v18.2.0 Release Process #5123
Description
v18.2.0 Release Process
- Update translations, see translation_process.md.
- Update manpages, see gen-manpages.sh.
Before every minor and major release:
- Update bips.md to account for changes since the last release (@thephez).
- Update version in configure.ac (don't forget to set CLIENT_VERSION_IS_RELEASE to true)
- Write Release Notes
- Update src/chainparams.cpp nMinimumChainWork with information from the getblockchaininfo rpc.
- Update src/chainparams.cpp defaultAssumeValid with information from the getblockhash rpc.
- This update should be reviewed with a reindex-chainstate with assumevalid=0 to catch any defect that causes rejection of blocks in the past history.
- Ensure that sentinel is not affected by any changes, and no changes to sentinel are required.
Tag the Release
- Tag v18.2.0 and push
Check CI
- Validate that CI passes
Do Gitian Build (for unsigned binaries) and create PRs
- Pasta Gitian Build
- Udjin Gitian Build
- Thephez Gitian Build
- Kittywhiskers Gitian Build
- Knst Gitian Build
Create Windows/OS X detached signatures (note: it might be decided skip signed binaries for RCs)
Only once the Windows/OS X builds each have 3 matching signatures may they be signed with their respective release keys.
- Pasta creates windows detached signature and commits
- pasta/quantum creates OS X detached signature
Update Gitian Builds with signed binaries (note: it might be decided skip signed binaries for RCs)
- Pasta Gitian Build
- Udjin Gitian Build
- Thephez Gitian Build
- Kittywhiskers Gitian Build
- Knst Gitian Build
After 3 or more people have gitian-built and their results match:
- Create SHA256SUMS.asc for the builds
- GPG sign each download / binary
- Upload zips and installers, as well as SHA256SUMS.asc from last step, to github as github draft release.
- Validate SHA256SUMS.asc and all binaries attached to github draft release are correct
- Notarize OS X binaries
- Release on github
- Update website
- Ensure that docker files are up to date
Announce the release:
- Release on Dash forum: https://www.dash.org/forum/topic/official-announcements.54/
- Optionally Discord, twitter, reddit /r/Dashpay, ... but this will usually sort out itself
- Celebrate
After the release
- Submit patches to BTCPay to ensure they use latest / compatible version see Release Schedule for v18.0.0 #4211 (comment)
Additional Items
- Prepare release blog post (necessary so we have a permalink to use on twitter, reddit, etc.)
- Prepare product brief (major versions only?)
- Prepare a release announcement tweet
- Follow-up tweets with any important block heights for consensus changes
- Update website download links
- Post on reddit
- Update docs (readme and RTD)
- Update sigs on website and verify
- Test Docker build runs without errors in Dashmate
- Verify sentinel works
- Verify insight works
- Verify p2pool works