Changes in -tracking git and explaining reasoning behind branches

Andy Green andy at openmoko.com
Fri Nov 28 17:30:18 CET 2008


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Hi -

A fair amount of "administrivia" has built up, here's the executive summary:

~ 1) *-tracking branches in git have a history now
~ 2) pending-tracking created
~ 3) how it is decided what goes on which branch
~ 4) all patches end up in stable-tracking
~ 5) we will fork the new stable from andy-tracking
~ 6) target andy-tracking for patches

Rest of the email is explaining how or why.


1) *-tracking branches in git have a history now

The last few days I have been using a new system in git where I hide the
hard rebases that are happening on my local tree for the -tracking
branches and instead make "MERGE" commits on the upstream branches.  It
seems to be working out so far so I explain what's going on.

Committed patches now only appear directly on the branch they were
committed on.  So if a patch goes into stable-tracking it will appear
there as normal, but what appears in the downstream branches rebasing
off that is a single MERGE commit that contains whatever the diff is
between the unrebased and rebased version of that branch.  Since I
rebase very often, it won't be unusual that the MERGE version used
downstream is just the one added upstream patch content, but it can also
be typical that the MERGE commit will contain the changes from dozens or
hundreds of patches when the Linus tree updates or example.

The reason for this new way is that it gives the public -tracking
branches a linear history that you can rewind, despite that they are
being hard rebased constantly.


2) pending-tracking created

It's become clear we can end up with a bunch of patches from several
directions heading into various upstreams if we're lucky.  So I have
introduced a "pending-tracking" that fits inbetween stable-tracking and
andy-tracking, to temporarily hold all the patches that are expected to
come from upstream eventually.  Balaji-tracking feeds into this now, but
there's other stuff like Matt's patches headed for s3c64xx upstream too.
~ This also allows me to publicly rebase Balaji's patches without writing
in balaji-tracking, and it also allows me to track changes from
balaji-tracking and elsewhere in one place too.


3) How is it decided what goes on which branch

~ - Patch belongs in upstream, eg, Linus or Ben Dooks tree -->
pending-tracking.  It's kept segregated because we expect it to turn up
by upstream rebase path; if it changes on the way we can adapt it in
pending-tracking and rebase

~ - Patch bases on stuff in pending-tracking, eg uses Balaji regulator
things  --->  andy-tracking.  It's kept segregated because "it lives in
the future" where the pending upstream patches arrived upstream.

~ - Neither of the above ---> stable-tracking


4) All patches end up in stable-tracking.

Stuff temporarily in pending-tracking will eventually turn up from
upstream pulls, at that time it's no longer pending and is part of what
stable-tracking rebased against.  The now duplicate patch in
pending-tracking is then removed.  The patch ended up in stable-tracking.

Once the pending-tracking patch became part of stable-tracking, there is
no reason for the patches modifying or depending on it held until now in
andy-tracking not to merge back into stable-tracking either.  So patches
in andy-tracking gravitate to stable-tracking as soon as possible too.


5) We will fork the new stable from andy-tracking

Because andy-tracking is "living in the future" with latest pending
upstream patches included, it makes sense to take the advantage from
these even at the risk the patches will be rejected upstream.


6) Target andy-tracking for patches

If you simply target andy-tracking for patches, the resulting patch will
automatically be ready for either andy-tracking, pending-tracking
(usually) or stable-tracking depending on what it touched.

- -Andy

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