Merge pull request #3168 from andrew-platt/f/v4.2.0_release_notes

v4.2.0 release notes

Author: andrew-platt

docs/changelogs/ReleaseProcess.md

@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@
 3. delete `rc-` branch if merging from one
 
 ### Windows executables build and upload
+NOTE: if available, use the `deploy` action on GitHub to build all the executables and upload those instead of this process.  This manual process is for when the GH action doesn't work.
+
 After posting and tagging release
 1. Pull main and tags
    * `git fetch --tags OpenFAST`

docs/changelogs/template.md

@@ -0,0 +1,189 @@
+**Feature or improvement description**
+Pull request to merge `dev` into `main` for release version X.Y.Z
+
+See the milestone and project pages for additional information
+
+    https://github.com/OpenFAST/openfast/milestone/XYZ
+
+Test results, if applicable
+See GitHub Actions
+
+### Release checklist:
+- [ ] Update the documentation version in docs/conf.py
+- [ ] Update the versions in docs/source/user/api\_change.rst
+- [ ] Update version info in openfast\_io/pyproject.toml (`openfast_io` package)
+- [ ] Update version info in glue-codes/python/pyproject.toml (`pyOpenFAST` package for testing)
+- [ ] Verify readthedocs builds correctly
+- [ ] Create an annotated tag in OpenFAST during merge (mark as most recent if necessary)
+- [ ] Create a merge commit in r-test and add a corresponding annotated tag
+- [ ] Upload Docker image
+- [ ] Compile executables for Windows builds
+    - [ ] `AeroDisk_Driver_x64.exe`
+    - [ ] `AeroDyn_Driver_x64.exe`
+    - [ ] `AeroDyn_Driver_x64_OpenMP.exe`
+    - [ ] `AeroDyn_Inflow_c_binding_x64.dll`
+    - [ ] `AeroDyn_Inflow_c_binding_x64_OpenMP.dll`
+    - [ ] `BeamDyn_Driver_x64.exe`
+    - [ ] `DISCON.dll (x64)`
+    - [ ] `DISCON_ITIBarge.dll (x64)`
+    - [ ] `DISCON_OC3Hywind.dll (x64)`
+    - [ ] `FAST.Farm_x64.exe`
+    - [ ] `FAST.Farm_x64_OMP.exe`
+    - [ ] `FAST_SFunc.mexw64`
+    - [ ] `HydroDynDriver_x64.exe`
+    - [ ] `HydroDyn_C_Binding_x64.dll`
+    - [ ] `IinflowWind_c_binding_x64.dll`
+    - [ ] `InflowWind_Driver_x64.exe`
+    - [ ] `InflowWind_Driver_x64_OpenMP.exe`
+    - [ ] `MoorDyn_Driver_x64.exe`
+    - [ ] `MoorDyn_c_binding_x64.dll`
+    - [ ] `OpenFAST-Simulink_x64.dll`
+    - [ ] `openfast_x64.exe`
+    - [ ] `SeaStateDriver_x64.exe`
+    - [ ] `SeaState_c_binding_x64.dll`
+    - [ ] `SimpleElastoDyn_x64.exe`
+    - [ ] `SubDyn_x64.exe`
+    - [ ] `Turbsim_x64.exe`
+    - [ ] `UnsteadyAero_x64.exe`
+
+
+
+# Release Overview
+------
+
+
+
+### Contribution Acknowledgements
+
+### Statistics (since X.Y.Z)
+
+
+
+# Changelog (from X.Y.Z)
+------
+
+## General
+
+### Build systems
+
+#### CMake
+
+
+#### Visual Studio (Windows)
+
+
+
+### Docker
+
+
+### Documentation
+
+
+
+
+## Solvers
+
+### FAST.Farm
+
+
+### OpenFAST
+
+
+### OpenFAST interfaces
+
+#### OpenFASTcpp
+
+
+#### Simulink
+
+
+
+## Modules
+
+### Multiple
+
+
+### AeroDisk
+
+
+### AeroDyn
+
+#### Unsteady
+
+
+
+#### OLAF 
+
+
+#### AeroDyn Driver / AeroDyn\_Inflow\_C\_Bindings interface
+
+
+
+### ElastoDyn
+
+
+### ExtInflow
+
+
+### ExtLoads
+
+
+### HydroDyn
+
+
+### InflowWind
+
+
+### MAP++
+
+
+### MoorDyn
+
+
+### NWTC-Library
+
+
+### Registry
+
+
+### SeaState
+
+
+### Simplified-ElastoDyn
+
+
+### SubDyn
+
+
+
+## Testing and input file processing
+
+### openfast_io
+
+
+### GitHub actions
+
+
+### Regression and Unit testing
+
+
+
+
+## Input file changes
+
+
+## Known issues
+
+
+
+# Precompiled Windows Binaries
+The binary files in this release were built with the Visual Studio solution files distributed with OpenFAST (not using cmake), using
+
+- Intel Fortran compiler 2021.12 (`p_oneAPI_2024.1.0.595`) with Microsoft Visual Studio 2022
+- Microsoft Visual C++ 2022 (C), for build in Matlab
+- MATLAB Version: 2024.2.999 (R2024b)
+- Executables with `_OpenMP` or `_OMP` in the name are built with OpenMP libraries and linked with dynamic libraries.
+   - You will need [this Intel Fortran redistributable package](https://registrationcenter-download.intel.com/akdlm/IRC_NAS/f6a44238-5cb6-4787-be83-2ef48bc70cba/w_ifort_runtime_p_2024.1.0.968.exe) installed to use these executables if you do not already have Intel Fortran OneAPI 2024 installed. See the installation instructions [here](https://software.intel.com/content/www/us/en/develop/articles/redistributable-libraries-for-intel-c-and-fortran-2022-compilers-for-windows.html).
+   - You may also need [a redistributable library for Visual Studio](https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe) installed. See instructions [here](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170).
+
+**The other OpenFAST executables DO NOT require these redistributable libraries to be installed. Instead, they were built with static libraries.**