Package testing

It is preferred that package testing takes place on a real system, inside a chroot, or within another type of non-virtualized container. Virtualization may be acceptable in situations where it is not possible or practical to test on real hardware.

The testing system must only have stable packages installed, with no testing packages keyworded or unmasked. It should be up-to-date, and it is recommended to have as few packages installed as possible.

The file should have settings similar to the following:

Testing
Each package in Gentoo is different and therefore requires a slightly different approach to stabilization. Consider the following guidelines for each class of package, and use common sense when in doubt.

USE flags
While it is preferable to test every USE flag combination, this is not always possible or appropriate. The package may have a large number of USE flags, a long compile time, or the stabilization in question may just not call for it.

In cases where all USE flags combinations are not being tested, it is still recommended to test:
 * with all USE flags enabled
 * with all USE flags disabled
 * the default USE flag settings

Runtime testing
Consider the level of runtime testing that is required for the target package. Remember, the focus of stabilization is to integrate a testing ebuild into the stable tree and not to identify routine bugs or regressions - that is the purpose of the package's waiting time in ~arch.

The level of runtime testing required will vary wildly based on a variety of factors. Consider the following examples:


 * Multiple days of "normal use" testing may be appropriate for a new version of
 * Basic functionality testing, such as browsing some web pages, may make sense for a new version of
 * Passing tests might be enough for
 * A leaf package such as may not require any runtime testing at all

Libraries
A new library version may introduce incompatibles with reverse dependencies. Where there's a risk of such breakage, each stable reverse dependency must be rebuilt. Beware of reverse dependencies that only use the library conditionally (eg. ).

Kernel
Kernel packages referenced in the handbook have certain exemptions from the usual stabilization policy, so stabilization requests are normally only filed for the first version in a long term stable branch (subsequent versions can be stabilized at the discretion of the maintainer).

First, test all available kernel options:

If that succeeds, build with your normal configuration:

After reboot, check for anything strange and use the system as normal, trying to get a bit of uptime.

If stabilizing a special feature variant such as, try to test those features.

Toolchain
New versions of toolchain packages can often introduce major changes and widespread breakage into the tree. The purpose of a stabilization request for a toolchain package is to test the package itself on each architecture - not to detect build failures in miscellaneous packages. It is expected that such failures are managed and resolved by the maintainer (normally through tracker bugs and tinderboxing) prior to filing a stabilization request.

Once the normal testing is successful, rebuild  (or   if the hardware permits) and once successful, observe the system in normal operation for abnormalities.

getatoms
getatoms is a simple script to get a list of atoms from a stabilisation bug. It's designed to feed atoms into another tool for processing, such as batch_stabilize.

tatt
is a tool designed to automate some of the repetitive tasks involved in arch testing. Currently only version 9999 supports working with a git ebuild repository and the Bugzilla atom field.

For each job, tatt produces a series of scripts allowing the user to control exactly what is performed:

Configuration
tatt has a variety of configuration options (see ), but there is a few that must be set to ensure useful operation of all functions.

Sample workflow
First, start a new job:

Now the various scripts are available for use:

Next, build the package and perform whatever testing is necessary:

A report is also produced summarizing the build status of each USE flag combination:

Once everything looks good, commit the keyword change:

Finally, update the bug and cleanup the job:

QA violations
Most of these violations will be detected automatically using the testing tool, but are also described here for completeness.


 * Does not respect CC
 * Does not respect CFLAGS
 * Does not respect LDFLAGS
 * Bundled symbols
 * Insecure symbols
 * Installs documentation outside of /usr/share/doc/${PF}
 * ELF files found in /usr/share

Architecture-specific notes
A number of items described in earlier sections, such as checking of reverse dependencies and miscellaneous QA checks, are architecture-neutral. At a stabilization level, the primary responsibility for carrying out these checks rests on the first architecture to stabilize an ebuild. Subsequent architectures may assume that these checks have been completed and skip them if they wish.

amd64

 * Any developer may perform stabilizations - it is not necessary to be on the arch team
 * must be added to the FEATURES variable in the file.

arm
The ARM project supports four variants - armv4, armv5, armv6, and armv7. In addition to regular testing, the package must be build tested on each variant. If access to each physical variant is not possible,  is acceptable.

x86

 * Any developer may perform stabilization - it is not necessary to be on the arch team
 * It is acceptable to stabilize in an chroot on
 * It is generally acceptable to stabilize a package with only a build test on if it is already stable on

Acknowledgements
Most of this guide was shameless stolen from many sources, including but not limited to:
 * Agostino Sarubbo
 * Various arch teams