Maintainer documentation for initramfs-tools

Table of Contents

NOTE: The most recent version of this document is available at docs/maintainer-notes.html in the the git repository or online at git.debian.org.

1. Definitions

$mailaddress:mailaddress of the user
$username:name of the alioth account
$version:version string
$yourname:your fullname
^

2. Preparations

  1. Install required software (notice: git is named git-core on Debian/oldstable): 
    # apt-get install git git-buildpackage dpkg-dev
  2. Set environment variables (e.g. through your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc) for devscripts (gbp dch): 
    export DEBEMAIL=$mailaddress
export DEBFULLNAME=$yourname
  3. Set user name and email address for git (drop the --global option to use configuration per-repo basis): 
    % git config --global user.name  "$yourname"
% git config --global user.email "$mailaddress"
  4. Checkout repository (anonymous): 
    % git clone git://git.debian.org/git/kernel/initramfs-tools.git
% cd initramfs-tools
  5. Checkout repository (with developer access): 
    % git clone ssh://$username@git.debian.org/git/kernel/initramfs-tools.git
% cd initramfs-tools
^

3. Workflow for daily work

3.1 Implement new features

  1. Checkout new branch and switch to it: 
    % git checkout -b $username/short-descr-of-new-feature
  2. Hack and commit work: 
    % $EDITOR $somefile
% git add $somefile
% git commit -s
    NOTE: Use 'Closes: #BUGID' for closing a bugreport and 'Thanks: Fullname <mailaddress>' for giving credits in your commit message. gbp dch will use this information for generating the changelog using the --meta option later on.
  3. Finally push your branch to alioth: 
    % git push origin $username/short-descr-of-new-feature

3.2 Merge branches

  1. Switch to the branch you want to merge: 
    % git checkout $username/new-feature
  2. Rebase to master: 
    % git rebase master
  3. Switch to master branch and merge: 
    % git checkout master
% git merge $username/new-feature
  4. Push: 
    % git push
  5. After branch is merged delete branch on server and locally: 
    % git push origin :$username/short-descr-of-new-feature
% git branch -d $username/short-descr-of-new-feature
  6. If a branch is removed from the server it will stay locally. You can get of any stale remote branches locally by executing: 
    % git remote prune origin

3.3 Test specific branch

  1. Checkout a specific branch iff branch is not already present locally: 
    % git checkout -b somename/short-descr-of-new-feature origin/somename/short-descr-of-new-feature
  2. Checkout a specific branch iff branch is already present locally: 
    % git checkout -b somename/short-descr-of-new-feature
  3. Adjust debian/changelog accordingly: 
    % gbp dch --debian-branch="$(git branch | awk -F\*\   '/^* / { print $2}' )" \
  --since="v$(dpkg-parsechangelog | awk '/^Version:/ {print $2}')" -S --id-length=7 --meta --multimaint-merge
  4. Build package: 
    % git buildpackage --git-ignore-new --git-debian-branch="$(git branch | awk -F\*\  '/^* / { print $2}' )" -tc
^

3.4 Build snapshot version

  1. Adjust debian/changelog accordingly: 
    % gbp dch --debian-branch="$(git branch | awk -F\*\   '/^* / { print $2}' )" \
  --since="v$(dpkg-parsechangelog | awk '/^Version:/ {print $2}')" -S --id-length=7 --meta --multimaint-merge
  2. Build package: 
    % git buildpackage --git-debian-branch="$(git branch | awk -F\*\  '/^* / { print $2}' )" -tc [-us -uc]
^

4. Contribute

  1. Create patch: 
    % git format-patch -s -p origin/master
  2. Send patch file(s) to maintainers via mail (requires Debian package git-email): 
    % git send-email --to=initramfs-tools@packages.debian.org $PATCHFILE[S]
  3. The development mailinglists are debian-kernel@lists.debian.org and initramfs@vger.kernel.org. Discussion of features, bugs and patches are more than welcome on one of these lists.
^

5. Release new version

  1. Creating changelog: 
    % gbp dch --debian-branch master --release --since HASH
    or more dynamically: 
    % gbp dch --meta --release --since v$(dpkg-parsechangelog | awk '/^Version:/ {print $2}') --debian-branch="$(git branch | awk -F\*\  '/^* / { print $2}' )" --id-length=7 --meta --multimaint-merge
    NOTE: we do not use history based sorting for the changelog entries but sort them by author.
  2. Releasing: 
    % git commit -a -s -m "Releasing version $version."
  3. Tagging: 
    % git tag -s v"$version" -m "release $version"
  4. Pushing: 
    % git push
% git push --tags
  5. Build in chroot and upload to ftp-master.
  6. Send mail announcing the new initramfs-tools version with subject "initramfs-tools $VERSION release" to initramfs@vger.kernel.org, debian-kernel@lists.debian.org + kernel-team@lists.ubuntu.com - including a shortlog (generated through "git shortlog $TAG..").
^

6. Resources

^

7. Credits

^

8. License

^

-- Michael Prokop <mika@debian.org>