-.. stable_lts_releases:
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+ Copyright 2018 The DPDK contributors
+
+.. _stable_lts_releases:
DPDK Stable Releases and Long Term Support
==========================================
consumers of DPDK with a stable target on which to base applications or
packages.
+The primary characteristics of stable releases is that they attempt to
+fix issues and not introduce any new regressions while keeping backwards
+compatibility with the initial release of the stable version.
+
The Long Term Support release (LTS) is a designation applied to a Stable
Release to indicate longer term support.
Stable Releases
---------------
-Any major release of DPDK can be designated as a Stable Release if a
-maintainer volunteers to maintain it.
+Any release of DPDK can be designated as a Stable Release if a
+maintainer volunteers to maintain it and there is a commitment from major
+contributors to validate it before releases.
+If a version is to be a "Stable Release", it should be designated as such
+within one month of that version being initially released.
A Stable Release is used to backport fixes from an ``N`` release back to an
``N-1`` release, for example, from 16.11 to 16.07.
A stable release can be designated as an LTS release based on community
agreement and a commitment from a maintainer. The current policy is that each
-year's November release will be maintained as an LTS for 2 years.
+year's November (X.11) release will be maintained as an LTS for 2 years.
+
+After the X.11 release, an LTS branch will be created for it at
+https://git.dpdk.org/dpdk-stable where bugfixes will be backported to.
-The current DPDK LTS releases are 16.11 and 17.11.
+A LTS release may align with the declaration of a new major ABI version,
+please read the :doc:`abi_policy` for more information.
It is anticipated that there will be at least 4 releases per year of the LTS
or approximately 1 every 3 months. However, the cadence can be shorter or
fixes. Releases should be coordinated with the validation engineers to ensure
that a tagged release has been tested.
+For a list of the currently maintained stable/LTS branches please see
+the latest `stable roadmap <https://core.dpdk.org/roadmap/#stable>`_.
+
+At the end of the 2 years, a final X.11.N release will be made and at that
+point the LTS branch will no longer be maintained with no further releases.
+
What changes should be backported
---------------------------------
-Backporting should be limited to bug fixes. All patches accepted on the master
+Backporting should be limited to bug fixes. All patches accepted on the main
branch with a Fixes: tag should be backported to the relevant stable/LTS
branches, unless the submitter indicates otherwise. If there are exceptions,
they will be discussed on the mailing lists.
Fixes not suitable for backport should not include the ``Cc: stable@dpdk.org`` tag.
-Features should not be backported to stable releases. It may be acceptable, in
-limited cases, to back port features for the LTS release where:
-
-* There is a justifiable use case (for example a new PMD).
-* The change is non-invasive.
-* The work of preparing the backport is done by the proposer.
-* There is support within the community.
-
+To support the goal of stability and not introducing regressions,
+new code being introduced is limited to bug fixes.
+New features should not be backported to stable releases.
+
+In some limited cases, it may be acceptable to backport a new feature
+to a stable release. Some of the factors which impact the decision by
+stable maintainers are as follows:
+
+* Does the feature break API/ABI?
+* Does the feature break backwards compatibility?
+* Is it for the latest LTS release (to avoid LTS upgrade issues)?
+* Is there a commitment from the proposer or affiliation to validate the feature
+ and check for regressions in related functionality?
+* Is there a track record of the proposer or affiliation validating stable releases?
+* Is it obvious that the feature will not impact existing functionality?
+* How intrusive is the code change?
+* What is the scope of the code change?
+* Does it impact common components or vendor specific?
+* Is there a justifiable use case (a clear user need)?
+* Is there a community consensus about the backport?
+
+Performance improvements are generally not considered to be fixes,
+but may be considered in some cases where:
+
+* It is fixing a performance regression that occurred previously.
+* An existing feature in LTS is not usable as intended without it.
The Stable Mailing List
-----------------------
The Stable and LTS release are coordinated on the stable@dpdk.org mailing
list.
-All fix patches to the master branch that are candidates for backporting
-should also be CCed to the `stable@dpdk.org <http://dpdk.org/ml/listinfo/stable>`_
+All fix patches to the main branch that are candidates for backporting
+should also be CCed to the `stable@dpdk.org <https://mails.dpdk.org/listinfo/stable>`_
mailing list.
* Tagging the release with YY.MM.n (year, month, number).
* Uploading a tarball of the release to dpdk.org.
-* Sending an announcement to the `announce@dpdk.org <http://dpdk.org/ml/listinfo/announce>`_
+* Sending an announcement to the `announce@dpdk.org <https://mails.dpdk.org/listinfo/announce>`_
list.
-Stable releases are available on the `dpdk.org download page <http://dpdk.org/download>`_.
-
-
-ABI
----
-
-The Stable Release should not be seen as a way of breaking or circumventing
-the DPDK ABI policy.
+Stable releases are available on the `dpdk.org download page <https://core.dpdk.org/download/>`_.
git.droids-corp.org / dpdk.git / blobdiff