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11## BIND 9 Source Access and Contributor Guidelines
12*May 28, 2020*
13
14### Contents
15
161. [Access to source code](#access)
171. [Reporting bugs](#bugs)
181. [Contributing code](#contrib)
19
20### Introduction
21
22Thank you for using BIND 9!
23
24BIND is open source software that implements the Domain Name System (DNS)
25protocols for the Internet. It is a reference implementation of those
26protocols, but it is also production-grade software, suitable for use in
27high-volume and high-reliability applications.  It is very
28widely used DNS software, providing a robust and stable platform on top of
29which organizations can build distributed computing systems with the
30knowledge that those systems are fully compliant with published DNS
31standards.
32
33BIND is and will always remain free and openly available.  It can be
34used and modified in any way by anyone.
35
36BIND is maintained by [Internet Systems Consortium](https://www.isc.org),
37a public-benefit 501(c)(3) nonprofit, using a "managed open source" approach:
38anyone can see the source, but only ISC employees have commit access.
39In the past, the source could only be seen once ISC had published
40a release; read access to the source repository was restricted just
41as commit access was.  That has changed, as ISC now provides a
42public git mirror to the BIND source tree (see below).
43
44At ISC, we're committed to
45building communities that are welcoming and inclusive: environments where people
46are encouraged to share ideas, treat each other with respect, and collaborate
47towards the best solutions. To reinforce our commitment, ISC
48has adopted a slightly modified version of the Django
49[Code of Conduct](https://gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9/-/blob/master/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md) for the BIND 9 project, as well as for the conduct of our
50developers throughout the industry.
51
52### <a name="access"></a>Access to source code
53
54Public BIND releases are always available from the
55[ISC FTP site](ftp://ftp.isc.org/isc/bind9).
56
57A public-access GIT repository is also available at
58[https://gitlab.isc.org](https://gitlab.isc.org).
59This repository is a mirror, updated several times per day, of the
60source repository maintained by ISC.  It contains all the public release
61branches; upcoming releases can be viewed in their current state at any
62time.  It does *not* contain development branches or unreviewed work in
63progress.  Commits which address security vulnerablilities are withheld
64until after public disclosure.
65
66You can browse the source online via
67[https://gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9](https://gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9)
68
69To clone the repository, use:
70
71>       $ git clone https://gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9.git
72
73Release branch names are of the form `v9_X`, where X represents the second
74number in the BIND 9 version number.  So, to check out the BIND 9.12
75branch, use:
76
77>       $ git checkout v9_12
78
79Whenever a branch is ready for publication, a tag is placed of the
80form `v9_X_Y`.  The 9.12.0 release, for instance, is tagged as `v9_12_0`.
81
82The branch in which the next major release is being developed is called
83`master`.
84
85### <a name="bugs"></a>Reporting bugs
86
87Reports of flaws in the BIND package, including software bugs, errors
88in the documentation, missing files in the tarball, suggested changes
89or requests for new features, etc., can be filed using
90[https://gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9/issues](https://gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9/issues).
91
92Due to a large ticket backlog, we are sometimes slow to respond,
93especially if a bug is cosmetic or if a feature request is vague or
94low in priority, but we try at least to acknowledge legitimate
95bug reports within a week.
96
97ISC's GitLab system is publicly readable; however, you must have
98an account to create a new issue. You can either register locally or
99use credentials from an existing account at GitHub, GitLab, Google,
100Twitter, or Facebook.
101
102### Reporting possible security issues
103If you think you may be seeing a potential security vulnerability in BIND
104(for example, a crash with REQUIRE, INSIST, or ASSERT failure), please
105report it immediately by emailing to security-officer@isc.org. Plain-text
106e-mail is not a secure choice for communications concerning undisclosed
107security issues so please encrypt your communications to us if possible,
108using the [ISC Security Officer public key](https://www.isc.org/pgpkey/).
109
110Do not discuss undisclosed security vulnerabilities on any public mailing list.
111ISC has a long history of handling reported vulnerabilities promptly and
112effectively and we respect and acknowledge responsible reporters.
113
114ISC's Security Vulnerability Disclosure Policy is documented at [https://kb.isc.org/docs/aa-00861](https://kb.isc.org/docs/aa-00861).
115
116If you have a crash, you may want to consult
117["What to do if your BIND or DHCP server has crashed."](https://kb.isc.org/docs/aa-00340)
118
119### <a name="contrib"></a>Contributing code
120
121BIND is licensed under the
122[Mozilla Public License 2.0](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/MPL/2.0/).
123Earlier versions (BIND 9.10 and earlier) were licensed under the [ISC License](https://www.isc.org/licenses/)
124
125ISC does not require an explicit copyright assignment for patch
126contributions.  However, by submitting a patch to ISC, you implicitly
127certify that you are the author of the code, that you intend to relinquish
128exclusive copyright, and that you grant permission to publish your work
129under the open source license used for the BIND version(s) to which your
130patch will be applied.
131
132#### <a name="bind"></a>BIND code
133
134Patches for BIND may be submitted directly via merge requests in
135[ISC's GitLab](https://gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9/) source
136repository for BIND.
137
138Patches can also be submitted as diffs against a specific version of
139BIND -- preferably the current top of the `master` branch.  Diffs may
140be generated using either `git format-patch` or `git diff`.
141
142Those wanting to write code for BIND may be interested in the
143[developer information](doc/dev/dev.md) page, which includes information
144about BIND design and coding practices, including discussion of internal
145APIs and overall system architecture.
146
147Every patch submitted is reviewed by ISC engineers following our
148[code review process](doc/dev/dev.md#reviews) before it is merged.
149
150It may take considerable time to review patch submissions, especially if
151they don't meet ISC style and quality guidelines.  If a patch is a good
152idea, we can and will do additional work to bring it up to par, but if
153we're busy with other work, it may take us a long time to get to it.
154
155To ensure your patch is acted on as promptly as possible, please:
156
157* Try to adhere to the [BIND 9 coding style](doc/dev/style.md).
158* Run `make check` to ensure your change hasn't caused any
159  functional regressions.
160* Document your work, both in the patch itself and in the
161  accompanying email.
162* In patches that make non-trivial functional changes, include system
163  tests if possible; when introducing or substantially altering a
164  library API, include unit tests. See [Testing](doc/dev/dev.md#testing)
165  for more information.
166
167##### Changes to `configure`
168
169If you need to make changes to `configure`, you should not edit it
170directly; instead, edit `configure.in`, then run `autoconf`.  Similarly,
171instead of editing `config.h.in` directly, edit `configure.in` and run
172`autoheader`.
173
174When submitting a patch as a diff, it's fine to omit the `configure`
175diffs to save space.  Just send the `configure.in` diffs and we'll
176generate the new `configure` during the review process.
177
178##### Documentation
179
180All functional changes should be documented. There are three types
181of documentation in the BIND source tree:
182
183* Man pages are kept alongside the source code for the commands
184  they document, in files ending in `.rst`: for example, the
185  `named` man page is `bin/named/named.rst`.
186* The *BIND 9 Administrator Reference Manual* is in the .rst files in
187  `doc/arm/`; the PDF and HTML versions are automatically generated from the `.rst` files.
188* API documentation is in the header file describing the API, in
189  Doxygen-formatted comments.
190
191Patches to improve existing documentation are also very welcome!
192
193##### Tests
194
195BIND is a large and complex project. We rely heavily on continuous
196automated testing and cannot merge new code without adequate test coverage.
197Please see [the "Testing" section of doc/dev/dev.md](doc/dev/dev.md#testing)
198for more information.
199
200#### Thanks
201
202Thank you for your interest in contributing to the ongoing development
203of BIND 9.
204