Release process
8 weeks prior
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | Recurring release epics review:
| Integration Team | |
2. | ✓ | Ensure we are running latest/good behat, phpunit and nodejs (npm) versions. | Integration Team | |
3. | ✓ | Confirm external testers daily availability from -6w to release (internally with dev manager and then, externally, with contractors). They start in just 2 weeks! | Integration Team | |
4. | ✓ |
| Testing Maintainer | |
5. | ✓ |
| Integration Team |
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. | Head of LMS | |
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. | ✓ | The Continuous Integration period begins. Warn about it everywhere (telegram, exposed posts...). Rolling (on demand, beta, rc... all them together with stable weeklies) happens often (Tuesday & Friday are the usual days). All the team is on integration 100% since this week and until the end of continuous. | Integration Team | |
2. | ✓ | 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 Team | |
3. | ✓ | Warn external developers about the impending code freeze in a post to the General developer forum. (example) | Development Manager | |
4. | ✓ | Let the community know QA testing starts in two weeks and how they can participate. | Community Manager |
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. | ✓ | This week, once the freeze has happened at 11:00 UTC:
On Sync period ends, usually 2 weeks after release.Review all the new features and improvements so, everything "unrelated" with the release, is given the integration_held label. That means that will be ignored unless there is an unhold request process started on them.Dev leaders promptly vote on held issues labelled with unhold_requested label and decide whether they can be allowed to break the freeze. | Integration Team | |
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. | ✓ | Begin reviewing new and changed English language strings ready for en_fix to be merged 2 weeks prior. | English fixes lang pack maintainer | |
5. | ✓ | Review standards certifications (Open Badges, LTI, etc) and schedule in recertification to be performed. | Development Manager |
4 weeks prior
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | Start reviewing fixed issues and add the release_notes label to all issues to be listed in the release notes. | Development Manager | |
2. | ✓ | Review requirements for adding user tours for new features in the upcoming release (clone of MDL-72783). Review existing tours and remove very old ones (clone of MDL-72781) | Development Manager | |
3. | ✓ | Beta release (The Moodle release tool - mdlrelease - manages it): Release normal weeklies but with these changes in the master branch being considered all the time, until we are feature complete (can happen @ -4w - ideally - but also later):
| Integration Team | |
4. | ✓ | Clone MDL-72815 for the X.Y release, adding there all the debugging / PHP notices happening in the web server logs while running tests. | Integration Team | |
5. | ✓ | Release candidates release (The Moodle release tool - mdlrelease - manages it): At some points (between beta to final release) produce release candidates (Z = 1, 2, 3..), which are normal builds with the following changes:
| Integration Team | |
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 moodle.org front page news 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 | |
14. | ✓ | Review the list of features and improvements submitted before code freeze which are awaiting integration review and decide on related QA tests to be put on hold. | Development Manager | |
15. | ✓ | Bump the priority of all the minor new features and improvements being must-fix or already under IR/CLR with X.Y as only affected version. Use this search to find them (note that it will need to be adjusted for current X.Y version). Standard message will be used to explain the priority raise. | Integration Team |
3 weeks prior
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | Ask developers to begin QA tests marked external_skipped then test_server_required tests and credentials_required tests. | Development Manager | |
2. | ✓ | Create new en and de Moodle Docs version wikis. | Moodle Docs Maintainer | |
3. | ✓ | Go through all points listed under 3 weeks prior in New docs version process. | Community Manager | |
4. | ✓ | 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 | |
5. | ✓ | ✓ | 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. Whenever a delay is agreed, run the "Release delaying process" (doc) actions ASAP. Important note: ASAP stands for as soon as possible ;-), the delay needs to happen before the last week before release begins (there are flows changing that week requiring the decision and actions to be taken and applied earlier) | 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 branded 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 Team | |
6. | ✓ | ✓ | For major releases, use (clone if needed) MDL-72836 to keep the security.txt files in all supported branches updated. For minor releases, also check the security.txt expiry dates in all security supported branches in case known release delays will result in any security.txt expiring before the next release - in that case relevant branches should also be updated. | Security Officer |
7. | ✓ | ✓ | Identify issues that may block the release (for example, security, must-fix issues, etc.) and confirm with team leads. This is to ensure that these issues are prioritised and allow us to be able to land them as early as possible and ensure a timely release schedule. | 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 Team | |
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 Team |
3. | ✓ | Clone MDL-71583 and bump all versions, requires and dependencies along all plugins in codebase to planned release dates. | Integration Team | |
4. | ✓ | ✓ | Post a "Heads-up" message on the General Developer forum and MUA website. | 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 issues under integration filter (includes held, being integrated and ready issues).
| Integration Team |
8. | ✓ | ✓ | Collect security issues into a clone of the last advisory in the list to prepare for release of Security Advisories.
| Security Officer |
9. | ✓ | ✓ | Release notes tasks:
| Development Manager |
10. | ✓ | Last week managing / holding issues:
| Integration Team | |
11. | ✓ | Review the following issues:
| Development Manager | |
12. | ✓ | Upgrade moodle.org to beta release | ||
13. | ✓ | Prepare pull requests for CI Repositories:
| Integration Team | |
14. | ✓ | Go through all points listed under 1 week prior in New docs version process. | Community Manager | |
15. | ✓ | Update the BRANCHLIST and VERSIONLIST in the JSDoc and PHPDoc repositories with the list of supported versions. These are built on a Sunday so this should be done in the final week before release. | Integration Team |
Releasing
Packaging
info
This should happen immediately before the next integration cycle begins on Monday (that is, some days after last weekly, 2 days prior to official release).
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | ✓ | Check list:
| Integration Team |
2. | ✓ | ✓ | Verify all unit tests and integration tests have passed (check all current CI servers in use). | Integration Team |
3. | ✓ | Verify QA tests have passed. | Integration Team | |
4. | ✓ | ✓ | Timing prerequisites (don't continue with the process if not within the time window!):
Follow the mdlrelease steps:
For major releases, only when a new STABLE branch has been created:
Both with minors and majors, continue with the mdlrelease steps:
| Integration Team |
5. | ✓ | ✓ | Post a "git repos updated & tagged" message on the Partner forum | Integration Team |
6. | ✓ | In the performance comparison repository, set the new release commit hash as $basecommit in the master branch and create a new MOODLE_XY_STABLE branch from it. (example). Also, apply it to the current performance testing infrastructure. | Integration Team | |
7. | ✓ | ✓ | Wait for the automated (every 2 hours) moodle-package to finish building for all versions. Verify the process has ended successfully (email). | Integration Team |
8. | ✓ |
| Integration Team | |
9. | ✓ | ✓ | In the Tracker:
For major releases only:
| Integration Team |
10. | ✓ |
| Integration Team | |
11. | ✓ | ✓ | In the Tracker: For major releases only:
For all releases:
| Integration Team |
12. | ✓ | Clone MDL-74509 and MDL-74510, to be resolved ASAP. | Integration Team | |
13. | ✓ |
| Integration Team | |
14. | ✓ | Protect the MOODLE_XY_STABLE branches in github interface to prevent non-FF accidents ( MDLSITE-4183 ) | Integration Team |
Release day
info
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 (check emails then). | Integration Team |
2. | ✓ | ✓ | Verify release status, download pages and windows packages. | Integration Team |
3. | ✓ | ✓ | If needed, modify the downloads cfg script (serverscripts ) to decide about branches status, master visibility and windows availability. Push changes, will be auto-deployed in a few minutes. | Integration Team |
4. | ✓ | ✓ | Add/update the release date, build number and link on the Releases page and date in new version pages. | Integration Team |
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 | Head of LMS | |
7. | ✓ | Post about minor releases on the moodle.org News forum | Development Manager | |
8. | ✓ | Add the next branch code to the branchesall admin setting at lang.moodle.org. Review the list of supported versions and update the value of branchsupported there eventually, too. | AMOS Maintainer | |
9. | ✓ | ✓ | Verify, 24h after tagging, that https://moodle.org/dev/contributions.php has been updated with new versions. If not, file an urgent MDLSITE issue, crons must be running! | Integration Team |
10. | ✓ | For en and de Moodle Docs, update default redirects and enable email notifications. | Moodle Docs Maintainer | |
11. | ✓ | Go through all points listed under Day of release in New docs version process. | Community Manager | |
12. | ✓ |
| Development Manager | |
13. | ✓ | Add calendar events in the moodle.org calendar for coming Major and Minor releases up to the next Major release. | Community Manager | |
14. | ✓ | ✓ | Update release schedule image on Releases page | Development Manager |
15. | ✓ | Important: This must be done once it's already release day @ UTC (aka, after Australia/Perth 08:00) or the queues manage with hold them again because it's still "last week before release". The integration_held label will be removed only from bug issues awaiting integration and bug issues awaiting component leads review; 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 Team |
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 Team |
2. | ✓ | ✓ | Update the version.php in git to be X.Y.Z+ during the next weekly integration process | Integration Team |
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 | |
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. | ✓ | Deprecations:
Libraries:
| Integration Team |
2 weeks after
# | Major | Minor | Task | Responsibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ✓ | Once the "On Sync" period ends:
| Integration Team | |
2. | ✓ | The discussion about environmental requirements for next X.Y+1 major release (MDL-71747) will end and the issue will be resolved immediately. A new issue, about the requirements for the next X.Y+2 major release will be created at the same time by cloning the previous one and dragging any non-resolved detail (due date = 3w after release). | Integration Team | |
3. | ✓ | Ensure Language pack for master (X.Y+1) is available and merge the pull request MR4 for stop skipping the language upgrade in moodle-ci-runner repository. | Integration Team | |
4. | ✓ | Ensure release retrospectives are held for each of the LMS teams and results are actioned. | Development Manager / Head of LMS |
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 Team | |
2. | ✓ | Upgrade all the Moodle CI sites to recent major release by configuring the "Moodle CI Auto Upgrade" job in all them. | Integration Team | |
3. | ✓ | Confirm that there isn't any remaining integration_held issue from latest release, proceeding to un-hold them immediately. Note that there may exist other "held" issues, unrelated with latest release. This process step does not affect them. | Integration Team |