Requesting a new package in EPEL

When requesting a Fedora package for EPEL, the steps are a little different depending on your ability or willingness to help.

If you are already a Fedora contributor, for your own package use the standard procedures for requesting a new branch using fedpkg request-branch.

Before requesting a package in EPEL, it must first be in Fedora. There are some rare exceptions where an EPEL-only package is necessary, but those are out of scope for this guide.

Determine the component

EPEL package requests are tracked in bugzilla. The source package name is used as the bugzilla Component field. This may or may not be the same as the package name you are looking for. If you are not sure what the source package name is, search for your desired package in the Fedora Packages web app. Once you locate the desired package in this app, the URL will have the following structure:

https://packages.fedoraproject.org/pkgs/<source_package>/<package>/

The title of the page will be "<package> Subpackage of <source_package>" if the names are different, or just "<package>" if the names are the same. Use the source package name for the component in the rest of this guide.

File a bug

Before opening a new bug report, check the existing ones to see if the package has already been requested. Use the following URL (replacing <component> with your component) to view existing open bugs.

https://bugz.fedoraproject.org/<component>

If there are no open requests for the EPEL version you desire, then open a new bug at https://bugzilla.redhat.com/enter_bug.cgi.

Bugzilla fields for an EPEL request

Classification: Fedora
Product: Fedora EPEL
Component: <component> (if the component is not found, skip to the next note)
Version: epel9 (or epel8, etc.)
Summary: Please branch and build <package> in epel9 (or epel8, etc.)

If this package has never been in EPEL before, the component will not exist in the Fedora EPEL Product. You can still request the package by using the Fedora Product.

Bugzilla fields for an EPEL request (alternative)

Classification: Fedora
Product: Fedora
Component: <component>
Version: rawhide
Summary: Please branch and build <package> in epel9 (or epel8, etc.)

If the component isn’t found in either the Fedora EPEL or Fedora Products, then it probably doesn’t exist in Fedora and needs to be added there first.

At this point, things change depending on your ability or willingness to help.

Consumers/end users

Clear out Description and put in:

Please branch and build <package> in epel9.

If there is no response after a week, add the following comment in the bug:

Will you be able to branch and build <package> in epel9?

If there is no action on the bug after two more weeks, send an email to epel-devel asking if there are any packagers who would like to package and maintain your package in EPEL. Be sure to include the Bugzilla URL in your email.

Fedora/EPEL packagers

Clear out Description and put in:

Please branch and build <package> in epel9.

If you do not wish to maintain <package> in epel9,
or do not think you will be able to do this in a timely manner,
I would be happy to be a co-maintainer of the package (FAS <your FAS Id>);
please add me through https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/<package>/adduser

If there is no response after a week, add the following comment in the bug:

Will you be able to branch and build <package> in epel9?
I would be happy to be a co-maintainer if you do not wish
to build it on epel9 (FAS: <your FAS Id>).

If there is no action on the bug after two more weeks, follow the stalled EPEL request steps, and open a ticket with releng:

Ticket Title:
```
Stalled EPEL package: <package>
```

Ticket Body:

* Describe the issue
<package> is a stalled EPEL package.
Per the EPEL stalled package policy - https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/epel/epel-package-request/#stalled_epel_requests - I have contacted the maintainer, twice, and waited the appropriate amount of time.
<Bugzilla URL>
I am requesting <my_FAS_id> be given commit permissions so that I might branch and build this package in epel9.

<Fill out the other sections as you see fit>

After you have been given commit permissions, you can then branch, build, and maintain the package in epel.

EPEL packagers SIG members

Clear out Description and put in:

Please branch and build <package> in epel9.

If you do not wish to maintain <package> in epel9,
or do not think you will be able to do this in a timely manner,
the EPEL Packagers SIG would be happy to be a co-maintainer of the package;
please add the epel-packagers-sig group through
https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/<package>/addgroup
and grant it commit access, or collaborator access on epel* branches.

(optionally, to request access for yourself)
I would also be happy to be a co-maintainer (FAS: <my_FAS_id>).

(optionally, if there's not a separate Bugzilla assignee for EPEL)
I can be the primary contact for EPEL (FAS: <my_FAS_id>).

If there is no response after a week, add the following comment in the bug.

Will you be able to branch and build <package> in epel9?
The EPEL Packagers SIG would be happy to be a co-maintainer
if you do not wish to build it on epel9.

If there is no action on the bug after two more weeks, follow the stalled EPEL request steps, and open a ticket with releng

Ticket Title:
```
Stalled EPEL package: <package>
```

Ticket Body:

* Describe the issue
<package> is a stalled EPEL package.
Per the EPEL stalled package policy - https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/epel/epel-package-request/#stalled_epel_requests - I have contacted the maintainer, twice, and waited the appropriate amount of time.
<Bugzilla URL>
I am a member of the epel-packagers-sig and I am requesting epel-packagers-sig be given commit permissions so that I, or a member of the SIG, might branch and build this package in epel9. Please also add my account: <my_FAS_id>.

<Fill out the other sections as you see fit>

After the epel-packagers-sig has been given commit permissions, you can then branch, build, and maintain the package in EPEL.

Stalled EPEL requests

There are times that an EPEL / Fedora package maintainer isn’t responding to an EPEL package request. If a different packager would like to build and maintain that package in EPEL, these are the steps they take.

Anybody opens a Bugzilla bug requesting a package be added to EPEL-X. A packager (the Bugzilla reporter or another person) expresses that they are willing to help maintain / co-maintain that package in EPEL-X.
A week goes by with no action.
They re-say that they are willing to maintain / co-maintain the package in EPEL and set a needinfo flag for the maintainer.
- This is in case the initial message was missed.
Two weeks go by with no response.
They file a rel-eng ticket, that points to the Bugzilla bug, requesting appropriate privileges to be able to branch and build that package in EPEL-X
- This part of the policy will adjust as various features get implemented in pagure and dist-git.
The privileges are given and the packager is made the Bugzilla contact for EPEL.
They then request a branch, and build the package in EPEL-X following normal steps.

"Action" is considered something that progresses the bug. "Action" can be positive or negative. Such as a response of "The code has not been updated for 10 years and has security issues" and then they close the ticket. "No Action" could be no response at all, or it could be a response of "I do not want to do epel" and then they do nothing else.

A template for these steps can be found in the EPEL package request steps.

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