update README to explain gitlab numbers

(cherry picked from commit 45d76498d91439c79cf4617b2b7f7f82a14e749c)

diff --git a/README b/README
index 45c1f490c8acd7063ea54fb355f3dc0f94d2461a..edd5699b3af3a17f6005901b94a11335d6ede9db 100644 (file)
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -482,6 +482,24 @@ releases (i.e., those with version numbers ending in zero). Some new
 functionality may be backported to older releases on a case-by-case basis.
 All other change types may be applied to all currently-supported releases.
 
+Bug report identifiers
+
+Most notes in the CHANGES file include a reference to a bug report or
+issue number. Prior to 2018, these were usually of the form [RT #NNN] and
+referred to entries in the "bind9-bugs" RT database, which was not open to
+the public. More recent entries use the form [GL #NNN] or, less often, [GL
+!NNN], which, respectively, refer to issues or merge requests in the
+Gitlab database. Most of these are publically readable, unless they
+include information which is confidential or security senstive.
+
+To look up a Gitlab issue by its number, use the URL https://
+gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9/issues/NNN. To look up a merge request,
+use https://gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9/merge_requests/NNN.
+
+In rare cases, an issue or merge request number may be followed with the
+letter "P". This indicates that the information is in the private ISC
+Gitlab instance, which is not visible to the public.
+
 Acknowledgments
 
   * The original development of BIND 9 was underwritten by the following

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ea48104e6863f586954664115dd45ee1b0e9f5a3..8b6523593cd1633e12c8dd4dc30021e2599b7f5c 100644 (file)
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -489,6 +489,25 @@ releases (i.e., those with version numbers ending in zero).  Some new
 functionality may be backported to older releases on a case-by-case basis.
 All other change types may be applied to all currently-supported releases.
 
+#### Bug report identifiers
+
+Most notes in the CHANGES file include a reference to a bug report or
+issue number. Prior to 2018, these were usually of the form `[RT #NNN]`
+and referred to entries in the "bind9-bugs" RT database, which was not open
+to the public. More recent entries use the form `[GL #NNN]` or, less often,
+`[GL !NNN]`, which, respectively, refer to issues or merge requests in the
+Gitlab database. Most of these are publically readable, unless they include
+information which is confidential or security senstive.
+
+To look up a Gitlab issue by its number, use the URL
+[https://gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9/issues/NNN](https://gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9/issues).
+To look up a merge request, use
+[https://gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9/merge_requests/NNN](https://gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9/merge_requests).
+
+In rare cases, an issue or merge request number may be followed with the
+letter "P". This indicates that the information is in the private ISC
+Gitlab instance, which is not visible to the public.
+
 ### <a name="ack"/> Acknowledgments
 
 * The original development of BIND 9 was underwritten by the