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Maintainer documentation for initramfs-tools

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Table of Contents

• 1. Definitions
• 2. Preparations
• 3. Workflow for daily work
  • 3.1 Implement new features
  • 3.2 Merge branches
  • 3.3 Test specific branch
  • 3.4 Build snapshot version
• 4. Contribute
• 5. Release new version
• 6. Ressources
• 7. Credits
• 8. License

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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.

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1. Definitions

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

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2. Preparations

1. Install required software (notice: git is named git-core on Debian/stable):

   # apt-get install git git-buildpackage dpkg-dev
   

2. Set environment variables (e.g. through your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc) for devscripts (git 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
   

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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. git 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:

   % git dch --debian-branch="$(git branch | awk -F\*\   '/^* / { print $2}' )" \
     --since="v$(dpkg-parsechangelog | awk '/^Version:/ {print $2}')" -S --id-length=7 --meta
   

4. Build package:

   % git buildpackage --git-ignore-new --git-debian-branch="$(git branch | awk -F\*\  '/^* / { print $2}' )" -tc
   

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3.4 Build snapshot version

1. Adjust debian/changelog accordingly:

   % git dch --debian-branch="$(git branch | awk -F\*\   '/^* / { print $2}' )" \
     --since="$(dpkg-parsechangelog | awk '/^Version:/ {print $2}')" -S --id-length=7 --meta
   

2. Build package:

   % git buildpackage --git-debian-branch="$(git branch | awk -F\*\  '/^* / { print $2}' )" -tc [-us -uc]
   

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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.qa.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.

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5. Release new version

1. Creating changelog:

   % git dch --debian-branch master --release --since HASH
   

   or more dynamically:

   % git dch --meta --release --since v$(dpkg-parsechangelog | awk '/^Version:/ {print $2}') --debian-branch="$(git branch | awk -F\*\  '/^* / { print $2}' )" [--id-length=7] [--full]
   

   NOTE: we do not use history based sorting for the changelog entries but sort them by author (doing that manually when reviewing the changelog, see #586165).
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..").

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6. Ressources

• initramfs-tools git web interface
• initramfs @ debian-wiki
• bugreports
• initramfs-tools @ PTS
• popcon graph
• bugcount for initramfs-tools
• bugreports @ ubuntu
• qa page @ ubuntu

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7. Credits

• Thanks to Daniel Baumann for his "Debian Packaging with Git" which inspired this document.

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8. License

• This document is licensed under GPL v2 or any later version.

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-- Michael Prokop <mika@debian.org>

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