## page was copied from BetaProcess
To be carried out by the [[https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-release|Ubuntu release team]] and flavor release team managers.

Goals:

 * Produce a set of well-tested distribution media images suitable for broad testing by advanced users.
 * Allow all packages in main to be test-built and bugs filed where relevant.
 * Confirm that certified hardware is properly supported.
 * Keep the developer community informed about the status of the release.

During the whole process:

 * Check if there are newsworthy items and mail them to `ubuntu-devel`.  Examples of newsworthy items are: New candidate ISOs, important bugfixes (and ask for verification of same).

=== Release minus 10 days: ===

|| '''opt-in beta''' || '''final beta''' || '''task''' ||
|| x || x || Notify developers by mailing [[http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-announce|ubuntu-devel-announce]]: <<BR>> `` ``* Pointer to beta milestone page (in launchpad)<<BR>>  `` ``* Reminder of beta freeze <<BR>> `` ``* Request to avoid and eliminate PackageInconsistencies <<BR>> * Toolchain freeze begins||
|| x || x || Target any relevant bugs to the beta milestone||
|| x || x || Review [[http://people.ubuntu.com/~ubuntu-archive/component-mismatches.txt|component mismatches]] and file any necessary [[UbuntuMainInclusionQueue|main inclusion reports]]||
|| x || x || Send UserInterfaceFreeze reminder to `ubuntu-devel`, `ubuntu-translators` and `ubuntu-doc`, pointing out to the [[FreezeExceptionProcess#UserInterfaceFreeze%20Exceptions| freeze exception process]]||
|| x || x || Clear the [[http://people.ubuntu.com/~ubuntu-archive/nbs.html|NBS]] list  ||
|| x || x || Update metapackages for all releasing derivatives||
||   || x || Begin UpgradeTestingProcess||
||   || x || Contact the certification team to check if any critical certification bugs remain to be resolved ||
||   || x || Notify James Troup to remind mirrors to check free disk space<<BR>> * Include estimate of disk space requirements for pre-publishing the beta release ||
||   || x || Work with Marketing Communications (IRC: cezzamanizzle) and development teams to specify out minimum installation configurations ||
||   || x || Notify ubuntu-translation-coordinators to coordinate a fresh set of language packs which will be exported, uploaded, and built in time for beta. ||
||   || x || Ask design team for new default wallpaper ||
||   || x || Get in touch with all Ubuntu flavor leads to make sure everything is ready for Beta/Release, if the flavors are still participating and making sure appropriate test resources are available for milestone testing ||

=== Release minus 7 days: ===

|| '''opt-in beta''' || '''final beta''' || '''task''' ||
||   || x || Notify installer team to ensure ubiquity is up-to-date with respect to any udebs that have changed in the archive (NB: possibly obsolete as of Ubuntu 20.04). ||
||   || x || Notify Ubuntu, Kubuntu and other flavour contacts to create and update their Upgrade docs at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/{{{$release}}}Upgrades ||
|| x || x || Review problems and file targeted bugs for those which need resolution for the beta:<<BR>>  * PackageInconsistencies<<BR>>  * [[http://people.ubuntu.com/~ubuntu-archive/livefs-build-logs/|Live filesystem build failures]]<<BR>>  * Installation bugs<<BR>>  * Upgrade bugs<<BR>>  * High-severity bugs<<BR>>  * Hardware support regressions<<BR>>  * Pending [[http://people.ubuntu.com/~ubuntu-archive/component-mismatches.txt|main promotions]]<<BR>>  * Oversized ISOs ||
||   || x || Check whether translation templates ({{{.pot}}} files) are up-to-date for:<<BR>>  * ubiquity<<BR>>  * ubiquity-slideshow-ubuntu ||
||   || x || Ask ubuntu-doc for help in preparing https://help.ubuntu.com/community/{{{$release}}}Upgrades ||
||   || x || Ask developers (ubuntu-devel-announce) to mark their features as "Beta Available" or "Complete" in https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/{{{$release}}}/+specs ||
|| x || x || Review iso. and confirm signoffs are accurate.||


=== Release minus 6 days ===
|| '''opt-in beta''' || '''final beta''' || '''task''' ||
|| x || x || Set up framework for beta release notes <<BR>>    * Review bugs from last milestone and remove those fixed. ||
||   || x || Collect marketing input for beta release notes <<BR>>   * Ask the marketing team (ubuntu-marketing@lists.ubuntu.com) if they have input. <<BR>>    * Check with Marketing (Vanessa Sammut) for themes to highlight. ||
|| x || x || prepare the ISO tracker for the milestone and make it the `default_milestone` in `~cdimage/.isotracker.conf` on ancientminister<<BR>>    * marked as "automatically publish" (so no need to change isotracker configuration on cdimage) <<BR>>    * lists the new milestone<<BR>>    * has all the images listed on the ReleaseManifest ||
||   || x || Check with QA (#ubuntu-testing, IRC:jibel) on results of cdrom upgrades and manual installation smoke tests. ||
||   || x || Discuss with '''??''' ( was: Matthew Nuzum and Jonathan Davies)  anticipated sizes of ISO images and determine if any mirroring issues. ||

=== Release minus 3 days: ===
|| '''opt-in beta''' || '''final beta''' || '''task''' ||
|| x || x || Announce the beta freeze on the `#ubuntu-devel` topic and [[http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-announce|ubuntu-devel-announce]]. There is generally no need to tell people to hold off on uploads, as they will be held automatically by Soyuz once the next task is performed. ||
|| x || x || Put the archive into pre-release freeze state (this requires #webops powers) ||
|| x || x || Ask somebody who can su to ubuntu-archive on snakefruit to enable the cronjob for auto-accepting unseeded uploads. ||
||   || x || Add a freeze block, using generate-freeze-block from ubuntu-archive-tools, on britney to keep uploads from migrating out of -proposed. ||
|| x || x || Selectively accept package uploads to resolve targeted bugs ||
|| x || x || All image problems should be resolved, and the archive consistent<<BR>>  * PackageInconsistencies<<BR>>  * Live filesystem build failures<<BR>>  * Pending [[http://people.ubuntu.com/~ubuntu-archive/component-mismatches.txt|main promotions]] ||
|| x || x || Notify Colin Watson (or other buildd admin) to begin rebuild testing ||
|| x || x || Stop all live filesystem and cdimage cron jobs ||
|| x || x || Modify `debian-cd/CONF.sh` by setting `OFFICIAL` to "Beta". ||
|| x || x || Produce full set of images ||
||   || x || Notify Ubuntu QA team (jibel) to begin ReleaseValidationProcess ||
||   || x || Notify Hardware Certification team (ara) to begin https://wiki.canonical.com/UbuntuPlatform/HardwareCertification/Process (private due to agreements with vendors) ||
||   || x || Notify commercial engineering QA team (email: jeffrey.chang@canonical.com AND cc: steve.magoun@canonical.com) to begin testing. ||
||   || x || Notify commercial engineering (email: david.murphy@canonical.com AND cc: ce-infrastructure@lists.canonical.com; IRC: schwuk) that the archive is in a consistent state ||
|| x || x || 1. Iteratively test and accept select showstopper fixes <<BR>>* Make sure to clear the testing grid for each iteration ||
|| x || x || Request input for the beta announcement from the leads of the community products. ||

=== Release minus 2 day: ===
|| '''opt-in beta''' || '''final beta''' || '''task''' ||
|| x || x || Update the release notes with the changes for this release (including community input)<<BR>>  * Work with development leads to make sure that highlights of changes since last milestone, are overviewed. <<BR>>  * Work with QA team(s) to make sure that any caveats and warnings present in the image are documented. ||
|| x || x || Prepare the release announcement. For cloud images, remember to write to use the daily images equal or newer than the images we have built for other flavors. ||
|| x || x || Review beta-targeted bugs and take final decisions on what to fix and what to defer ||

=== Release minus 1 day: ===
|| '''opt-in beta''' || '''final beta''' || '''task''' ||
|| x || x || Update release notes with the bugs found from testing that are not going to be fixed. ||
|| x || x || Pre-publish the CD images: `./publish-image-set --prepublish` (from [[https://code.launchpad.net/+branch/ubuntu-archive-tools|lp:ubuntu-archive-tools]]) will print the necessary commands. ||

=== Release minus a couple of hours: ===
|| '''opt-in beta''' || '''final beta''' || '''task''' ||
|| x || x || 1. Review the testing status of images and ensure all have been tested before being released.||
|| x || x || Generate corresponding source images with ALL_PROJECTS="list of participating flavors" cron.source. Be advised that this step can take a considerate amount of time. ||
|| x || x || Archive any previous milestone images to old-images. ||
|| x || x || Disable mirror syncing on ancientminister, by creating `/srv/cdimage.ubuntu.com/etc/STOP_SYNC_MIRRORS` ||
|| x || x || Publish the CD images: `./publish-image-set` will print the necessary commands.<<BR>>  * You need to edit `cdimage/www/simple/HEADER.html` and `cdimage/www/simple/.htaccess` by hand to add an entry for the new beta release, since neither publish-release nor publish-image-set is yet smart enough to do the right thing there.||
|| x || x || Copy .manifest to .manifest.full, pruning all images from previous releases from the .manifest file to allow timely mirror probing.||
|| x || x || Re-enable mirror-syncing by removing `/srv/cdimage.ubuntu.com/etc/STOP_SYNC_MIRRORS` ||
|| x || x || Remove any not-yet-official warnings from the announcement and release notes||
|| x || x || Check torrents for proper functionality ||

=== Release: ===
|| '''opt-in beta''' || '''final beta''' || '''task''' ||
|| x || x || Update the topic on `#ubuntu-devel` ||
|| x ||   || Send the release announcement to `ubuntu-devel-announce` ||
||   || x || Send the release announcement to `ubuntu-announce` ||
||   || x || Post announcement to [[https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+announce|Launchpad]] ([[https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-drivers/+members|ubuntu-drivers members]] have posting rights) <<BR>>  * Use ubuntu-announce email subject as Headline<<BR>>  * Use ubuntu-announce email body intro as the Summary <<BR>>  * Use the mailing list archive URL for the ubuntu-announce email as the URL ||
|| x || x || Add a note, atop wiki pages for previous alphas/betas, to point to the just-released one ||
|| x || x || Change `default_milestone` in `~cdimage/.isotracker.conf` back to "Daily" (etc.) ||
|| x || x || Turn live filesystem and cdimage cron jobs back on. ||
|| x || x || Mark the milestone `Released` on the ISO tracker ||

=== Release plus 1 day: ===
|| '''opt-in beta''' || '''final beta''' || '''task''' ||
||   || x || Modify `debian-cd/CONF.sh` by setting `OFFICIAL` to "Daily" ||
||   || x || Call for translations <<BR>>  * Send to ubuntu-translators@lists.ubuntu.com <<BR>>  * Reminder of deadlines for both langpackable and non-langpackable translations<<BR>>  * Include current translation statistics ||
||   || x || If this will be an LTS release, notify `ubuntu-devel-announce` of any special post-release support plans, such as point releases ||
|| x || x || If any changes were made to this document in this run, check whether the changes also apply to the other release process documents as well. ||
||   || x || Remove the freeze block from britney. ||
||   || x || Begin preliminary steps from NewReleaseCycleProcess. ||
|| x ||   || Continue on BetaProcess ||
||   || x || Continue to ReleaseCandidateProcess. <<BR>>  * Work with universe/multiverse community to identify delegates to approve Feature Freeze Exceptions, in addition to ubuntu-release until the date of Final Freeze for universe. <<BR>>  * Set the Final Freeze date (typically at release minus 1.5 days) for universe/multiverse for the packages that are NOT found on any installation media. <<BR>>  * Broadcast universe/multiverse delegates and final freeze date to ubuntu-devel. ||
||   || x || Change daily builds to comment out any architectures that have not been tested during this point (that we are not releasing). ||
||   || x || Security team: audit the set of kernel source packages in main to confirm that there are maintenance resources for each of these. ||

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CategoryProcess