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The '''Branched''' [[Releases|release]] is the part of the [[Fedora Release Life Cycle]] that spans from pre-Alpha to post-Beta.  It is forked from [[Releases/Rawhide|Rawhide]] (which continues independently) and post-Beta turns into a final general public release.
{{autolang|base=yes}}


The [[Branch Freeze Policy]] describes the process of building packages during this phase.  (This replaces the older Alpha, Beta, and Final freeze policies.)  Essentially there are non-rawhide repositories with the version number of the release-to-be (currently {{FedoraVersion|number|next}}).  New builds go to the "updates-testing" repository; after approval in [https://admin.fedoraproject.org/updates Bodhi], they are promoted directly to the stable "fedora" repository for that release.  (There is no "updates" repository until the final general availability release.)
= Branched =


The [[Feature Freeze Policy|Feature Freeze]] and [[Software String Freeze Policy|String Freeze]] are started near the beginning of the Branched phase.  The [[Alpha Milestone]] is intended to be feature-complete, and start a phase of intensive installer testing.  The Beta release is intended to experience a high volume of public testing of all packages.
Branched is the name given to a version of Fedora that has "branched" from the rolling [[Releases/Rawhide|Rawhide]] tree and will become the next stable Fedora release. It consists of [http://download.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/{{FedoraVersionNumber|next}} a Fedora development release tree]<ref>Link will only work when a Branched release currently exists.</ref> named after the Fedora release it will become. It contains builds of all Fedora packages updated by maintainers with the goal of stabilizing before release and fixing any release [[Changes/Policy|Changes]]. Full nightly composes are also produced each night when a Branched release exists, usually containing all images and installer trees (minus any which fail to build).
During the appropriate phases, Alpha and Beta releases can be found at: http://fedoraproject.org/get-prerelease


[[Upgrading from pre-release to final]] is also possible once the final release is available.
Branched may be referred to by the Fedora release it will become, e.g. "{{FedoraVersion|long|next}} Branched".


==Installation options==
<references/>


=== How to avoid disturbing an existing system ===
== Goals ==


There are a few methods to test the Branched release on a machine without disturbing an existing installation:
Branched has the following goals:  
* Test a Live version from USB or DVD drive.
* Use a virtual machine.  See [[Testing/qemu]].
* Install to a separate partition.


=== Direct install, upgrade, or no-install testing with an Alpha, Beta, or nightly Live build ===
* To allow package maintainers to integrate their packages into Fedora for a stable release.
* To allow advanced users access to the newer packages than stable releases typically provide.
* To identify and fix issues with packages before they reach a stable release of Fedora.


Nightly builds of Live spins are now available.  All approved Live spins are posted, but "desktop" is the one that is used and distributed most widely.  The Live method is usually the fastest for fresh installs and is how most everyday users will install the final distribution.  Using these nightly builds is an ideal way to test the Branched release if you have no spare machine or partition available, or simply do not have the time to maintain a Branched installation. It's a very safe way to test, since it will make no changes to your installed system.  You can also later install the Branched release to your hard drive from the Live desktop if the Live image is working well for you.  Note that after the go-ahead for the previous final release but before a Branched release is created in the [[Releases/{{FedoraVersion||next}}/Schedule|release schedule]], these nightly composes will contain [[Releases/Rawhide|Rawhide]] content.
== Audience ==


Alpha and Beta milestone releases are also available as Live images.
Branched is targeted at advanced users, testers and package maintainers.  


The basic steps are:
As a branched consumer, you should:  


* Download a daily Live image (.iso) from http://alt.fedoraproject.org/pub/alt/nightly-composes/ or if you would prefer the official Alpha or Beta milestone release, from http://fedoraproject.org/get-prerelease
* Be willing to update often. Branched doesn't get as many updates as rawhide (and at times they are frozen), but it still gets a larger amount than a Stable release.  
* Make a boot disk (see "How do I make a bootable disk from an ISO?" below) and boot from it.
* Start testing.
* If you want to permanently install or upgrade locally, log in and double click on the "Install to Hard Drive" icon on the desktop, then follow the on-screen instructions.


The maximum ISO size is now 1GB, which is larger than can fit on a CD.  It is expected that most users will have USB or DVD media available.  USB media in particular is advantageous compared to CDs, because it is cheap and highly reusable.
* Be willing and able to troubleshoot problems. From time to time there are problems with Branched packages, and you will need strong troubleshooting skills and the ability to gather information for bug reports. You need a good understanding of [[yum]] or [[dnf]] and how to downgrade packages, as well as boot time troubleshooting.


Builds include only package versions from the "stable" repository, so they should in general be usable; please [[Bugs and feature requests|file a bug]] if you encounter any problems. If there is a bug in the generation toolchain, the images may not be built on a given night; in this case, the last built image will remain available.  
* Frequent reboots to test new kernel versions and confirm functionality of the boot process. If you can't reboot often, consider using a stable release instead.


If you use a LiveUSB with data persistence, you can run "yum update" to get the latest RPMs ([https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=446935 except for the kernel]).  However, downloading a fresh daily ISOs is recommended instead of this method.
* Be willing and able to report bugs as you find them and help maintainers gather information to fix them.  


=== Installing via Anaconda ===
If the above doesn't match you, you may wish to instead follow the [[Releases/Rawhide|Rawhide]] release (depending on the point in the [[Releases/{{FedoraVersion||next}}/Schedule|release cycle]]) or use regular stable Fedora releases.


Anaconda is the Fedora installer.  It can be booted directly, rather than run from a Live desktop.  Installation options can also be more flexible.
{{Rawhide_branched_install_methods|release=Branched}}


==== Upgrade from any previous release via Preupgrade and Anaconda ====
== Communicating  ==


A faster Anaconda installation can be performed from an existing copy of Fedora with PreUpgrade.  See [[How to use PreUpgrade]] for instructions. During the process, check the box next to "Display unstable test releases" and select "Fedora {{FedoraVersionNumber|next}} (Branched)" from the list.
There are a number of ways to communicate with other Branched users:


==== Upgrading from a Branched test release ====
=== IRC ===


If a test release or "pre-release" (Alpha or Beta) is currently available, you can download it from: http://fedoraproject.org/get-prerelease
Branched discussion is on topic and welcome in both the #fedora-devel and #fedora-qa IRC channels.  


Test releases are configured to update to the latest version of the Branched release which they are building on automatically.  To get the latest packages, you can run "yum update" or wait for desktop notification of updates.  If you continue to follow updates, you will eventually end up with the same packages and updates as are in the final general availability release.
=== Mailing Lists ===


See [[upgrading from pre-release to final]] if you encounter any snafus.
Branched discussion is on topic and welcome in both the {{fplist|test}} and {{fplist|devel}} lists.


==== Direct install using a general release Anaconda ISO ====
=== Bugzilla ===


You can use the version of Anaconda distributed with a final public release (the latest being Fedora {{FedoraVersion}})Using this method, you will be using an older but known-to-be-working installer to install the latest content in the Rawhide repository.
Branched bugs should be reported against the Fedora Product, and version that this branched will become and the affected componentPlease do follow [[BugsAndFeatureRequests|best practices]] when filing. Remember that IRC and mailing lists are useful to help narrow down if some behavior is a bug or where to report it, but are themselves not bug reporting channels. Always file bugs in [https://bugzilla.redhat.com Bugzilla].


;Option 1 - Use a copy you've already downloaded
Note that broken dependencies are mailed to maintainers for each daily Branched compose where a package has such broken dependencies. Therefore, it's usually not worth filing a bug for broken dependencies unless they don't appear in the daily report, or you have a fix or improvement to suggest.
If you already have a bootable CD, DVD, USB stick, or hard drive partition containing the *-DVD.iso or *-disc1.iso you can use that to install Rawhide. However, if you need to download new boot media, these files are not recommended because they contain general release versions of Fedora RPMs, and you wish to install Branched RPMs.  (See [http://docs.fedoraproject.org/install-guide/f12/en-US/html/ch-new-users.html#sn-howto-download installation guide download page] for instructions if you want to download these files anyway.)  A general release ''Live'' image cannot be used to install Branched, only the general release version of Fedora which it contains.


;Option 2 - Download the minimal installer
== Producing Branched ==
If you need to make a bootable CD, DVD, USB stick, or hard drive partition, the best way is to download the minimal boot.iso installer, and load RPMs over the network.  This is the same as the *-netinst.iso (e.g. Fedora-12-i386-netinst.iso) which you may find elsewhere.  These files are not available by BitTorrent.


To get and use a boot.iso file:
The Branched compose runs every day starting at 09:15UTC. All branched package builds at that time that are marked as [[Repositories#stable|''stable']] are included in the compose attempt. If any release-blocking image fails to build as part of the compose, the compose is considered to have failed. If the compose completes successfully, a set of automated tests intended to check its compliance with the [[Basic Release Criteria]] are run. If these tests pass, the compose will be 'synced out' to the mirror system. Note that during [[Milestone_freezes|freezes]] there will be many days where 0 packages are added to the compose. The Branched tree is under {{filename|development/VERSION}} on the mirrors. You can find a local "{{FedoraVersionNumber|next}}" mirror [http://mirrors.fedoraproject.org/publiclist/Fedora/{{FedoraVersionNumber|next}}/ on the public mirror list]. Compose time varies depending on number of changes but is typically between 5 and 8 hours.  
* Go to http://download.fedoraproject.org/ - you will be redirected to a nearby mirror.
* Go to releases/{{FedoraVersion}}/Fedora.
* Choose the directory for your architecture (i386, x86_64, or ppc - [http://docs.fedoraproject.org/install-guide/f{{FedoraVersion}}/en-US/html/sn-which-arch.html help available]), then find os/images/boot.iso and download it.
* Create a bootable CD, DVD, USB media, or hard drive partition following the instructions at [http://docs.fedoraproject.org/install-guide/f12/en-US/html/ch-new-users.html#sn-making-media] and using your newly downloaded boot.iso file.  You can use the livecd-iso-to-disk method described there even though boot.iso is not a Live image, and it should also work on hard drive partitions, not just USB media.


;Option 3 - Pure network install with no boot media
Branched is subject to various [[:Category:Policy|policies]] during its life cycle. For most of its existence, it is subject to the [[Updates Policy]] and package updates for it are gated through the [[Bodhi]] package review process. At various points of the [[Fedora Release Life Cycle]], other freezes, policies and requirements come into effect, including the [[Software String Freeze Policy]], the [[Milestone freezes]], and the [[Changes/Policy|Change freezes]]. See all the above links for more details on exactly what changes may occur in the Branched tree under what conditions at what times.


The Installation Guide documents how to [http://docs.fedoraproject.org/install-guide/f{{FedoraVersion}}/en-US/html/ap-medialess-install.html boot the installer directly from the network], in case you cannot or choose not to create local boot media.
Composes are done using the 'mash' and [https://pagure.io/pungi Pungi] tools called from a [http://git.fedorahosted.org/cgit/releng/tree/scripts/buildrawhide script maintained by Fedora Release engineering]. If the base set of packages needed to compose are broken, the daily compose may fail.  


;What to do after booting Option 1, 2 or 3
A report for each Branched compose is sent to to the {{fplist|test}} and the {{fplist|devel}} lists. This report contains output from the [https://pagure.io/compose-utils compose-changelog] tool from the previous compose as well as a broken dependency report for packages with broken dependencies. Additionally, private email is sent to maintainers with packages containing broken dependencies.


Follow the on-screen instructions from Anaconda, the graphical installer.  The installation is very straightforward. You should do a HTTP/FTP install.  To get Branched instead of a supported release, for the URL of your 'install tree', use "<mirrorroot>/development/{{FedoraVersion|number|next}}/<arch>/os/" where <mirrorroot> is the mirror site URL you got from [http://mirrors.fedoraproject.org/publiclist/Fedora/development/ the mirror list] and <arch> is your architecture (i386, x86_64, or ppc).
Package maintainers should read and follow the [[Updates_Policy#Branched_release|Branched release updates policy]] for building any packages in Branched.


;Option 4 - With no network access at install time
Until the [[Updates Policy#Bodhi enabling|Bodhi enabling point]], you cannot expect all packages in the Branched tree to be signed. To use Branched at these times, GPG signature checking in your package management tool must be disabled.


If you have no network access during the install process, you will need to download the Branched (development/{{FedoraVersion|number|next}}) repository from a [http://mirrors.fedoraproject.org/publiclist/Fedora/development/ development mirror] and use the hard drive installation method described in the [http://docs.fedoraproject.org/install-guide/ Installation Guide], or it might be easier to choose a different method to install Branched from another section of this page.
== Questions and Answers ==


==== Direct install using daily Branched Anaconda build ====
'''Q:''' So Branched is very stable and we can all use it?


Using this method, you will be testing not only the contents of Branched, but also the Branched version of the installer which will become the installer for the next version of Fedora.
A: Not quite, though it has improved substantially in recent years. Still, see audience above. There are things that break from time to time, but if you are able to downgrade or troubleshoot such issues aren't too severe, however most users should stick to stable Fedora releases.  


Follow the same steps as in "Using a general release Anaconda ISO" above, but get your boot.iso from "development/{{FedoraVersion|number|next}}/<arch>/os/images/" one of the mirrors listed at: http://mirrors.fedoraproject.org/publiclist/Fedora/development/
'''Q:''' I'm using a stable Fedora release, but I want the newer package for foo thats only available in Branched. Can I just yum|dnf install it?


=== Yum update from previous official release ===
A: No. Mixing releases like this is a very bad idea. Better options are:


This method is available but generally not recommended. Anaconda can make changes that are outside what the packaging system can normally deal with.  You may also run into dependency problems which could take time to untangle.  You may also need to upgrade from the immediately previous release (e.g. install Fedora 11, 12, then Fedora 13 Branched, not jump directly from Fedora 11 to Fedora 13 Branched).  Be prepared to wipe your system and re-install from scratch if things do not go well.
* Obtain the src.rpm for the package you wish and try and [[Using_Mock_to_test_package_builds|mock]] rebuild it (which may or may not work depending on dependencies)
* Ask the Fedora maintainer in a bug report to update the stable version if permitted by policy.  


Download the "fedora-release-{{FedoraVersion|number|next}}" RPM directly from a [http://mirrors.fedoraproject.org/publiclist/Fedora/development/ development mirror], under: <code>development/{{FedoraVersion|number|next}}/<arch>/os/Packages/</code>
'''Q:''' How can I tell when the branched compose for the day has finished?


To finish using graphical applications:
A: You can see the reports it sends to the {{fplist|test}} and the {{fplist|devel}} lists. You can also watch fedmsg for the messages that rawhide compose has finished.


# Install the "fedora-release-{{FedoraVersion|number|next}}" package you downloaded. 
== Hints and Tips ==
# Modify your software sources using <code>gpk-repo</code>.  Leave '''only''' the ''Fedora {{FedoraVersion|number|next}}'' software source enabled.
# Next, update your system using <code>gpk-update-viewer</code> (System -> Administration -> Software Update on the Gnome menu.)


To finish using the command-line, for example:
* Your package management system can be of great help in diagnosing and working around issues you find. Do read up and understand: 'yum|dnf downgrade' 'yum|dnf history' 'yum update --skip-broken' or 'dnf upgrade' 'koji download-build'.


# <code>yum install fedora-release-13-0.6.noarch.rpm</code>
* You should update frequently (preferably every day). This allows you to more easily narrow down when a problem or issue appeared. If you apply a week of Branched updates at once you have many more packages to examine to narrow down issues.  
# <code>yum update</code>


== Reference info ==
* Reboot often (preferably whenever new kernels arrive). This allows you to test the boot up process and packages related to it, as well as newer kernels. Read and understand the Dracut troubleshooting steps.


=== How do I make a bootable disk from an ISO? ===
* Follow the {{fplist|test}} and the {{fplist|devel}} lists for Branched issues, try and at least skim them before doing your daily Branched updates. Look for '<nowiki>[</nowiki>branched<nowiki>]</nowiki>' or '<nowiki>[</nowiki>{{FedoraVersionNumber|next}}<nowiki>]</nowiki>' subjects or reports of issues. Additionally if you find a problem and are not sure what to file bugs against you can open a discussion there.


* To write to USB media, see [[How to create and use Live USB]].
* At some times, Branched kernels are made with a large amount of debugging enabled. You can often gain a good deal of performance by passing "slub_debug=-" to your kernel boot line in {{filename|/etc/grub2.cfg}}. Additionally, you can run kernels in the [[RawhideKernelNodebug|Rawhide Kernel Nodebug]] repo that have all debugging disabled.  
* To burn a DVD, see the [http://docs.fedoraproject.org/readme-burning-isos/ burning ISOs readme].


=== Where is the Branched release mirrored? ===
* If you are using a graphical desktop environment in your Branched install, you may wish to install several of them. This allows you to still login and troubleshoot when your primary desktop environment is not working for some reason.


The current Branched release is found under "development/{{FedoraVersion|number|next}}" on the mirrors.  You can find a local mirror from: http://mirrors.fedoraproject.org/publiclist/Fedora/{{FedoraVersion|number|next}}/
* Have a rescue media handy of the current stable Fedora release for emergencies.
 
== History ==
 
Branched was created as part of the "No frozen Rawhide" proposals:
 
* [[No Frozen Rawhide Proposal]]
* [[No Frozen Rawhide Implementation]]
 
[[Category:Releases]]
[[Category:Release Engineering]]
 
<references/>

Revision as of 00:18, 12 October 2017

Branched

Branched is the name given to a version of Fedora that has "branched" from the rolling Rawhide tree and will become the next stable Fedora release. It consists of a Fedora development release tree[1] named after the Fedora release it will become. It contains builds of all Fedora packages updated by maintainers with the goal of stabilizing before release and fixing any release Changes. Full nightly composes are also produced each night when a Branched release exists, usually containing all images and installer trees (minus any which fail to build).

Branched may be referred to by the Fedora release it will become, e.g. "Fedora 40 Branched".

  1. Link will only work when a Branched release currently exists.

Goals

Branched has the following goals:

  • To allow package maintainers to integrate their packages into Fedora for a stable release.
  • To allow advanced users access to the newer packages than stable releases typically provide.
  • To identify and fix issues with packages before they reach a stable release of Fedora.

Audience

Branched is targeted at advanced users, testers and package maintainers.

As a branched consumer, you should:

  • Be willing to update often. Branched doesn't get as many updates as rawhide (and at times they are frozen), but it still gets a larger amount than a Stable release.
  • Be willing and able to troubleshoot problems. From time to time there are problems with Branched packages, and you will need strong troubleshooting skills and the ability to gather information for bug reports. You need a good understanding of yum or dnf and how to downgrade packages, as well as boot time troubleshooting.
  • Frequent reboots to test new kernel versions and confirm functionality of the boot process. If you can't reboot often, consider using a stable release instead.
  • Be willing and able to report bugs as you find them and help maintainers gather information to fix them.

If the above doesn't match you, you may wish to instead follow the Rawhide release (depending on the point in the release cycle) or use regular stable Fedora releases.

Using Branched

This section discusses how to use Branched, as a live system or permanently installed.

Using a test system

If you are not able or wanting to run Branched as your primary system you could instead run it:

  • As a live environment only
  • In a virtual machine (VM) instance
  • On a secondary system
  • On a multiboot system, alongside a stable release of Fedora or another operating system

This allows you to test Branched without any impact to your day-to-day workflow.

Install from nightly composes

Each day (or sometimes more than once per day) that Branched exists, a full 'compose' of the tree is attempted. This will usually result in the creation of all or most of the usual install, live and disk images, installer trees and so forth. Successful composes are synced to the /fedora/linux/development/ directory on the mirrors, and you can find the images there.

Each successful compose is tested by openQA and a mail summarizing the results is sent to the devel and test mailing lists, so you can check the openQA interface or the 'compose check report' emails to check whether that day's compose is installable. You may also use the nightly image finder tool maintained and hosted by a Fedora QA team member, which conveniently offers the last completed build for each image and the last that passed all tests, for openQA or Autocloud-tested images.

At least the Server and Everything network install images should always be present, as composes are considered to have failed if creation of those images fails. However, at present they are not guaranteed to be working every day.

Follow the normal installation procedure to install Branched.

For PXE installations, the relevant files can be found in the pub/fedora/linux/development/40/Everything/(arch)/os/images/pxeboot directory.

Using nightlies in the past was a fragile way to install Branched, but with improved compose processes since Fedora 24 and automated testing since Fedora 23, their quality has improved substantially and this will often result in the best experience.

Install a pre-release

If the Branched release has already spawned an Alpha or Beta release, you can simply install that. It should be available from the Fedora download page - if an Alpha or Beta is available, you should see mentions of it around the site. Install and then update as usual. Installing a pre-release and following normal update procedures will result in your installation tracking the Branched release.

Pre-releases undergo somewhat more intensive testing than nightly composes, but on the other hand, a nightly compose a few days before the Beta release may well work much better than the Alpha release did. Alpha releases can be expected to meet the Alpha Fedora Release Criteria, and Beta releases to meet the Beta criteria.

Before each of the above milestones, 'candidate' compose images are sometimes available. These are produced as part of the process of validating releases. These images may or may not install correctly, but you can usually find the list of known blockers to see if they affect you. You can also refer to the validation results page for the compose to see how well it works, according to the QA testers.

Point installer to Branched

You can sometimes install Branched by using a stable install media and pointing it to the Branched repositories for packages to install. In the past this was sometimes considered a more reliable method than using a Branched compose, but with improvements to the compose and test process in the last few years this is rarely likely to be a good choice any longer. If you wish to try it, however, you can:

  1. Download the latest stable or branched install media (network install or offline ("DVD") installer image)
  2. Copy to local media (USB or DVD or CD)
  3. Boot media and go to the 'Installation Source' screen and manually enter: https://download.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/40/Everything/x86_64/os/ (or i386 for 32-bit)
  4. Finish the install as normal.

For this method to work, there should be no major changes in Branched that the installer is not ready for, such as packages it depends on being retired or other similar situations.

Upgrade from existing stable install

You may use DNF_system_upgrade to upgrade from the most recent stable release. You will need to have such an install in place and should definitely update to the newest updates before starting. As an exception, if you are using a immutable variant like Silverblue, you may use rpm-ostree rebase to perform the upgrade, see Fedora Docs for more details.

This method may fail if there are upgrade path issues (newer packages in stable or than Branched), or broken dependencies.


Communicating

There are a number of ways to communicate with other Branched users:

IRC

Branched discussion is on topic and welcome in both the #fedora-devel and #fedora-qa IRC channels.

Mailing Lists

Branched discussion is on topic and welcome in both the test and devel lists.

Bugzilla

Branched bugs should be reported against the Fedora Product, and version that this branched will become and the affected component. Please do follow best practices when filing. Remember that IRC and mailing lists are useful to help narrow down if some behavior is a bug or where to report it, but are themselves not bug reporting channels. Always file bugs in Bugzilla.

Note that broken dependencies are mailed to maintainers for each daily Branched compose where a package has such broken dependencies. Therefore, it's usually not worth filing a bug for broken dependencies unless they don't appear in the daily report, or you have a fix or improvement to suggest.

Producing Branched

The Branched compose runs every day starting at 09:15UTC. All branched package builds at that time that are marked as stable' are included in the compose attempt. If any release-blocking image fails to build as part of the compose, the compose is considered to have failed. If the compose completes successfully, a set of automated tests intended to check its compliance with the Basic Release Criteria are run. If these tests pass, the compose will be 'synced out' to the mirror system. Note that during freezes there will be many days where 0 packages are added to the compose. The Branched tree is under development/VERSION on the mirrors. You can find a local "40" mirror on the public mirror list. Compose time varies depending on number of changes but is typically between 5 and 8 hours.

Branched is subject to various policies during its life cycle. For most of its existence, it is subject to the Updates Policy and package updates for it are gated through the Bodhi package review process. At various points of the Fedora Release Life Cycle, other freezes, policies and requirements come into effect, including the Software String Freeze Policy, the Milestone freezes, and the Change freezes. See all the above links for more details on exactly what changes may occur in the Branched tree under what conditions at what times.

Composes are done using the 'mash' and Pungi tools called from a script maintained by Fedora Release engineering. If the base set of packages needed to compose are broken, the daily compose may fail.

A report for each Branched compose is sent to to the test and the devel lists. This report contains output from the compose-changelog tool from the previous compose as well as a broken dependency report for packages with broken dependencies. Additionally, private email is sent to maintainers with packages containing broken dependencies.

Package maintainers should read and follow the Branched release updates policy for building any packages in Branched.

Until the Bodhi enabling point, you cannot expect all packages in the Branched tree to be signed. To use Branched at these times, GPG signature checking in your package management tool must be disabled.

Questions and Answers

Q: So Branched is very stable and we can all use it?

A: Not quite, though it has improved substantially in recent years. Still, see audience above. There are things that break from time to time, but if you are able to downgrade or troubleshoot such issues aren't too severe, however most users should stick to stable Fedora releases.

Q: I'm using a stable Fedora release, but I want the newer package for foo thats only available in Branched. Can I just yum|dnf install it?

A: No. Mixing releases like this is a very bad idea. Better options are:

  • Obtain the src.rpm for the package you wish and try and mock rebuild it (which may or may not work depending on dependencies)
  • Ask the Fedora maintainer in a bug report to update the stable version if permitted by policy.

Q: How can I tell when the branched compose for the day has finished?

A: You can see the reports it sends to the test and the devel lists. You can also watch fedmsg for the messages that rawhide compose has finished.

Hints and Tips

  • Your package management system can be of great help in diagnosing and working around issues you find. Do read up and understand: 'yum|dnf downgrade' 'yum|dnf history' 'yum update --skip-broken' or 'dnf upgrade' 'koji download-build'.
  • You should update frequently (preferably every day). This allows you to more easily narrow down when a problem or issue appeared. If you apply a week of Branched updates at once you have many more packages to examine to narrow down issues.
  • Reboot often (preferably whenever new kernels arrive). This allows you to test the boot up process and packages related to it, as well as newer kernels. Read and understand the Dracut troubleshooting steps.
  • Follow the test and the devel lists for Branched issues, try and at least skim them before doing your daily Branched updates. Look for '[branched]' or '[40]' subjects or reports of issues. Additionally if you find a problem and are not sure what to file bugs against you can open a discussion there.
  • At some times, Branched kernels are made with a large amount of debugging enabled. You can often gain a good deal of performance by passing "slub_debug=-" to your kernel boot line in /etc/grub2.cfg. Additionally, you can run kernels in the Rawhide Kernel Nodebug repo that have all debugging disabled.
  • If you are using a graphical desktop environment in your Branched install, you may wish to install several of them. This allows you to still login and troubleshoot when your primary desktop environment is not working for some reason.
  • Have a rescue media handy of the current stable Fedora release for emergencies.

History

Branched was created as part of the "No frozen Rawhide" proposals: