Added a draft document explaining how to release Django.

Thanks to James for the first draft; I made a few changes (svn->git) and
some supporting links, but mostly I added FIXME's.

docs/internals/howto-release-django.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,280 @@
+=====================
+How is Django Formed?
+=====================
+
+This document explains how to release Django. If you're unluky enough to
+be driving a release, you should follow these instructions to get the
+package out.
+
+**Please, keep these instructions up-to-date if you make changes!** The point
+here is to be descriptive, not proscriptive, so feel free to streamline or
+otherwise make changes, but **update this document accordingly!**
+
+Overview
+========
+
+There are three types of releases that you might need to make
+
+* Security releases, disclosing and fixing a vulnerability. This'll
+  generally involve two or three simultaneous releases -- e.g.
+  1.5.X, 1.6.X, and, depending on timing, perhaps a 1.7 alpha/beta/rc.
+
+* Regular version releases, either a final release (e.g. 1.5) or a
+  bugfix update (e.g. 1.5.1).
+
+* Pre-releases, e.g. 1.6 beta or something.
+
+In general the steps are about the same reguardless, but there are a few
+differences noted. The short version is:
+
+#. If this is a security release, pre-notify the security distribution list
+   at least one week before the actual release.
+
+#. Proofread (and create if needed) the release notes, looking for
+   organiztion, writing errors, deprecation timelines, etc. Draft a blog post
+   and email announcement.
+
+#. Update version numbers and create the release package(s)!
+
+#. Upload the package(s) to the the ``djangoproject.com`` server and creating
+   some redirects for download/checksum links.
+
+#. Unless this is a pre-release, add the new version(s) to PyPI.
+
+#. Update the home page and download page to link to the new version(s).
+
+#. Post the blog entry and send out the email announcements.
+
+#. Update version numbers post-release.
+
+There's a lot of details, so please read on.
+
+Prerequisites
+=============
+
+You'll need a few things hooked up to make this work:
+
+* A GPG key. *FIXME: sort out exactly whose keys are acceptable for a
+  release.*
+
+* Access to Django's record on PyPI.
+
+* Access to the ``djangoproject.com`` server to upload files and trigger a
+  deploy.
+
+* Access to the admin on ``djangoproject.com``.
+
+* Access to post to ``django-announe``.
+
+* If this is a security release, access to the pre-notification distribution
+  list.
+
+If this is your first release, you'll need to corrdinate with James and Jacob
+to get all these things ready to go.
+
+Pre-release tasks
+=================
+
+A few items need to be taken care of before even beginning the release process.
+This stuff starts about a week before the release; most of it can be done
+any time leading up to the actual release:
+
+#. If this is a security release, send out pre-notification **one week**
+   before the release. We maintain a list of who gets these pre-notifcation
+   emails at *FIXME WHERE?*. This email should be signed by the key you'll use
+   for the release, and should include patches for each issue being fixed.
+
+#. As the release aproaches, watch Trac to make sure no release blockers
+   are left for the upcoming release.
+
+#. Check with the other committers to make sure they don't have any
+   un-committed changes for the release.
+
+#. Proofread the release notes, including looking at the online
+   version to catch any broken links or reST errors, and make sure the
+   release notes contain the correct date.
+
+#. Double-check that the release notes mention deprecation timelines
+   for any APIs noted as deprecated, and that they mention any changes
+   in Python version support.
+
+#. Double-check that the release notes index has a link to the notes
+   for the new release; this will be in ``docs/releases/index.txt``.
+
+Preparing for release
+=====================
+
+Next, everything needs to be made ready for actually rolling the
+release. The following things should be done a few days to a few hours
+before release:
+
+#. Update the djangoproject home page and download page templates to
+   reflect the new release. There are two templates to change:
+   ``flatpages/download.html`` and ``homepage.html``; here's
+   `one example commit for the 1.4.5 / 1.3.7 releases`__
+
+   __ https://github.com/django/djangoproject.com/commit/772edbc6ac5a2b8e718606b3338f2bcc429fb9b6
+
+#. Write the announcement blog post for the release. You can enter it into
+   the admin at any time and mark it as inactive. Here's a few examples:
+   `example security release accouncement`__, `example regular release
+   announcement`__, `example pre-release announcement`__.
+
+   __ https://www.djangoproject.com/weblog/2013/feb/19/security/
+   __ https://www.djangoproject.com/weblog/2012/mar/23/14/
+   __ https://www.djangoproject.com/weblog/2012/nov/27/15-beta-1/
+
+#. Create redirects in the admin for the new downloads. For each release,
+   we create two redirects that look like::
+
+        /download/<version>/tarball/ -> /m/releases/<version>/Django-<version>.tar.gz
+        /download/<version>/checksum/ -> /m/pgp/Django-<version>.checksum.txt
+
+Actually rolling the release
+============================
+
+OK, this is the fun part, where we actually push out a release!
+
+#. Check Jenkins is green for the version(s) you're putting out. You probably
+   shouldn't issue a release until it's green.
+
+#. A release always begins from a release branch, so you
+   should ``git pull`` to make sure you're up-to-date and then
+   ``git checkout stable/<release>`` (e.g. checkout ``stable/1.5.x`` to issue
+   a release in the 1.5 series.)
+
+#. If this is a security release, merge the apropriate patches from
+   ``django-private``. *FIXME: actual commands here - make sure to --ff-
+   only right?*. Make sure the commit messages explain that the commit
+   is a security fix and that an announcement will follow (`example
+   security commit`__)
+
+   __ https://github.com/django/django/commit/3ef4bbf495cc6c061789132e3d50a8231a89406b
+
+#. Update version numbers for the release. This has to happen in three
+   places: ``django/__init__.py``, ``docs/conf.py``, and ``setup.py``.
+   Please see `notes on setting the VERSION tuple`_ below for details
+   on ``VERSION``. Here's `an example commit updating version numbers`__
+
+   __ https://github.com/django/django/commit/18d920ea4839fb54f9d2a5dcb555b6a5666ee469
+
+   Make sure the ``download_url`` in ``setup.py`` is the actual URL you'll
+   use for the new release package, not the redirect URL (some tools can't
+   properly follow redirects).
+
+#. If this is a pre-release package, update the "Development Status" trove
+   classifier in ``setup.py`` to reflect this. Otherwise, make sure the
+   classifier is set to ``Development Status :: 5 - Production/Stable``.
+
+#. Tag the release by running ``git tag`` *FIXME actual commands*.
+
+#. ``git push`` your work.
+
+#. Make sure you have an absolutely clean tree by running ``git clean -dfx``.
+
+#. Run ``python setup.py sdist`` to generate the release package.
+
+#. Generate the MD5 and SHA1 hashes of the release package. *FIXME
+   actual commands for doign this?*
+
+#. Create a "checksums" file containing the hashes and release information.
+   You can start with `a previous checksums file`__ and replace the
+   dates, keys, links, and checksums. *FIXME: make a template file.*
+
+   __ https://www.djangoproject.com/m/pgp/Django-1.5b1.checksum.txt
+
+#. Sign the checksum file using the release key (``gpg
+   --clearsign``), then verify the signature (``gpg --verify``). *FIXME:
+   full, actual commands here*.
+
+If you're issuing multiple releases, repeat these steps for each release.
+
+Making the release(s) available to the public
+=============================================
+
+Now you're ready to actually put the release out there. To do this:
+
+#. Upload the release package(s) to the djangoproject server; releases go
+   in ``/home/www/djangoproject.com/src/media/releases``, under a
+   directory for the appropriate version number (e.g.
+   ``/home/www/djangoproject.com/src/media/releases/1.5`` for a ``1.5.X``
+   release.).
+
+#. Upload the checksum file(s); these go in
+   ``/home/www/djangoproject.com/src/media/pgp``.
+
+#. Test that the release packages install correctly using ``easy_install``
+   and ``pip``. Here's how I do it (which requires `virtualenvwrapper`__):
+
+        $ mktmpenv
+        $ easy_install http://www.djangoproject.com/download/<version>/tarball/
+        $ deactivate
+        $ mktmpenv
+        $ pip install http://www.djangoproject.com/download/<version>/tarball/
+        $ deactivate
+
+   This just tests that the tarballs are available (i.e. redirects are up) and
+   that they install correctly, but it'll catch silly mistakes. *XXX FIXME:
+   buildout too?*
+
+   __ https://pypi.python.org/pypi/virtualenvwrapper
+
+#. Ask a few people on IRC to verify the checksums by visiting the chucksums
+   file (e.g. https://www.djangoproject.com/m/pgp/Django-1.5b1.checksum.txt)
+   and following the instructions in it.
+
+#. If this is a security or regular release, register the new package with
+   PyPI by uploading the ``PGK-INFO`` file generated in the release package
+   *FIXME: be more specific about where this is and how to upload it.*
+   Don't do this for pre-releases.
+
+#. Deploy the template changes you made a while back by running `fab deploy`
+   from the ``djangoproject.com`` repo.
+
+#. Update the ``/download/`` flat page in the djangoproject.com
+   admin. For alpha/beta/RC releases, we add a temporary third section
+   to that page listing the preview package; otherwise, just update
+   the "Get the latest official version" section.
+
+#. Make up the blog post announcing the release live.
+
+#. Post the release announcement to the django-announce,
+   django-developers and django-users mailing lists. This should
+   include links to both the announcement blog post and the release
+   notes. *FIXME: make some templates with example text*.
+
+Post-release
+============
+
+You're almost done! All that's left to do now is:
+
+#. Update the ``VERSION`` tuple in ``django/__init__.py`` again,
+   incrementing to whatever the next expected release will be. For
+   example, after releasing 1.2.1, update ``VERSION`` to report "1.2.2
+   pre-alpha".
+
+Notes on setting the VERSION tuple
+==================================
+
+Django's version reporting is controlled by the ``VERSION`` tuple in
+``django/__init__.py``. This is a five-element tuple, whose elements
+are:
+
+#. Major version.
+#. Minor version.
+#. Micro version.
+#. Status -- can be one of "alpha", "beta", "rc" or "final".
+#. Series number, for alpha/beta/RC packages which run in sequence
+   (allowing, for example, "beta 1", "beta 2", etc.).
+
+For a final release, the status is always "final" and the series
+number is always 0. A series number of 0 with an "alpha" status will
+be reported as "pre-alpha".
+
+Some examples:
+
+* ``(1, 2, 1, 'final', 0)`` --> "1.2.1"
+
+* ``(1, 3, 0, 'alpha', 0)`` --> "1.3 pre-alpha"
+
+* ``(1, 3, 0, 'beta', 2)`` --> "1.3 beta 2"

docs/internals/index.txt

@@ -22,3 +22,4 @@ the hood".
    release-process
    deprecation
    git
+   howto-release-django