From patchwork Mon Sep 28 02:34:44 2020 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Patchwork-Submitter: Ilya Maximets X-Patchwork-Id: 1372253 Return-Path: X-Original-To: incoming@patchwork.ozlabs.org Delivered-To: patchwork-incoming@bilbo.ozlabs.org Authentication-Results: ozlabs.org; spf=pass (sender SPF authorized) smtp.mailfrom=openvswitch.org (client-ip=140.211.166.136; helo=silver.osuosl.org; envelope-from=ovs-dev-bounces@openvswitch.org; receiver=) Authentication-Results: ozlabs.org; dmarc=none (p=none dis=none) header.from=ovn.org Received: from silver.osuosl.org (smtp3.osuosl.org [140.211.166.136]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by ozlabs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 4C067Y1hPMz9sSJ for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 12:35:19 +1000 (AEST) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by silver.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E5FA020414; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:17 +0000 (UTC) X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at osuosl.org Received: from silver.osuosl.org ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (.osuosl.org [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id P9jpnvaA0S-t; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:15 +0000 (UTC) Received: from lists.linuxfoundation.org (lf-lists.osuosl.org [140.211.9.56]) by silver.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 751DC203F1; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:15 +0000 (UTC) Received: from lf-lists.osuosl.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by lists.linuxfoundation.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 67D11C0889; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:15 +0000 (UTC) X-Original-To: ovs-dev@openvswitch.org Delivered-To: ovs-dev@lists.linuxfoundation.org Received: from fraxinus.osuosl.org (smtp4.osuosl.org [140.211.166.137]) by lists.linuxfoundation.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 46DFAC0051 for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:14 +0000 (UTC) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by fraxinus.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0D64C8538A for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:14 +0000 (UTC) X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at osuosl.org Received: from fraxinus.osuosl.org ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (.osuosl.org [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id ozV9oM_t8HZo for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:12 +0000 (UTC) X-Greylist: domain auto-whitelisted by SQLgrey-1.7.6 Received: from relay3-d.mail.gandi.net (relay3-d.mail.gandi.net [217.70.183.195]) by fraxinus.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 3223985361 for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:12 +0000 (UTC) X-Originating-IP: 78.45.89.65 Received: from im-t490s.redhat.com (ip-78-45-89-65.net.upcbroadband.cz [78.45.89.65]) (Authenticated sender: i.maximets@ovn.org) by relay3-d.mail.gandi.net (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id 1923C60006; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:08 +0000 (UTC) From: Ilya Maximets To: ovs-dev@openvswitch.org, Ian Stokes Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2020 04:34:44 +0200 Message-Id: <20200928023447.3882969-2-i.maximets@ovn.org> X-Mailer: git-send-email 2.25.4 In-Reply-To: <20200928023447.3882969-1-i.maximets@ovn.org> References: <20200928023447.3882969-1-i.maximets@ovn.org> MIME-Version: 1.0 Cc: Simon Horman , Flavio Leitner , Ilya Maximets Subject: [ovs-dev] [PATCH v2 1/4] releases: Mark 2.13 as a new LTS release. X-BeenThere: ovs-dev@openvswitch.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: ovs-dev-bounces@openvswitch.org Sender: "dev" 2.5 release is 4.5 years old and I'm not aware of anyone who actually uses it today. Release process documentation says that there is no strict time period for nominating a new LTS release and that usually it happens once in a two years. So, proposing to nominate 2.13 as our new LTS release since it's a first release that doesn't include OVN inside, so we will formally not have to support it in this repository in case there are major issues that might be hard to fix. Suggested-by: Ben Pfaff Acked-by: Flavio Leitner Acked-by: Ian Stokes Reviewed-by: Simon Horman Signed-off-by: Ilya Maximets --- Documentation/faq/releases.rst | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/Documentation/faq/releases.rst b/Documentation/faq/releases.rst index 9d5d2c3e1..1e6d3ab9e 100644 --- a/Documentation/faq/releases.rst +++ b/Documentation/faq/releases.rst @@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ Q: What does it mean for an Open vSwitch release to be LTS (long-term support)? If a significant bug is identified in an LTS release, we will provide an updated release that includes the fix. Releases that are not LTS may not be fixed and may just be supplanted by the next major release. The current - LTS release is 2.5.x. + LTS release is 2.13.x. For more information on the Open vSwitch release process, refer to :doc:`/internals/release-process`. From patchwork Mon Sep 28 02:34:45 2020 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Patchwork-Submitter: Ilya Maximets X-Patchwork-Id: 1372252 Return-Path: X-Original-To: incoming@patchwork.ozlabs.org Delivered-To: patchwork-incoming@bilbo.ozlabs.org Authentication-Results: ozlabs.org; spf=pass (sender SPF authorized) smtp.mailfrom=openvswitch.org (client-ip=140.211.166.137; helo=fraxinus.osuosl.org; envelope-from=ovs-dev-bounces@openvswitch.org; receiver=) Authentication-Results: ozlabs.org; dmarc=none (p=none dis=none) header.from=ovn.org Received: from fraxinus.osuosl.org (smtp4.osuosl.org [140.211.166.137]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by ozlabs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 4C067b5pjtz9sPB for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 12:35:23 +1000 (AEST) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by fraxinus.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A5B26853C3; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:20 +0000 (UTC) X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at osuosl.org Received: from fraxinus.osuosl.org ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (.osuosl.org [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id s7xYQl61UFEG; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:20 +0000 (UTC) Received: from lists.linuxfoundation.org (lf-lists.osuosl.org [140.211.9.56]) by fraxinus.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1C16C843FD; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:20 +0000 (UTC) Received: from lf-lists.osuosl.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by lists.linuxfoundation.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id DC8F4C0893; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:19 +0000 (UTC) X-Original-To: ovs-dev@openvswitch.org Delivered-To: ovs-dev@lists.linuxfoundation.org Received: from fraxinus.osuosl.org (smtp4.osuosl.org [140.211.166.137]) by lists.linuxfoundation.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6E44FC0051 for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:18 +0000 (UTC) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by fraxinus.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5CB1F8535F for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:18 +0000 (UTC) X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at osuosl.org Received: from fraxinus.osuosl.org ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (.osuosl.org [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id r2UsqizP1D-z for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:17 +0000 (UTC) X-Greylist: domain auto-whitelisted by SQLgrey-1.7.6 Received: from relay3-d.mail.gandi.net (relay3-d.mail.gandi.net [217.70.183.195]) by fraxinus.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 7F50685495 for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:17 +0000 (UTC) X-Originating-IP: 78.45.89.65 Received: from im-t490s.redhat.com (ip-78-45-89-65.net.upcbroadband.cz [78.45.89.65]) (Authenticated sender: i.maximets@ovn.org) by relay3-d.mail.gandi.net (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id 372C060004; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:14 +0000 (UTC) From: Ilya Maximets To: ovs-dev@openvswitch.org, Ian Stokes Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2020 04:34:45 +0200 Message-Id: <20200928023447.3882969-3-i.maximets@ovn.org> X-Mailer: git-send-email 2.25.4 In-Reply-To: <20200928023447.3882969-1-i.maximets@ovn.org> References: <20200928023447.3882969-1-i.maximets@ovn.org> MIME-Version: 1.0 Cc: Simon Horman , Flavio Leitner , Ilya Maximets Subject: [ovs-dev] [PATCH v2 2/4] release-process: Add transition period for LTS releases. X-BeenThere: ovs-dev@openvswitch.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: ovs-dev-bounces@openvswitch.org Sender: "dev" While LTS change happens, according to release-process.rst, we're immediately dropping support for the old LTS and, according to backporting-patches.rst could stop backporting bug fixes to branches older than new LTS. While this might be OK for an upstream project (some upstream projects like QEMU doesn't support anything at all except the last release) it doesn't sound like a user-friendly policy. Below addition to the release process might make the process a bit smoother in terms that we will continue support of branches a little bit longer even after changing current LTS, i.e. providing at least a minimal transition period (1 release frame) for users of old LTS. Effectively, this change means that we will support branch-2.5 until 2.15 release, i.e. we will provide the last release, if any, on branch-2.5 somewhere around Feb 2021. (I don't actually expect many fixes there) Signed-off-by: Ilya Maximets Acked-by: Flavio Leitner --- Documentation/internals/release-process.rst | 11 +++++++---- 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-) diff --git a/Documentation/internals/release-process.rst b/Documentation/internals/release-process.rst index 63080caab..6352af0dc 100644 --- a/Documentation/internals/release-process.rst +++ b/Documentation/internals/release-process.rst @@ -75,10 +75,13 @@ Scheduling`_ for the timing of each stage: and so on. The process is the same for these additional release as for a .0 release. -At most two release branches are formally maintained at any given time: the -latest release and the latest release designed as LTS. An LTS release is one -that the OVS project has designated as being maintained for a longer period of -time. Currently, an LTS release is maintained until the next LTS is chosen. +At most three release branches are formally maintained at any given time: the +latest release, the latest release designed as LTS and a previous LTS release +during the transition period. An LTS release is one that the OVS project has +designated as being maintained for a longer period of time. +Currently, an LTS release is maintained until the next major release after the +new LTS is chosen. This one release time frame is a transition period which is +intended for users to upgrade from old LTS to new one. There is not currently a strict guideline on how often a new LTS release is chosen, but so far it has been about every 2 years. That could change based on the current state of OVS development. For example, we do not want to designate From patchwork Mon Sep 28 02:34:46 2020 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Patchwork-Submitter: Ilya Maximets X-Patchwork-Id: 1372255 Return-Path: X-Original-To: incoming@patchwork.ozlabs.org Delivered-To: patchwork-incoming@bilbo.ozlabs.org Authentication-Results: ozlabs.org; spf=pass (sender SPF authorized) smtp.mailfrom=openvswitch.org (client-ip=140.211.166.133; helo=hemlock.osuosl.org; envelope-from=ovs-dev-bounces@openvswitch.org; receiver=) Authentication-Results: ozlabs.org; dmarc=none (p=none dis=none) header.from=ovn.org Received: from hemlock.osuosl.org (smtp2.osuosl.org [140.211.166.133]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by ozlabs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 4C067w6rKwz9sSt for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 12:35:40 +1000 (AEST) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by hemlock.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 91B0887061; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:37 +0000 (UTC) X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at osuosl.org Received: from hemlock.osuosl.org ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (.osuosl.org [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id KlcaorDvPJHt; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:34 +0000 (UTC) Received: from lists.linuxfoundation.org (lf-lists.osuosl.org [140.211.9.56]) by hemlock.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 565CB8704D; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:34 +0000 (UTC) Received: from lf-lists.osuosl.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by lists.linuxfoundation.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 21F19C1ADD; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:34 +0000 (UTC) X-Original-To: ovs-dev@openvswitch.org Delivered-To: ovs-dev@lists.linuxfoundation.org Received: from silver.osuosl.org (smtp3.osuosl.org [140.211.166.136]) by lists.linuxfoundation.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 28378C1AE8 for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:32 +0000 (UTC) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by silver.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0F3CA203FC for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:32 +0000 (UTC) X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at osuosl.org Received: from silver.osuosl.org ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (.osuosl.org [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id He-8owCTjnGr for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:25 +0000 (UTC) X-Greylist: domain auto-whitelisted by SQLgrey-1.7.6 Received: from relay3-d.mail.gandi.net (relay3-d.mail.gandi.net [217.70.183.195]) by silver.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 34B282044B for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:22 +0000 (UTC) X-Originating-IP: 78.45.89.65 Received: from im-t490s.redhat.com (ip-78-45-89-65.net.upcbroadband.cz [78.45.89.65]) (Authenticated sender: i.maximets@ovn.org) by relay3-d.mail.gandi.net (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id A698360004; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:19 +0000 (UTC) From: Ilya Maximets To: ovs-dev@openvswitch.org, Ian Stokes Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2020 04:34:46 +0200 Message-Id: <20200928023447.3882969-4-i.maximets@ovn.org> X-Mailer: git-send-email 2.25.4 In-Reply-To: <20200928023447.3882969-1-i.maximets@ovn.org> References: <20200928023447.3882969-1-i.maximets@ovn.org> MIME-Version: 1.0 Cc: Simon Horman , Flavio Leitner , Ilya Maximets Subject: [ovs-dev] [PATCH v2 3/4] release-process: Standardize designation of new LTS releases. X-BeenThere: ovs-dev@openvswitch.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: ovs-dev-bounces@openvswitch.org Sender: "dev" Standardize that we will mark a new release as LTS every two years to avoid situation where we have a really old LTS branch that no-one actually uses, but we have to support and provide releases for it. This will also make release process more predictable, so users will be able to rely on it and plan their upgrades accordingly. As a bonus, 2 years support cycle kind of aligns with 2 years support cycle of DPDK LTS releases. Still keeping a window for us to discuss and avoid marking some particular release as LTS in case of significant issues with it. Signed-off-by: Ilya Maximets Acked-by: Flavio Leitner --- Documentation/internals/release-process.rst | 32 +++++++++++++++++---- 1 file changed, 26 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-) diff --git a/Documentation/internals/release-process.rst b/Documentation/internals/release-process.rst index 6352af0dc..8a655b33b 100644 --- a/Documentation/internals/release-process.rst +++ b/Documentation/internals/release-process.rst @@ -82,12 +82,32 @@ designated as being maintained for a longer period of time. Currently, an LTS release is maintained until the next major release after the new LTS is chosen. This one release time frame is a transition period which is intended for users to upgrade from old LTS to new one. -There is not currently a strict guideline on how often a new LTS release is -chosen, but so far it has been about every 2 years. That could change based on -the current state of OVS development. For example, we do not want to designate -a new release as LTS that includes disruptive internal changes, as that may -make it harder to support for a longer period of time. Discussion about -choosing the next LTS release occurs on the OVS development mailing list. + +New LTS release is chosen every 2 years. The process is that current latest +stable release becomes an LTS release at the same time the next major release +is out. That could change based on the current state of OVS development. For +example, we do not want to designate a new release as LTS that includes +disruptive internal changes, as that may make it harder to support for a longer +period of time. Discussion about skipping designation of the next LTS release +occurs on the OVS development mailing list. + +LTS designation schedule example (depends on current state of development): + ++---------+--------------+--------------------------------------------------+ +| Version | Release Date | Actions | ++---------+--------------+--------------------------------------------------+ +| 2.14 | Aug 2020 | 2.14 - new latest stable, 2.13 stable ⟶ new LTS | ++---------+--------------+--------------------------------------------------+ +| 2.15 | Feb 2021 | 2.12 - new latest stable, 2.5 LTS ⟶ EOL | ++---------+--------------+--------------------------------------------------+ +| 2.16 | Aug 2021 | 2.16 - new latest stable | ++---------+--------------+--------------------------------------------------+ +| 2.17 | Feb 2022 | 2.17 - new latest stable | ++---------+--------------+--------------------------------------------------+ +| 2.18 | Aug 2022 | 2.18 - new latest stable, 2.17 stable ⟶ new LTS | ++---------+--------------+--------------------------------------------------+ +| 2.19 | Feb 2023 | 2.19 - new latest stable, 2.13 LTS ⟶ EOL | ++---------+--------------+--------------------------------------------------+ Release Numbering ----------------- From patchwork Mon Sep 28 02:34:47 2020 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Patchwork-Submitter: Ilya Maximets X-Patchwork-Id: 1372254 Return-Path: X-Original-To: incoming@patchwork.ozlabs.org Delivered-To: patchwork-incoming@bilbo.ozlabs.org Authentication-Results: ozlabs.org; spf=pass (sender SPF authorized) smtp.mailfrom=openvswitch.org (client-ip=140.211.166.137; helo=fraxinus.osuosl.org; envelope-from=ovs-dev-bounces@openvswitch.org; receiver=) Authentication-Results: ozlabs.org; dmarc=none (p=none dis=none) header.from=ovn.org Received: from fraxinus.osuosl.org (smtp4.osuosl.org [140.211.166.137]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by ozlabs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 4C067s0fC0z9sPB for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 12:35:37 +1000 (AEST) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by fraxinus.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 813EF854D0; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:35 +0000 (UTC) X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at osuosl.org Received: from fraxinus.osuosl.org ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (.osuosl.org [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id 9gqpG3TgK9EQ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:31 +0000 (UTC) Received: from lists.linuxfoundation.org (lf-lists.osuosl.org [140.211.9.56]) by fraxinus.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A7133843FD; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:31 +0000 (UTC) Received: from lf-lists.osuosl.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by lists.linuxfoundation.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8490EC1ADD; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:31 +0000 (UTC) X-Original-To: ovs-dev@openvswitch.org Delivered-To: ovs-dev@lists.linuxfoundation.org Received: from fraxinus.osuosl.org (smtp4.osuosl.org [140.211.166.137]) by lists.linuxfoundation.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C333EC1AD4 for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:29 +0000 (UTC) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by fraxinus.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A6277853D3 for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:29 +0000 (UTC) X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at osuosl.org Received: from fraxinus.osuosl.org ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (.osuosl.org [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id cYu9Pyd67w2c for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:29 +0000 (UTC) X-Greylist: domain auto-whitelisted by SQLgrey-1.7.6 Received: from relay3-d.mail.gandi.net (relay3-d.mail.gandi.net [217.70.183.195]) by fraxinus.osuosl.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 8019285321 for ; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:28 +0000 (UTC) X-Originating-IP: 78.45.89.65 Received: from im-t490s.redhat.com (ip-78-45-89-65.net.upcbroadband.cz [78.45.89.65]) (Authenticated sender: i.maximets@ovn.org) by relay3-d.mail.gandi.net (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id 6E34160004; Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:35:25 +0000 (UTC) From: Ilya Maximets To: ovs-dev@openvswitch.org, Ian Stokes Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2020 04:34:47 +0200 Message-Id: <20200928023447.3882969-5-i.maximets@ovn.org> X-Mailer: git-send-email 2.25.4 In-Reply-To: <20200928023447.3882969-1-i.maximets@ovn.org> References: <20200928023447.3882969-1-i.maximets@ovn.org> MIME-Version: 1.0 Cc: Simon Horman , Flavio Leitner , Ilya Maximets Subject: [ovs-dev] [PATCH v2 4/4] release-process: Policy for unmaintained branches. X-BeenThere: ovs-dev@openvswitch.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: ovs-dev-bounces@openvswitch.org Sender: "dev" While only 2 branches are formally maintained (LTS and latest release), OVS team usually provides stable releases for other branches too, at least for branches between LTS and latest. When transition period ends for an old LTS, we, according to backporting-patches.rst, could stop backporting bug fixes to branches older than new LTS. While this might be OK for an upstream project it doesn't sound like a user-friendly policy just because it means that we're dropping support for branches released less than a year ago. Below addition to the release process might make the process a bit smoother in terms that we will not drop support for not so old branches even after the transition period, if committers will follow the "as far as it goes" backporting policy. And we will provide stable releases for these branches for at least 2 years (these releases could be less frequent than releases on LTS branches). After 2 year period (4 releases) committers are still free to backport fixes they think are needed on older branches, however we will likely not provide actual releases on these branches, unless it's specially requested and discussed. Additionally, "4 releases" policy aligns with the DPDK LTS support policy, i.e. we will be able to validate and release last OVS releases with the last available DPDK LTS, e.g. OVS 2.11 last stable release will likely be released with the 18.11 EOL release validated. Signed-off-by: Ilya Maximets Acked-by: Flavio Leitner --- .../internals/contributing/backporting-patches.rst | 3 ++- Documentation/internals/release-process.rst | 9 +++++++++ 2 files changed, 11 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/Documentation/internals/contributing/backporting-patches.rst b/Documentation/internals/contributing/backporting-patches.rst index e8f4f271c..162e9d209 100644 --- a/Documentation/internals/contributing/backporting-patches.rst +++ b/Documentation/internals/contributing/backporting-patches.rst @@ -69,7 +69,8 @@ targeted to the `master` branch, using the ``Fixes`` tag described in :doc:`submitting-patches`. The maintainer first applies the patch to `master`, then backports the patch to each older affected tree, as far back as it goes or at least to all currently supported branches. This is usually each branch back -to the most recent LTS release branch. +to the oldest maintained LTS release branch or the last 4 release branches if +the oldest LTS is newer. If the fix only affects a particular branch and not `master`, contributors should submit the change with the target branch listed in the subject line of diff --git a/Documentation/internals/release-process.rst b/Documentation/internals/release-process.rst index 8a655b33b..fb39ccb5d 100644 --- a/Documentation/internals/release-process.rst +++ b/Documentation/internals/release-process.rst @@ -109,6 +109,15 @@ LTS designation schedule example (depends on current state of development): | 2.19 | Feb 2023 | 2.19 - new latest stable, 2.13 LTS ⟶ EOL | +---------+--------------+--------------------------------------------------+ +While branches other than LTS and the latest release are not formally +maintained, the OVS project usually provides stable releases for these branches +for at least 2 years, i.e. stable releases are provided for the last 4 +release branches. However, these branches may not include all the fixes that +LTS has in case backporting is not straightforward and developers are not +willing to spend their time on that (this mostly affects branches that are +older than the LTS, because backporting to LTS implies backporting to all +intermediate branches). + Release Numbering -----------------