the dashboard will not work yet) | Integration Lead |
5 weeks prior
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | Confirm the code freeze by replying to the previous warning in the General developer forum. | Development manager | |
2. | ✓ | Once the integration server has ended with Monday's job Move awaiting issues to current integration it will be disabled and, issues will be manually picked for integration until the post-release "On Sync" period ends (usually 2 weeks after release).
Friendly note to lovely integrators... in the same direction it's already documented everywhere... continuous does not start this week. It starts the next one and extends over QA, release and on-sync (usually from -4 to +2 weeks). |
Integration Lead | |
3. | ✓ | Prepare a fresh installation of the QA site based on the beta code to make sure the site is not affected by incremental upgrade steps during the development cycle. | QA Master Site Maintainer | |
4. | ✓ | Write documentation on new features in the dev docs, adding a link to it from the tracker issue, together with the label docs_required. The documentation will then be transferred to the new en version wiki when it is set up (3 weeks prior) and polished, with screenshots added. | Developers, Development manager to remind | |
5. | ✓ | Begin reviewing new and changed English language strings ready for en_fix to be merged 2 weeks prior. | English fixes lang pack maintainer |
4 weeks prior
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | Start working on the release notes (template) of the upcoming version. | Development Manager | |
1.5 | ✓ | Create issues for adding User tours for new features in the upcoming version. Review existing tours and remove very old ones | Development Manager | |
2. | ✓ | Release normal weeklies but with these changes in the master branch being considered continuously (can happen @ -4w - ideally - but also later):
|
Integration Lead | |
3. | ✓ | (Optionally) Announce Beta release in forums (ideally once packages are available). | Integration Lead | |
4. | ✓ | During the QA weeks integration becomes continuous; roll (on demand, beta, rc...) happens often (Tuesday & Friday are the usual days). All the team is on integration 100% since this week and until the end of continuous.
Dev leaders promptly vote on held issues labelled with unhold_requested label and decide whether they can be allowed to break the freeze |
Integration Lead | |
5. | ✓ | At some points (from beta to final release) produce release candidates (Z = 1, 2, 3..), which are normal builds with:
|
Integration Lead | |
6. | ✓ | Add a new version in the Plugins Directory with the version's name and the beta release version build number (https://moodle.org/plugins/admin/softwareversions.php).
|
Plugins Liaison | |
7. | ✓ | Push any plugins to the plugins database which were previously a part of core. | Plugins Liaison | |
8. | ✓ | Tidy up current latest en version of Moodle Docs prior to copying it to create new version wiki as described in New docs version process. | Community Manager | |
9. | ✓ | Create new QA test cycle and post in development forum about QA testing. | Testing Maintainer | |
10. | ✓ | Invite community volunteers to start QA testing. | Community Manager | |
11. | ✓ | Modify Current QA cycle filter to link to the new QA test cycle | Testing Maintainer | |
12. | ✓ | Monitor QA fails. Check each fail is real and if so ensure an MDL issue has been created and correctly linked and labelled. | Testing Maintainer | |
13. | ✓ | Monitor MDL issues created for QA fails. Add them to the "Must fix for X.Y" list and get a developer to work on the issue immediately. | Development Manager |
3 weeks prior
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | Prompt developers to begin QA tests marked test_server_required and credentials_required and external_skipped. | Development Manager | |
2. | ✓ | Create new en and de Moodle Docs version wikis. | Moodle Docs Maintainer | |
3. | ✓ | ✓ | Check docs_required-labelled issues and write new documentation, removing the label and commenting in the issue when the work is done. | Community Manager |
4. | ✓ | Go through all points listed under 3 weeks prior in New docs version process. | Community Manager | |
5. | ✓ | Review issues with labelled with dev_docs_required, prompting assigned developers to create/update this documentation and remove this label when relevant docs are updated. | Development Manager | |
6. | ✓ | ✓ | Verify how everything is going and, before the end of the week, decide (dev leaders & integrators) if there are real reasons for delaying any release. Proceed to communicate any delay ASAP to both developers & partners. Don't forget to update calendars and tracker releases with the new dates. | Development Manager |
2 weeks prior
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ |
Check the number of open QA tests. Depending on the amount of work involved, encourage HQ developers to assist from the start of the week or later in the week in order to achieve the target of 100% pass rate by the end of the week. |
Development Manager | |
2. | ✓ |
Create MDLSITE issue to ensure all prototype.moodle.net sites which are no longer relevant (part of release) are removed from prototype.moodle.net |
Development Manager | |
3. | ✓ | ✓ | Merge fixes from en_fix pack and then integrate them. | AMOS Maintainer |
4. | ✓ | Give Partners complete brandable Marketing pack for release including list and description of major new features. | Marketing Manager | |
5. | ✓ | Label (ui_change) in the Tracker all pending issues having noticeable UI modifications and track them in the "Late landing UI changes" sheet, in order to have all the associated docs, screenshots, videos under control. The Integration and Documentation people will try to keep the sheet updated until release. | Integration Lead |
1 week prior
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | Clone as many filters as needed in the Tracker, modifying them to point to the new, upcoming, branch (keeping same perms, title...). | Integration Lead | |
2. | ✓ | ✓ | Create new minor version X.Y.Z+1 in the Tracker (MDL and CONTRIB). Archive any version > 6 months old, verifying that there aren't open issues using that version. | Integration Lead |
3. | ✓ | Clone MDL-64282 and bump all versions, requires and dependencies along all plugins in codebase to planned release dates. | Integration Lead | |
4. | ✓ | ✓ | Post a "Heads-up" message on the General Developer forum. | Development Manager |
5. | ✓ | ✓ | Post a "Heads-up" message on the Partners forum. | Security Officer |
6. | ✓ | ✓ | Post a "Heads-up" message on Twitter and other outlets. | Marketing Officer |
7. | ✓ | ✓ | Identify security issues that need to be integrated using the security_held label.
|
Integration Lead |
8. | ✓ | ✓ | Collect security issues into a clone of the last advisory in the list to prepare for release of Security Advisories.
|
Security Officer |
9. | ✓ | ✓ | Review and complete the release notes for the upcoming minor versions.
|
Development Manager |
10. | ✓ | Check on the "Must fix for X.Y version". Filter out unrealistic issues. | Development Manager | |
11. | ✓ | Upgrade moodle.org to beta release | ||
12. | ✓ | Upgrade moodle.org and all other Moodle community sites (next sites first, then production) - Friday before release if not before | ||
13. | ✓ | Prepare pull requests for CI Repositories:
|
Testing Maintainer | |
14. | ✓ | Go through all points listed under 1 week prior in New docs version process. | Community Manager |
Releasing
Packaging
This should happen immediately before the next integration cycle begins on Monday (i.e., some days after last weekly, 2 days prior to official release).
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | ✓ | Check list:
|
Integration Lead |
2. | ✓ | ✓ | Verify all unit tests and integration tests have passed. | Integration Lead |
3. | ✓ | Verify QA tests have passed. | Integration Lead | |
4. | ✓ | ✓ | Follow the "mdlrelease" steps:
For major releases only:
Important note: don't forget to disable memcached application store for unit tests in stable branches. (more info).
Continue with the "mdlrelease" steps:
|
Integration Lead |
5. | ✓ | ✓ | Post a "git repos updated & tagged" message on the Partner forum | Integration Lead |
6. | ✓ | Create a new MOODLE_XY_STABLE branch in https://github.com/moodlehq/moodle-performance-comparison and set the new release commit hash as $basecommit | Testing Maintainer | |
7. | ✓ | ✓ | Wait for the automated (every 2 hours) moodle-package to finish building for all versions. Verify the process has ended successfully (email). | Integration Lead |
8. | ✓ |
|
Integration Lead | |
9. | ✓ | ✓ | In the Tracker...
For major releases only:
|
Integration Lead |
10. | ✓ |
|
Integration Lead | |
11. | ✓ | ✓ | In the Tracker...
For major releases only:
For all releases:
|
Integration Lead |
12. | ✓ | Clone MDL-64299 and MDL-64300, to be resolved ASAP. | Integration Lead | |
13. | ✓ |
|
Integration Lead | |
14. | ✓ | Protect the MOODLE_XY_STABLE branches in github interface to prevent non-FF accidents ( MDLSITE-4183 ) | Integration Lead | |
15. | ✓ | The "integration_held" label will be removed only from bug issues awaiting integration; they correspond to last-week bugs that were held because of them being unrelated with the release. Now they can be processed, under on-sync rules. Standard message will be used to explain the un-hold. | Integration Lead |
Release day
Usually on Monday
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | ✓ | The execution of "moodle-package-extract-and-postprocess X" script may be needed if the releases *are not going to be published on Monday* but another weekday (X is the weekday, (1-7) starting in Monday). By default it happens automatically around 09:00 AM Perth/Australia time. | Integration Lead |
2. | ✓ | ✓ | Verify release status, download pages and windows packages. | Integration Lead |
3. | ✓ | ✓ | If needed, modify the downloads cfg script (serverscripts) to decide about branches status, master visibility and windows availability. Push changes, will be autodeployed in a few minutes. | Integration Lead |
4. | ✓ | ✓ | Add/update the release date, build number and link on the Releases page and date in new version pages. | Integration Lead |
5. | ✓ | ✓ | Notify all registered sys admins, including security notes with CVE identifiers, using the mailing list server. | Security Officer |
6. | ✓ | Post about the Major release on the moodle.org News forum | Lead Developer | |
7. | ✓ | Post about minor releases on the moodle.org News forum | Development Manager | |
8. | ✓ | ✓ | Post about the release on Twitter and other outlets. Update no. of releases on moodle.com 'Fact Sheet' page: http://moodle.com/news/moodle-fact-sheet/ | Digital Marketing Specialist |
9. | ✓ | New "X.Y+1dev" branch to be created in AMOS, to have master changes performed there. New install_XY_STABLE processing set up. These needs to be done anytime during the on-sync period. | AMOS Maintainer | |
10. | ✓ | ✓ | Verify, 24h after tagging, that https://moodle.org/dev/ has been updated with new versions. If not, file an urgent mdlsite issue, crons must be running! | Integration Lead |
11. | ✓ | For en and de Moodle Docs, update default redirects and enable email notifications. | Moodle Docs Maintainer | |
12. | ✓ | Go through all points listed under Day of release in New docs version process. | Community Manager | |
13. | ✓ |
|
Development Manager | |
14. | ✓ | Add calendar events in the moodle.org calendar for coming Major and Minor releases up to the next Major release. | Community Manager | |
15. | ✓ | ✓ | Update release schedule image on Releases page | Development Manager |
1 week after
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | ✓ | Publish the X.Y+ packages for download.moodle.org (should be automatic once weeklies are packaged).
For major releases, within the on-sync period, master packages will be generated using the prerelease.sh script (--type on-sync). That guarantees XY_STABLE and master versions are kept the same. The last week, when leaving the on-sync period, master package will be generated normally (implicit --type weekly), so versions will diverge and dev can continue separately from that point. |
Integration Lead |
2. | ✓ | ✓ | Update the version.php in git to be X.Y.Z+ during the next weekly integration process | Integration Lead |
3. | ✓ | ✓ | Create a new release notes page for the next minor versions (using the release notes template.) Add note to top of relevant version page about security support. | Development Manager |
4. | ✓ | ✓ | Add all security advisories to Security news and release notes with links to security advisories | Security Officer |
5. | ✓ | ✓ | Notify about publications of CVE using form: https://cveform.mitre.org/ | Security Officer |
6. | ✓ | Upgrade moodle.org and all other Moodle community sites (next sites first, then production) | ||
7. | ✓ | Create the next deprecation epic (for XY+1+2y) similar to MDL-62608 and add standard issues to it about: final deprecation of lib/deprecatedlib.php (like MDL-63966), removal of deprecated behat steps (like MDL-63965) and removal of strings (like MDL-62609). | Development Manager |
2 weeks after
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | Once the "On Sync" period ends:
|
Integration Lead | |
2. | ✓ | In https://github.com/moodlehq/moodle-behat-extension project:
|
Testing Maintainer | |
3. | ✓ | Ensure Language pack for master (X.Y+1) is available and merge the pull request MR4 for stop skipping the language upgrade in CI Scripts Repository | Testing Maintainer | |
4. | ✓ | Hold a release retrospective with the entire team. | Development Manager |
1 month after
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | Remove, in CI servers, all the jobs and views corresponding to branches which support has ended completely. (there is a maintenance job to perform the operation). | Integration Lead | |
2. | ✓ | Upgrade all the Moodle CI sites to recent major release by configuring the "Moodle CI Auto Upgrade" job in all them. | Integration Lead | |
3. | ✓ | Confirm that there isn't any remaining integration_held issue from latest release, proceeding to uhhold them immediately. Note that there may exist others "held" issues, unrelated with latest release. This process step does not affect them. | Integration Lead |