Checklist/Kicking off Test Days

Preparation

Make sure you are an OP for the #xentest day channel (asked one of the other OPs to change your status)

Announcement

Well in advance, create a test day instruction page in the form: Xen_#.#_RC#_test_instructions. If this is not the first RC for the release, cut and paste text from the earlier RC as a starting point.

Make an announcement on the relevant mailing lists a few days before, stating the date and linking to - Test Instructions - Test Day page Example: [1]

Make sure that a header such as

{{InfoLeft|The next [[Xen Test Days|Xen Test Day]] for [[Xen 4.3 RC2 test instructions|Xen 4.3]] is on May 22nd 2013}}

is added to Main Page and Xen Test Days.

Add information about the next Test Day to the #xentest IRC channel title

Add event to XenProject.org Events.

Add event to Xen Facebook and Google+ pages.

On the Day

Step 1: Main Page and Xen Project Test Days

Add

{{InfoLeft|[[Xen Project Test Days|Xen Project Test Day]] is today. See [[Xen 4.3 RC2 test instructions|Xen 4.3 RC2 test instructions]]}}

to Main Page and Xen Project Test Days

Step 2: Update topic of #xentest IRC channel

• Make sure that the headline states that today is test day
• You need to be a channel OP or ask a channel OP to do this

Step 3: Reminder mail

Send a reminder to the appropriate developer and user lists

Step 4: Remind people on IRC

• Join #xentest channel
• Remind people on relevant IRC channels (typically ##xen, #xen-api and #xen-devel)
• You will need to do this 2-3 times with an hour in between

The day after

• Send a thank you mail
• Remove banners from Main Page and Xen Project Test Days or set to next Test Day
• Change #xentest channel title to the next known test day date