[ANNOUNCEMENT] 1.26 Call for Enhancements

[Ryler Hockenbury]

Hello Kubernetes community!

The 1.26 release cycle has begun and we are collecting enhancement information.

SIG leads must opt-in enhancements for Kubernetes 1.26 by applying the label "lead-opted-in" to the KEP issue. This is a change from prior release cycles. SIG leads do not need to manually enter KEP information on the tracking sheet to opt-in for 1.26.  Refer to this blog post[1] for more information on the change.

Also, note that the KEP Template[2] was updated prior to the 1.25 release cycle to incorporate more detail in the Test Plan section[3].  Please be sure to include this updated Test Plan section in your pull requests as you begin to open and work on them for inclusion in 1.26. 

Actions Required:

• If you are a SIG Lead, discuss in your SIG which enhancements you will be proposing for the release, review the opt-in process change[1], and apply the "lead-opted-in" label.

• If you are an enhancement author, remind your SIG that they must opt-in your enhancement. Your KEP must be merged and complete by the start of Enhancements Freeze.

• Please join the #release-enhancements[4] channel on Slack to discuss enhancements for this release.

All enhancements should plan to opt-in well before the Production Readiness Review Freeze starts on Thursday 29th September 2022. Enhancements that miss this deadline will be at risk of not receiving a Production Readiness Review which is a requirement for inclusion in the release.

All enhancements must have a KEP[5] merged and meet the review requirements[6] before Enhancements Freeze starts at 18:00 PDT on Thursday 6th October 2022[12]. Enhancements missing this deadline will be removed from the release unless an exception is filed.

Enhancement authors should ensure that their enhancements meet the requirements[6] including:

• Have a GitHub Issue in the k/enhancements[7] GitHub repository.

• Has a merged KEP[5] in k/enhancements[7] GitHub repository that:

  • Is marked as "implementable"

  • Has a documented design

  • Has an updated test plan[3]

  • Has graduation criteria

  • Has an approved Production Readiness Review[8]

The tentative major milestones for the 1.26 release are the following:

• Release Cycle begins — Monday 5th September 2022

• Production Readiness Review Freeze — Thursday 29th September 2022
  

• Enhancements Freeze — 18:00 PDT on Thursday 6th October 2022

• Code Freeze — 17:00 PDT on Tuesday 8th November 2022

• Test Freeze — 17:00 PDT on Tuesday 15th November 2022

• Release Day — Tuesday 6th December 2022

For more information on the release milestones, see the full schedule[9] for the 1.26 release.

Enhancements tracking will be done through a Github Project board[10] for the 1.26 release. 

For any questions or concerns, reach out to the #sig-release Slack channel[11].

Thanks,

Ryler Hockenbury, 1.26 Enhancements Lead

[1]: https://www.kubernetes.dev/blog/2022/09/09/enhancements-opt-in/

[2]: https://github.com/kubernetes/enhancements/tree/master/keps/NNNN-kep-template

[3]: https://github.com/kubernetes/enhancements/commit/a86942e8ba802d0035ec7d4a9c992f03bca7dce9

[4]: https://kubernetes.slack.com/archives/C02BY55KV7E 

[5]: https://github.com/kubernetes/enhancements/blob/master/keps/README.md 

[6]: https://github.com/kubernetes/enhancements/tree/master/keps/NNNN-kep-template#release-signoff-checklist

[7]: https://github.com/kubernetes/enhancements 

[8]: https://github.com/kubernetes/community/blob/master/sig-architecture/production-readiness.md

[9]: https://github.com/kubernetes/sig-release/blob/master/releases/release-1.26/README.md#timeline

[10]: https://bit.ly/k8s126-enhancements

[11]: https://kubernetes.slack.com/archives/C2C40FMNF

[12]: https://everytimezone.com/s/a38993f6