1 README for MAKING BINUTILS RELEASES
3 This is a collection of notes on how to perform a binutils release. A
4 lot of this information can also be found in the maintain.texi file in
7 https://www.gnu.org/software/gnulib/
9 It is useful to have a cloned copy of the sources of this project as
10 it also contains an upload script used to install tarballs on the GNU
13 Make sure that you have upload authority on sourceware and fencepost.
14 Beware - this is an involved process and can take weeks to complete.
15 See the maintain.texi file for details on how to obtain these
18 -------------------------------------------------
19 How to perform a release.
20 -------------------------------------------------
22 1. Send an email out warning contributors about the forthcoming
23 branch. Set a date for the branch (weekends are better because
26 2. When the branch date is near: Update the libiberty and config
27 directories and the top level configure files.
29 3. When branch day arrives add markers for the upcoming release to
30 the NEWS files in gas, ld, and binutils. No need to update NEWS
31 in the gold directory - it has its own release numbering.
33 Likewise for the ChangeLog files in: bfd, binutils, config, cpu,
34 elfcpp, gas, gold, gprof, include, ld, libctf, opcodes and toplevel.
36 Add a note of the name of the new branch to binutils/BRANCHES.
40 4. Create the release branch using:
42 git branch binutils-2_34-branch
43 git push origin binutils-2_34-branch
45 If you get a message like:
47 remote: fatal: Invalid revision range 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f974f26cb16cc6fe3946f163c787a05e713fb77b
49 It appears that this can be ignored...
51 5. Make sure that the branch is there. IE check out the branch sources:
53 git clone ssh://sourceware.org/git/binutils-gdb.git -b binutils-2_34-branch 2.34
55 If you get a message about being in a "detached head" state, something
58 Keep the checked out sources - they are going to be needed in future
61 6. Update "BINUTILS_BRANCH" in gdbadmin's crontab:
63 Log in as gdbadmin on sourceware.org, and then:
67 [change BINUTILS_BRANCH]
71 If you do not have access to this account, please feel free to
72 ask Joel Brobecker <brobecker AT adacore DOT com>.
74 7. Rename the current HEAD version entry in Bugzilla, and create a
75 new one. E.g. rename "2.34 (HEAD)" to 2.34, and create "2.34
78 https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/editversions.cgi?product=binutils
80 8. Update bfd/version.m4 on HEAD to indicate that is now a snapshot
83 m4_define([BFD_VERSION], [2.34.50])
85 Update the release number in bfd/version.m4 for the BRANCH.
86 The branch only needs the point value set to 90 as the release
87 has not actually happened yet.
89 m4_define([BFD_VERSION], [2.33.90])
91 Regenerate various files on both branch and HEAD by configuring
92 with "--enable-maintainer-mode --enable-gold" and then building
93 with "make all-binutils all-gas all-gold all-gprof all-ld"
95 Add ChangeLog entries for the updated files. Commit the changes.
96 Make sure that this includes the .pot files as well as the
97 configure and makefiles.
99 9. Create an initial pre-release:
101 a. Remove any auto-generated files, in order to force the
102 src-release script to rebuild them.
107 b. Create a source tarball of the BRANCH sources:
109 ./src-release -x binutils
111 c. Build a test target using this tarball.
113 cp binutils-<OLD_VERSION>.90.tar.xz /dev/shm
115 tar xvf binutils-<OLD_VERSION>.90.tar.xz
118 ../binutils-<OLD_VERSION>.90/configure --quiet --enable-gold
121 If there are problems, fix them.
123 d. Upload the pre-release snapshot to the sourceware FTP site:
126 scp binutils-<OLD_VERSION>.90.tar.xz sourceware.org:~ftp/pub/binutils/snapshots
127 ssh sourceware.org md5sum ~ftp/pub/binutils/snapshots/binutils-<OLD_VERSION>.90.tar.xz
129 e. Clean up the source directory again.
133 10. Tell the Translation Project where to find the new tarball.
134 <coordinator@translationproject.org>
135 qv: http://translationproject.org/html/maintainers.html
137 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
138 Dear Translation Project
140 The <NEW_VERSION> release branch has been created for the GNU binutils.
142 A snapshot of the branch sources can be found here:
144 https://sourceware.org/pub/binutils/snapshots/binutils-<OLD_VERSION>.90.tar.xz
146 We hope to make the official release of the sources on the <DATE>
147 although that could change if there are important bugs that need to
148 be fixed before the release.
149 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
151 11. Announce the availability of the snapshot and the branch on the
152 binutils mailing list. Set a date for when the release will
153 actually happen. Something like:
155 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
158 The <NEW_VERSION> branch has now been created:
160 git clone git://sourceware.org/git/binutils-gdb.git -b binutils-<NEW_VERSION>-branch <NEW_VERSION>
162 A snapshot of the sources is also available here:
164 https://sourceware.org/pub/binutils/snapshots/binutils-<OLD_VERSION>.90.tar.xz
166 Please could all patches for the branch be run by me.
167 The rules for the branch are:
170 * Target specific bug fixes are OK.
171 * Generic bug fixes are OK if they are important and widely tested.
172 * Documentation updates/fixes are OK.
173 * Translation updates are OK.
174 * Fixes for testsuite failures are OK.
176 Ideally I would like to make the release happen in two weeks time,
177 i.e. <DATE>. Which I hope will be enough time for everyone
178 to get their final fixes in.
179 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
181 12. Build various different toolchains, test them and nag
182 maintainers to fix any testsuite failures for their
185 ==============================================================================
187 When the time comes to actually make the release....
190 20. Make sure that the branch sources still build, test and install
191 correctly. Make sure that the sources are clean, without any
192 patch files (.reg .orig *~) left over.
197 21. Update the release number in bfd/version.m4 on the release
198 branch to a whole new minor version number, without a point
199 value. Eg "2.34.90" becomes "2.35". Change bfd/development.sh
200 to set all values to "false". Regenerate the configure and
201 makefiles. And *info* files. Add ChangeLog entries for the
202 updates and add a "this-is-the-2.3x-release" comment and
205 22. Check that your file creation mask will create the
206 correct file permissions. Eg:
211 Remove any spurious autom4te.cache files left over from the
216 23. Note - check to see if any new files have been added to the top
217 level of the source directory, but which are not in the
218 DEVO_SUPPORT variable in the src-release.sh script. If they are
219 needed then add them.
221 Create the release tarballs:
223 ./src-release.sh -b -g -l -x binutils
225 24. Check that the files in the tarballs have the correct
226 permissions. (FIXME: How to do this ?)
228 25. Sanity check the release on x86_64-pc-linux-gnu by building and
229 running the testsuites (gas, gold, binutils and ld). Make the
230 source directory read-only before building. Also test
231 "make install". If necessary fix any problems.
236 tar xvf <path-to-sources>/binutils-2.X.tar.xz
237 chmod -R -w binutils-2.X
240 ../binutils-2.X/configure --enable-gold --prefix=`pwd`/install
241 make all-gas all-gold all-ld all-binutils all-gprof
242 make check-gas check-binutils check-ld check-gold
243 make install-gas install-gold install-ld install-binutils
245 26. Tag the branch with the new release number:
247 git tag -a binutils-2_3x
248 [optional: add "-u XXXXX" to sign with a gpg key]
249 enter a tag message such as: "Official Binutils 2.3x release"
251 NB/ If you do sign the binaries make sure to use a key
252 that has been published with the FSF.
254 Then push the release:
256 git push origin binutils-2_3x
258 If you get an error message along the lines of "Invalid revision range ..." you can ignore it.
260 27. Upload the tarballs to ftp.gnu.org.
262 gnupload --to ftp.gnu.org:binutils binutils-2.3x.tar.*
264 The gnupload script is in the gnulib/build-aux directory.
266 Check for an email response from the upload. If necessary
269 28. Upload the tarballs (and signatures) to sourceware.org:
272 cd /sourceware/ftp/pub/binutils/releases
273 put binutils-2.3x.tar.*
274 chmod 644 binutils-2.3x.tar.*
277 FIXME: Are the signatures (created by the gnupload script in step 27) needed ?
278 [The above commands upload them and nobody has complained, so suggest that they
281 29. Update web pages. For sourceware.org:
283 Create a new documentation folder on the sourceware.org web
284 pages as /sourceware/www/sourceware/htdocs/binutils/docs-2.3x.
287 cd /sourceware/www/sourceware/htdocs/binutils
298 Update the (local copy of the) index.html file to point to the
299 new documentation and mention the new version and then upload it.
300 [NB/ FIXME: Special for updating from 2.34 documentation - restore
301 the link to the GAS/NEWS which has been changed for 2.34 to a
302 specific commit rather than the branch tag].
307 Make the html documentation locally with the "make html" command
308 and then upload and rename the directories as needed. (sftp
309 does not appear to support recursive uploads however, so the
310 directories had to be made by hand, as shown above).
313 lcd <build-dir>/gas/doc/as.html
314 put * {be patient - this takes a long time...}
316 lcd ../../../bfd/doc/bfd.html
319 lcd ../../../binutils/doc/binutils.html
322 lcd ../../../gprof/gprof.html
328 Edit the top level binutils index.html file to change the links
329 to point to the new documentation.
339 Check that the new web page is correct.
341 For the www.gnu.org site you have to email webmasters@gnu.org
342 and ask them to make the change(s).
344 30. Send emails to binutils@sourceware.org, info-gnu@gnu.org and
345 David Edelsohn <dje.gcc@gmail.com> announcing the new release.
346 Sign the email and include the checksum:
348 md5sum binutils-2.3x.tar.*
350 (The email to Davis is so that he can update the GNU Toolchain
351 social media). Something like this:
352 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
355 We are pleased to announce that version 2.3x of the GNU Binutils project
356 sources have been released and are now available for download at:
358 https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/binutils
359 https://sourceware.org/pub/binutils/releases/
363 This release contains numerous bug fixes, and also the
364 following new features:
366 <extract info from the NEWS files>
368 Our thanks go out to all of the binutils contributors, past and
369 present, for helping to make this release possible.
371 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
373 31. Clean up the source tree:
377 32. Edit bfd/development.sh on the branch and set the development flag
378 to "true". (Leave the experimental flag set to "false"). Also bump
379 the version in bfd/version.m4 by adding a trailing .0, so that the
380 date suffix keeps the version lower than the trunk version.
381 Regenerate files. Commit these changes.
383 33. Email the binutils list telling everyone that the 2.3x branch
384 is now open for business as usual and that patched no longer
385 need special approval.
387 34. Examine the bfd/config.bfd file in the mainline sources and move
388 any pending obsolete targets into the definitely obsolete
389 section. Create a changelog entry and commit.
391 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
392 How to perform a point release.
393 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
395 A point release is easier than a normal release since a lot of the
396 work has already been done. The branch has been created, the
397 translations updated and the documentation uploaded. So the procedure
400 0. Decide that a point release is necessary.
402 Usually this only happens when a sufficient number of serious
403 bugs have been found and fixed since the previous release, and a
404 new official release is not imminent.
406 1. Tell the community that a point release is happening. Ask
407 maintainers to ensure that their ports are up to date on the
408 release branch. Ask the community if there are any bug fixes
409 which are missing from the branch. Allow some time for the
410 responses to this step.
412 2. Make sure that the branch sources build, test and install
415 2.5 Prepare a list of the bugs which have been fixed. This
416 will be needed for step 8.
418 3. In the branch sources:
420 a. Update the minor release number in bfd/version.m4.
421 b. Edit bfd/development.sh, set "development=false".
422 c. Regenerate the configure files.
423 c.1. Remove spurious autom4te.cache files:
425 find . -depth -name autom4te.cache -exec rm -r {} \;
427 d. Commit the updates along with a "this-is-the-2.3x.y-release"
428 note in all of the changelogs.
429 e. Tag the branch with the new release number:
431 git tag -a binutils-2_3x_y
432 [optional: add "-u XXXXX" to sign with a gpg key]
433 git push origin binutils-2_3x_y
435 f. Check that your file creation mask will create the
436 correct file permissions. Eg:
440 g. Create the release tarballs:
442 ./src-release -b -g -l -x binutils
444 h. Check that the files in the tarballs have the correct
447 i. Edit bfd/development.sh and set "development=true".
448 j. Commit this change into the git repository.
450 4. [If paranoid - upload the tarballs to one of the FTP servers and
451 ask people to test it before going on to step 5].
453 5. Upload the tarballs to ftp.gnu.org.
455 gnupload --to ftp.gnu.org:binutils binutils-2.3x.y.tar.*
457 The gnupload script is in the gnulib/build-aux directory.
459 6. Upload the tarballs to sourceware.org:
462 cd /sourceware/ftp/pub/binutils/releases
463 put binutils-2.3x.y.tar.*
464 chmod 644 binutils-2.3x.y.tar.*
467 It is OK to upload the signatures as well.
469 7. Update web pages. For sourceware.org:
471 * Log on to sourceware.org
472 * Go to /sourceware/www/sourceware/htdocs/binutils
475 For the www.gnu.org site you have to email webmasters@gnu.org
476 and ask them to make the change(s).
478 8. Send an emails to the binutils list, info-gnu@gnu.org and
479 David Edelsohn <dje.gcc@gmail.com> announcing the new release.
480 (The email to Davis is so that he can update the GNU Toolchain
481 social media). Something like this:
483 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
486 We are pleased to announce that version 2.3x.y of the GNU Binutils
487 project sources have been released and are now available for download at:
489 https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/binutils
490 https://sourceware.org/pub/binutils/releases/
492 This is a point release over the previous 2.3x version, containing bug
493 fixes but no new features.
495 Our thanks go out to all of the binutils contributors, past and
496 present, for helping to make this release possible.
498 Here is a list of the bugs that have been fixed:
503 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
504 9. Clean up the source tree.
508 10. Edit bfd/development.sh on the branch and set the development flag
509 to "true". Commit this change.
512 Copyright (C) 2017-2020 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
514 Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification,
515 are permitted in any medium without royalty provided the copyright
516 notice and this notice are preserved.