2018-10-24 Python Update Process¶
For many years OpenStack has effectively run on Python 2.7. However, with the upcoming deprecation of Python 2 support, future releases of OpenStack will run on the rapidly evolving Python 3. Already many Linux distributions have completed the switch to Python 3-only by default, and are seeking to package OpenStack for versions of Python 3 that we haven’t necessarily tested upstream.
The resolution defines the process by which we will ensure that upstream testing occurs, to the extent possible, on the versions of Python needed to support downstream Linux distributions. There are different considerations for jobs that test code by importing it directly into the testing process (unit tests) and jobs that test code in a running process from the outside (integration tests).
Unit Tests¶
Prior to the beginning of each release cycle, the TC will designate the minor versions of Python 3 that will be tested in that release using the following criteria:
The latest released version of Python 3 that is available in any distribution we can feasibly use for testing. It need not be a long-term-supported release, but could be a non-LTS version of Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE Leap, or even a rolling release distribution (such as Debian Testing or openSUSE Tumbleweed) if necessary.
Each Python 3 version that is the default in any of the Linux distributions specifically identified in the Project Testing Interface at the beginning of the development cycle.
Each Python 3 version that was still used in any integration tests at the beginning of the development cycle. (This category is necessary to ensure that projects don’t break other projects’ integration tests before those tests have completely migrated to newer distributions.) Testing for these versions can be dropped once all integration tests have migrated.
Where the tested versions are not contiguous, any intermediate minor versions may be tested if the TC judges it likely that they may need to be tested in a future release. However only periodic jobs (not check or gate jobs) are needed for these versions.
This decision will be encoded in a Zuul template for unit tests named
openstack-python3-<releasename>-jobs, containing:
Voting check and gate jobs for each of the selected minor versions of py3
A periodic job for each intermediate minor version of py3 that may need to be fully tested in a future release, if any exist
The TC will set an OpenStack-wide goal for the cycle that project teams update each repo to:
change its Zuul config to the template for that release;
declare support for the tested versions in its PyPI package; and
configure tox’s default environment list to match.
If the new Zuul template contains test jobs that were not in the previous one,
the goal champion(s) may choose to update the previous template to add a
non-voting check job (or jobs) to match the gating jobs in the new template.
This means that all repositories that have not yet converted to the template
for the upcoming release will see a non-voting preview of the new job(s) that
will be added once they update. If this option is chosen, the non-voting job
should be limited to the master branch so that it does not run on the
preceding release’s stable branch.
Integration Tests¶
Prior to the beginning of each release cycle, the TC will determine whether there have been any new releases of any of the Linux distributions specifically identified in the Project Testing Interface. If there have, it will set an OpenStack-wide goal to update any integration tests running on an older version of that distribution to run on the new release.
The goal champion(s) may choose to make a hard cut-over (i.e. a non-self-testing change to the Zuul job/template definitions that may break any jobs that have not had incompatibilities fixed) of any unconverted test jobs at some point during the release cycle, to ensure that all OpenStack components are usable on a single version of a distribution prior to the OpenStack release. The schedule for any such cut-over must be publicised in advance as part of the goal definition.
