How to Perform An Upstream Release (GitHub)

Automation of Release Tasks

In line with this release process documentation, there is a script designed to automate the tasks described in this document as much as possible. While any task can be performed manually, it is highly recommended to use the release_helper.py script during the release process in order to increase the efficiency and be less prone to errors.

The script interacts with the GitHub API, so an API token is required for most tasks. Instructions for generating a GitHub API token can be found directly in the GitHub documentation, but some hints are also provided by the script.

In short, these are the minimal scopes to enable in the API Token (classic):

  • repo

    • repo:status

    • repo_deployment

    • public_repo

The release_helper.py script can also be used to check the current status of the project regarding releases:

./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content stats

There is an example usage of release_helper.py shown for each automated task throughout the document. Anyway, here’s a cheat sheet for quicker reference:

./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content release_prep --contributors
./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content release_prep --branch
./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content release_prep --milestone
./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content release_prep --issues
./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content release_prep --bump-version
./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content release --message
./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content release --tag
./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content cleanup --branch
./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content finish --message

How to Contribute

This script was created targeting automation of boring tasks and reduction of human errors while allowing release process to be executed much faster with a lower knowledge curve.

There is still space for improvement and any contribution is welcome. Here are some ideas to start contributing:

  • Include an option to automate the process of updating the stable branch

  • Introduce a checklist of steps during the release

    • Something similar to stats but related to the steps in process.

    • Some steps depend on other steps and may be concluded after some days. It would be great to know precisely in which step of the process we are.

Stabilization Phase

Before each release we initiate a stabilization period which is typically two weeks long. A stabilization branch is branched from master and more extensive tests are done on the content. The goal is to have space and time to find and fix issues before the release. Everyone is welcome to test the stabilization branch and propose fixes.

This process reduces the risk of bringing a sudden breaking change into the release, and ultimately allows the release process to happen while development continues on master branch.

More details about stabilization can be found in Stabilization Phase.

Preparing the stabilization

Updating Contributors List

  • Update the contributors list before creating the new stabilization-vX.Y.Z branch. So, make sure there is enough time to review and merge the PR before starting the stabilization phase.

  • Update the contributors list by accessing the root folder of content repository and executing the following command:

    PYTHONPATH=. utils/generate_contributors.py

    • De-duplicate names if necessary.

    • Make a commit send a PR to the master branch.

    • Reference: https://github.com/ComplianceAsCode/content/pull/9843

Using release_helper.py script:

./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content release_prep --contributors

Creating the Stabilization Branch

  • Create a new branch called stabilization-vX.Y.Z where X.Y.Z is the version of upstream release to be created.

    • For example, if the last released version was 0.1.64, the branch should be named as stabilization-v0.1.65

Using release_helper.py script:

./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content release_prep --branch

Creating the New Milestone

  • Create a new Milestone called X.Y.Z, where X.Y.Z is the version of future upstream release.

    • For example, if you have just created the stabilization-v0.1.65 branch in order to start the stabilization phase for 0.1.65, the new Milestone should be 0.1.66.

Using release_helper.py script:

./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content release_prep --milestone

Updating Open PRs and Issues

  • All Pull Requests and Issues which are open at the moment the stabilization branch is created can only be part of a future release, through another stabilization branch that will likely be created in about 2 months. Therefore, if they have a Milestone defined, they must be updated to the new Milestone.

    • For example, when the stabilization-v0.1.65 is created, all open Pull Requests and Issues with the Milestone 0.1.65 should be updated to the Milestone 0.1.66.

  • All Issues which are open at the moment the stabilization branch was created can only be part of a future release, through another stabilization branch that will likely be created in about 2 months. Therefore, like Pull Requests, if they have a Milestone defined, the Milestone must be updated to refer the next release.

  • Close the Milestone related to the current stabilization phase.

    • For example, if the Milestone 0.1.66 was just created, the Milestone 0.1.65 should be closed.

    • This makes the Milestone less visible and reduces the chance of PRs and Issues being accidentally added to it.

NOTE: It is still possible to add items to the closed Milestone. Just select it in the closed tab.

Using release_helper.py script:

./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content release_prep --issues

Bumping the Version

  • Open a PR to bump the version of CMakeLists.txt on the master branch.

    • For example, when the stabilization-v0.1.65 is created, the line set(SSG_PATCH_VERSION 65) must be updated to set(SSG_PATCH_VERSION 66) in the CMakeLists.txt file

    • Reference: https://github.com/ComplianceAsCode/content/pull/9857

Using release_helper.py script:

./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content release_prep --bump-version

During the stabilization

Announcing the Start of Stabilization Period

  • Announce the start of stabilization period on the following communication channels:

    • Gitter

      • https://gitter.im/Compliance-As-Code-The/content

    • SCAP Security Guide Mail List

      • scap-security-guide@lists.fedorahosted.org

    • GitHub Discussion

      • https://github.com/ComplianceAsCode/content/discussions/new?category=announcements

      • Reference: https://github.com/ComplianceAsCode/content/discussions/9859

    • Here is an example message that could be used as reference:

    Subject: stabilization of v0.1.65

Hello all,

The release of Content version 0.1.65 is scheduled for December 2nd.
As part of the release process, a stabilization branch was created.
Issues and PRs that were not solved were moved to the 0.1.66 milestone.

Any bug fixes you would like to include in release 0.1.65 should be proposed
for the *stabilization-v0.1.65* and *master* branches as a measure to avoid
potential conflicts between these branches.

The next version, 0.1.66, is scheduled to be released on February 3rd,
with the stabilization phase starting on January 23th, 2022.

Regards,

This message can be completely created using the release_helper.py script:

./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content release --message

Bug Fixes

  • Run whatever extra tests you have and report bugs as Upstream issues using the General Issue template.

  • Propose bug fixes by targeting PRs to the stabilization-vX.Y.Z branch. e.g.: stabilization-v0.1.65

    • For easier identification, it is a good practice to prefix PRs for the stabilization-vX.Y.Z branch by Stabilization: .

      • Reference: https://github.com/ComplianceAsCode/content/pull/9877

    • Once the PR is merged in the stabilization-vX.Y.Z branch, make a PR with the same fix to the master branch.

NOTE: There are different ways how to port commits from one branch to another. Below are listed a few approaches how to do it.

  • Cherry pick individually each of the fixing commits from one branch to another: For example:

    git checkout master
git pull upstream master
git checkout -b my_fix_in_master
git cherry-pick abcd1234
...
# Push my_fix_in_master and create the PR

  • To quickly move multiple commits from one branch to another:

    # Assuming that my_fix is the branch containing the fix for the **stabilization** branch
git fetch upstream master:master
git checkout my_fix
base_my_fix=$(git merge-base master my_fix)
git rebase --onto master $base_my_fix HEAD
git checkout -b my_fix_in_master
# Push my_fix_in_master and create the PR

  • Alternatively, you can create a fix branch that can be used to create both PRs. The branch needs to be created from the merge base of master and stabilization-vX.Y.Z branches. This approach only works if the relevant files did not diverge in a way that causes conflicts. Example commands:

    stab_base=$(git merge-base master stabilization-v0.1.65)
git checkout -b my_fix $stab_base
# Do the fix, commit, push and create two PRs through the GitHub Web Interface.
# One PR should targeting **master** and the other targeting the **stabilization** branch.

NOTE: In the past, to ensure that all fixes pushed to the stabilization branch were also included in the master branch, every Friday during the stabilization phase, a PR was created to merge the stabilization changes into the master branch. However, this approach was prone to conflicts that could be complex to be solved after one week of asynchronous contributions on master branch. Therefore, since the 0.1.63 release, a simpler and more reliable process has been adopted where the authors themselves ensure that the fixes are merged into each branch at almost the same time. This reduces the risk of conflicts and also makes it easier for authors to resolve them as the changes are still “fresh”.

Tests

There is a GitHub Action hooked up with stabilization-vX.Y.Z branch that will run a set of tests on every push. Make sure that all these tests are passing before moving on with the release process.

Release

Checklist

  • Double check the version in CMakeLists.txt is correct.

    • https://github.com/ComplianceAsCode/content/blob/036e790b9160ebe253e8069732f53363edbb2452/CMakeLists.txt#L35

    • The version should correspond to an unreleased version number.

  • Make sure the relevant labels are defined in the .github/workflows/release-changelog.json configuration file.

    • https://github.com/ComplianceAsCode/content/blob/master/.github/workflows/release-changelog.json

Triggering the Release Process

Everything necessary for the release is built by the release GitHub Action, which is triggered when a tag v*.*.* is pushed to the repository. This tag should point to the stabilization-vX.Y.Z branch that is ready to be released.

This action will also create a release draft with release notes automatically generated. The way in which the action will categorize and break down changes is controlled by the .github/workflows/release-changelog.json configuration file.

The general rule is that the PR Titles will compose the body of the changelog.

Tagging

  • Create and push a vX.Y.Z tag to the GitHub repo.

git tag vX.Y.Z stabilization-vX.Y.Z
git push --tags

  • Wait for the release action to finish. You can follow the Workflow runs in this link:

    • https://github.com/ComplianceAsCode/content/actions/workflows/release.yaml

  • Check the release draft and update the release notes if necessary.

    • https://github.com/ComplianceAsCode/content/releases

  • Publish the release.

NOTE: In case there is a need to run the job again, delete the release draft and run the GitHb Action again.

Using release_helper.py script:

./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content release --tag

Updating the stable branch

  • Update the stable branch to point to the new release:

git checkout stable
git merge stabilization-vX.Y.Z

  • Make sure any conflicts are solved.

  • Push the changes:

git push

Clean Up

  • Delete the stabilization-vX.Y.Z branch.

git push upstream --delete stabilization-vX.Y.Z

Using release_helper.py script:

./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content cleanup --branch

Announce It!

  • Announce the new release on the following communication channels:

    • Gitter

      • https://gitter.im/Compliance-As-Code-The/content

    • SCAP Security Guide and OpenSCAP Mail Lists

      • scap-security-guide@lists.fedorahosted.org

      • open-scap-list@redhat.com

    • GitHub Discussion

      • https://github.com/ComplianceAsCode/content/discussions/new?category=announcements

    • Twitter

      • https://twitter.com/openscap

    • Here is an example message that could be used as reference:

    Subject: ComplianceAsCode/content v0.1.65

Hello all,

ComplianceAsCode/Content v0.1.65 is out.

Some of the highlights of this release are:
    * Introduce ol9 stig profile (#9207)
    * Introduce Ol9 anssi profiles (#9243)
    * Update RHEL8 STIG to V1R7 (#9276)
    * Introduce e8 profile for OL9 (#9284)
    * Update RHEL7 STIG to V3R8 (#9317)

Welcome to the new contributor:
    * contributor1
    * contributor2

For full release notes, please have a look at:
https://github.com/ComplianceAsCode/content/releases/tag/v0.1.65

Zip archive with pre-built content:
https://github.com/ComplianceAsCode/content/releases/download/v0.1.65/scap-security-guide-0.1.65.zip
SHA-512 hash: e6f8f9440562799120ae7425d68c9bd9975557b05c64e7c6851fdf60946876c3fe26e7353f48f096ca4a5c14164e857cd36fdaeb7c2f44b371fafddff33d7dfd

Source tarball:
https://github.com/ComplianceAsCode/content/releases/download/v0.1.65/scap-security-guide-0.1.65.tar.bz2
SHA-512 hash: fc295bafdac8a3fafbcd1bff50b7043a11de23e1a363883a7fac11d3734e9d381dad2e180cc14c259e34fa4eea8b0c27720a8df455d509be3c97913f51294850

Thank you to everyone who contributed!

Regards,

This message can be completely created using the release_helper.py script:

./release_helper.py -c ~/secret.ini -r ComplianceAsCode/content finish --message

Downstream Build

It is good for the community when the packages are also updated and released with the latest stable release. In this section there is information about how to update the packages in specific distros.

Fedora

To update a Fedora package it is ultimately necessary to be approved as a Fedora Packager. There are some ways to get this approval and more details are found here:

However, if you are not yet a Fedora Packager, it is still possible to propose updates. In this case, a current maintainer will review it and guide the contributions to a good shape.

Preparation

The first step to prepare an update is to be conscious about the Fedora Package Guidelines.

NOTE: Even if you are an experienced Fedora packager, it is recommended to review the the Guidelines since some changes might be important for the package.

Install the required tools

sudo dnf install fedora-packager fedora-review

  • Ensure your system user is included in the mock group. This is useful when testing the package changes.

sudo usermod -a -G mock <username>

Get familiar with the tools

Most of the needed commands are well documented in the Package Maintenance Guide.

  • Please, check this guide if you are not an experienced Fedora Packager.

  • If you are an experienced Fedora Packager, it is also recommended to quickly take a look in case something new was included.

Get a token for authenticated commands

Make sure you have a valid kerberos token. It will be necessary to upload the new source files later and the commands require authentication:

fkinit -u <your_fas_id>

NOTE: You need OTP configured in your Fedora account.

Package Update

This section covers the usual updates in the scap-security-guide.spec file.

Fork the repository

You can skip this step if you already did it in the past. Otherwise:

  • Create a fork from https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/scap-security-guide

    • It can be done via Web UI or using the following command:

fedpkg clone scap-security-guide
cd scap-security-guide
fedpkg fork

  • If you forked it via Web UI, clone your fork using fedpkg. e.g.:

fedpkg clone --anonymous forks/<your fedora id>/rpms/scap-security-guide
cd scap-security-guide

More information about using fedpkg anonymously is found in Fedora Package Tools.

It is preferred to update the scap-security-guide.spec file via PR instead of committing directly, even if you are the a maintainer of the scap-security-guide package. This ensures that at least two maintainers are involved in the process and makes it much less prone to human errors.

Update the spec file

Usually the changes are straightforward in the scap-security-guide.spec file. It will be necessary to update the Version: line with the new version. e.g.:

Version:	0.1.65

This should be the only line to be changed in most cases. But your should review the file completely and propose improvements if any opportunity is found. Updates regarding Package Maintenance Guide or new features for spec files might be welcome.

Once the Version is updated and the scap-security-guide.spec file is reviewed, it is necessary to append the %changelog section. For reference, this was included when the package was rebased to 0.1.65:

%changelog
* Tue Dec 06 2022 Marcus Burghardt <maburgha@redhat.com> - 0.1.65-1
- Update to latest upstream SCAP-Security-Guide-0.1.65 release:
  https://github.com/ComplianceAsCode/content/releases/tag/v0.1.65

These changes should be enough for most cases. Save the file and proceed to the next steps.

HINT: You can use rpmdev-bumpspec command to automatically update the version and create an initial %changelog entry. e.g.: rpmdev-bumpspec -n 0.1.65 scap-security-guide.spec

Update the source

When the Version: line is updated in the scap-security-guide.spec file, the Source0 line is also impacted.

  • Ensure the sources are downloaded locally:

fedpkg sources

  • Check the new sources and ensure they are correct.

  • To ensure the scratch build doesn’t fail due to an “Invalid Source”, ensure the new sources are uploaded to the lookaside_cache:

fedpkg new-sources

  • This command will change the source and .gitignore files. Please, check the changes.

Package Tests

  • Check if the changes work as expected:

fedpkg mockbuild
fedpkg diff
fedpkg lint

NOTE: Alternatively one can test the package build in Koji with fekpkg scratch-build --srpm.

  • Check and fix whatever is necessary before proceeding to the next step.

  • If you confirm everything is fine, create a new branch to use in the Pull Request:

git checkout -b release-0.1.65_rawhide
git status
git add -u
git commit
git push -u origin release-0.1.65_rawhide

  • Continue the steps via src.fedoraproject.org web UI. Here is an example of a resulting PR:

    • https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/scap-security-guide/pull-request/16

  • Follow the CI tests and fix whatever is necessary.

  • Repeat this process for all other relevant branches, usually branches not in End-Of-Life (EOL).

    • You can use the fedpkg switch-branch command to change the branches. e.g.:

fedpkg switch-branch <f35,f36,f37>

Create the new Builds

Once the PRs are merged, it is time to create the new builds.

  • This example would create the build for rawhide:

fedpkg switch-branch rawhide
fedpkg build

Submit Fedora updates

After the build is done an update must be submitted to Bodhi. Updates for rawhide builds are submitted automatically, but updates for any branched version needs to be submitted manually. One can do so via command line:

fedpkg update

Or via web interface on Bodhi.

The new updates enter in testing state and are moved to stable after 7 day, or sooner if it receives 3 positive “karmas”. After moving to stable state the update is signed and awaits to be pushed to the repositories by the Release Engineering Team.

More information