Greetings gatelings,
As shown on the ON Nevada build schedule [1], the content of build 101
will be partially restricted to stabilize the OpenSolaris 2008.11 release.
Here are some guidelines on how we approach such milestone builds, and ON
CRT (change review team) advocacy in general:
* use good judgement
Not all bugs and RFEs are equally important. If you are headed for
integration into a restricted build, consider delaying until after the
restriction has been lifted. The goal of restricted builds is stability
and bug reduction, not new features. Expect your CRT Advocate to discuss
this with you if you file an RTI during the restricted period.
* shrink to fit
All of our processes are designed to shrink to fit the occasion. If a
given change is low risk, low impact, and high reward, then it needs less
scrutiny. Things that are higher risk, higher impact, or lower reward
will receive more attention, especially during restricted builds.
* milestone builds
Traditionally, we have clamped down on milestone builds. But in this era
of regular (the goal would seem quarterly) milestones, one of these seems
appropriate:
* two-build restriction
* N-2: no restrictions
* N-1: RFEs and bug fixes which are low-impact
* N: RFEs and bug fixes which are low-impact and low-risk
* N+1: no restrictions
* one-build restriction
* N-1: no restrictions
* N: RFEs and bug fixes which are low-impact and low-risk
* N+1: no restrictions
For N=70 and N=79 we imposed a two-build restriction whereas with N=86 we
only imposed a one-build restriction, and with N=101 we will repeat the
one-build restriction.
* code reviewers
We have often required two code reviewers for milestone builds in the
past. This, however, also falls under the above points about good
judgement and shrink-to-fit. So two (or more) reviewers are recommended
for milestone builds, and also for a high-risk or high-impact change at
any other time.
If you think an RTI's risk or impact might be too high, and you can't
make the last unrestricted build (100 in this case) before the milestone
in question, defer it until the next unrestricted build (102 in this case).
When in doubt, consult the tech lead (i.e., me at present).
-- John
[1] http://opensolaris.org/os/community/on/schedule/
