X-Git-Url: http://git.droids-corp.org/?p=dpdk.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=doc%2Fguides%2Fcontributing%2Fabi_policy.rst;h=b9219286898c36c2eb8c2556d21edcbbcabaa033;hp=a488b53cf9c10b876bfb7181fe8b386d4c53c1f2;hb=05a38d7c759ef2e8b76f23377e4baf9e95060b15;hpb=45a4103e680d6b9bfb2b4ee4f4ef528d8de51ec0

diff --git a/doc/guides/contributing/abi_policy.rst b/doc/guides/contributing/abi_policy.rst
index a488b53cf9..b921928689 100644
--- a/doc/guides/contributing/abi_policy.rst
+++ b/doc/guides/contributing/abi_policy.rst
@@ -160,6 +160,11 @@ The requirements for changing the ABI are:
      ``experimental``, as described in the section on :ref:`Experimental APIs
      and Libraries <experimental_apis>`.
 
+   - In situations in which an ``experimental`` symbol has been stable for some
+     time. When promoting the symbol to become part of the next ABI version, the
+     maintainer may choose to provide an alias to the ``experimental`` tag, so
+     as not to break consuming applications.
+
 #. If a newly proposed API functionally replaces an existing one, when the new
    API becomes non-experimental, then the old one is marked with
    ``__rte_deprecated``.
@@ -318,6 +323,11 @@ not required. Though, an API should remain in experimental state for at least
 one release. Thereafter, the normal process of posting patch for review to
 mailing list can be followed.
 
+After the experimental tag has been formally removed, a tree/sub-tree maintainer
+may choose to offer an alias to the experimental tag so as not to break
+applications using the symbol. The alias is then dropped at the declaration of
+next major ABI version.
+
 Libraries
 ~~~~~~~~~