mirror of
https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-doc.git
synced 2024-12-27 00:09:26 -05:00
157 lines
7.0 KiB
Markdown
157 lines
7.0 KiB
Markdown
---
|
|
lang: en
|
|
layout: doc
|
|
permalink: /doc/version-scheme/
|
|
redirect_from:
|
|
- /en/doc/version-scheme/
|
|
- /doc/VersionScheme/
|
|
- /wiki/VersionScheme/
|
|
ref: 151
|
|
title: Version scheme
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
Beginning with R3 release, we change (and formalise) the versioning scheme.
|
|
From now on, it will be as follows.
|
|
|
|
Qubes distributions and products
|
|
--------------------------------
|
|
|
|
We intend to make it easy to make a remix of Qubes, targeting another
|
|
hypervisor or isolation provider. We may also create commercial products
|
|
intended for specific circumstances. There is one distinguished distribution
|
|
called **Qubes OS**. All source code for it is available for download under GPL
|
|
license and is openly developed on the mailing lists. The rest of this document
|
|
discusses Qubes OS. Another remix may have its own version series.
|
|
|
|
Release version
|
|
---------------
|
|
|
|
Qubes OS as a whole is released from time to time. Version scheme for all
|
|
releases is modeled after Linux kernel version numbers. When announcing a new
|
|
release, we decide on the major.minor version (like `3.0`) and release
|
|
`3.0-rc1`. When we feel that enough progress has been made, we put `3.0-rc2`
|
|
and so on. All these versions are considered unstable and not ready for
|
|
production. You may ask for support on mailing lists (specifically
|
|
**qubes-devel**), but it is not guaranteed (you may for example get answer
|
|
“update to newer `-rc`”). Public ISO image may or may not be available.
|
|
|
|
When enough development has been made, we announce the first stable version,
|
|
like e.g. `3.0.0` (i.e. without `-rc`). This version is considered stable and
|
|
we support it for some period. Core components are branched at this moment and
|
|
bugfixes are backported from master branch. Please see [Help, Support, Mailing
|
|
Lists, and Forum](/support/) for places to ask questions about stable releases. No major
|
|
features and interface incompatibilities are to be included in this release. We
|
|
release bugfixes as `3.0.1`, `3.0.2` and so on, while new features come into the
|
|
next release e.g. `3.1-rcX`.
|
|
|
|
Tickets in the tracker are sorted out by release major.minor, such as `3.0`,
|
|
`3.1` (trac calls this “milestone”).
|
|
|
|
Release schedule
|
|
----------------
|
|
|
|
There is no specific schedule for major and minor other that more general
|
|
roadmap. When time comes, Supreme Committee declares feature freeze and tags
|
|
`-rc1` and releases ISO image. From this time on, no new features are accepted.
|
|
Also a strict time schedule kicks in.
|
|
|
|
Each release candidate period is as follows. For the first two weeks we accept
|
|
and assign bugreports to be fixed before next release candidate. For the next
|
|
two weeks we generally focus on fixing assigned bugreports, so issues discovered
|
|
during this time may be postponed until later RC. Finally after that there is
|
|
one week of current-testing freeze, during which time no new packages are
|
|
released, in hope that they will be installed by wider user base and tested.
|
|
|
|
The next RC is released five weeks after the former. All packets are published
|
|
in `current` repository and the cycle starts over. There should be no less than
|
|
1 and no more than 3 release candidates before final release.
|
|
|
|
<table>
|
|
<thead>
|
|
<tr><th>stage</th><th>time</th></tr>
|
|
</thead>
|
|
<tbody>
|
|
<tr><td>initial testing</td><td>2 weeks</td></tr>
|
|
<tr><td>bug fixing</td><td>2 weeks</td></tr>
|
|
<tr><td>`current-testing` freeze</td><td>1 week</td></tr>
|
|
</tbody>
|
|
</table>
|
|
|
|
Starting with second cycle (that is, after `-rc1`) two weeks into the cycle
|
|
(after primary bug-reporting period) the Supreme Committee decides whether there
|
|
should be another RC. If, based on remaining issues, the Committee decides to
|
|
release final, then the Committee agrees upon the release date, which should be
|
|
no later than a week after.
|
|
|
|
!["Release cycle"](/attachment/doc/release-cycle.svg)
|
|
|
|
Bug priorities
|
|
--------------
|
|
|
|
When deciding whether the current release candidate is the final one, the Committee
|
|
takes bugs priorities into consideration. The meaning of them is as follows:
|
|
|
|
* `blocker` - when any such bug is present in the current release candidate, it
|
|
can't be considered final release. Bugs with this priority must be fixed before
|
|
the next release candidate, even if that means delaying its release (which
|
|
should be considered only last resort option).
|
|
|
|
* `critical` - when any such bug is present in the current release candidate, it
|
|
can't be considered final release. But such bugs are not qualified to delay
|
|
next release candidate release.
|
|
|
|
* `major` - existence of such bugs do not strictly prevent the current release
|
|
candidate be considered final (but of course we should try hard to not have
|
|
them there). Fixing bugs of this priority can be delayed and qualified as
|
|
updates to the final stable release.
|
|
|
|
* `minor` - existence of such bugs do not prevent the current release candidate
|
|
be considered final. Fixing such bugs can be delayed to the next Qubes OS
|
|
release. Eventually such fixes might be backported as an update to the stable
|
|
release(s).
|
|
|
|
All above is about bugs, no features should be assigned to the current release
|
|
after first `-rc`. Supreme Committee is free to adjust priorities appropriately.
|
|
|
|
Component version
|
|
-----------------
|
|
|
|
Qubes release is defined as specific versions of components, which are
|
|
developed more or less separately. Their versions are composed of major and
|
|
minor version of target Qubes OS release followed by third component which is
|
|
just incremented. There is no apparent indication that given version is stable
|
|
or not.
|
|
|
|
There are some non-essential components like `qubes-apps-*` that are shared
|
|
between releases. Their versions indicate oldest qubes-release that is
|
|
supported. We try hard to support multiple releases by one branch to ease code
|
|
maintenance.
|
|
|
|
Different Qubes releases remixes may comprise of different components and
|
|
version are not guaranteed to be monotonic between releases. We may decide that
|
|
for newer release some component should be downgraded. There is no guarantee
|
|
that arbitrary combination of different versions of random components will
|
|
yield usable (or even install-able) compilation.
|
|
|
|
Git tags and branches
|
|
---------------------
|
|
|
|
We mark each component version in the repository by tag containing
|
|
`v<version>`. Likewise, each Qubes OS release is marked by `R<release>` tag.
|
|
|
|
At the release of some release we create branches named like `release2`. Only
|
|
bugfixes and compatible improvements are backported to these branches. These
|
|
branches should compile. All new development is done in `master` branch. This
|
|
branch is totally unsupported and may not even compile depending on maintainer
|
|
of repository.
|
|
|
|
All version and release tags should be made and signed by someone from ITL
|
|
staff. Public keys are included in `qubes-builder` and available at
|
|
[https://keys.qubes-os.org/keys/](https://keys.qubes-os.org/keys/).
|
|
|
|
Check installed version
|
|
-----------------
|
|
|
|
If you want to know which version you are running, for example to report
|
|
an issue, you can either check in the Qubes Manager menu under About / Qubes OS or in the file /etc/qubes-release in dom0. For the latter you can use a command like `cat /etc/qubes-release` in a dom0 terminal.
|