Tag v3.7.0-alpha.0 from the main branch

[ivanvc]

What would you like to be added?

After we cut our release-3.6 branch, we updated the version in api/version/version.go with 3.7.0-alpha.0. However, we never tagged the main branch with the tag. Now, building from the main branch mismatches the git tag. And the released artifacts don't match the actual version.

As found by #20915, exploring building and releasing from the CI. The released artifacts have a version mismatch.

Why is this needed?

To fix building from the main branch. Required to release later a 3.7 alpha version, and to enable building from the CI.

[ivanvc]

This issue became apparent when @upodroid started building from the CI (refer to the stage GCS bucket, please note the v3.6.0-alpha.0-6346-g813f28bcb prefix).

Although it was present in the main branch builds (pull-etcd-release-tests) since we cut the release-3.6 branch, when we run the build (without specifying the version from VCS) it builds fine but the go.mod changes reflect that our dependencies are out of date (refer to: Prow job log, please note the version difference).

Please also refer to the Kubernetes versioning guide:

• X.Y.Z-rc.W (Branch: release-X.Y)
  • When master is feature-complete for X.Y, we will cut the release-X.Y
    branch 2 weeks prior to the desired X.Y.0 date and cherrypick only PRs essential
    to X.Y.
  • This cut will be marked as X.Y.0-rc.0, and master will be revved to X.Y+1.0-alpha.0.
  • If we're not satisfied with X.Y.0-rc.0, we'll release other rc releases,
    (X.Y.0-rc.W | W > 0) as necessary.

https://github.com/kubernetes/sig-release/blob/c412c345a569fe4f19d857657549a5b8b55c5d1c/release-engineering/versioning.md?plain=1#L22-L28

For example: kubernetes/kubernetes@v1.35.0-alpha.0...v1.34.0:

• https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.35.0-alpha.0
• https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/releases/tag/v1.34.0-rc.0

So, to keep the right version in our main branch, whenever we cut our release branch, in main we should tag + update dependencies with vX.Y.0-alpha.0.

In conclusion, what do we need? Someone with write access to tag main with v3.7.0-alpha.0.

cc. @ahrtr, @serathius

[ahrtr]

to tag main with v3.7.0-alpha.0.

Agreed.

I believe you should have write permission.

[serathius]

+1, let me know if you need any help.

[ahrtr]

@ivanvc I think you just follow a simplified release process to tag v3.7.0-alpha.0. (e.g. we don't create github release, nor send announcement)