Chapter 2. Appeals Process

2.1. Who can make challenges to the TCK?
2.2. What challenges to the TCK may be submitted?
2.3. How these challenges are submitted?
2.4. How and by whom challenges are addressed?
2.5. How accepted challenges to the TCK are managed?

While the Bean Validation TCK is rigourous about enforcing an implementation's conformance to the JSR-303 specification, it's reasonable to assume that an implementor may discover new and/or better ways to validate the assertions. This chapter covers the appeals process, defined by the Specification Lead, Red Hat Middleware LLC., which allows implementors of the JSR-303 specification to challenge one or more tests defined by the Bean Validation TCK.

The appeals process identifies who can make challenges to the TCK, what challenges to the TCK may be submitted, how these challenges are submitted, how and by whom challenges are addressed and how accepted challenges to the TCK are managed.

Following the recent adoption of transparency in the JCP, implementors are encouraged to make their appeals public, which this process facilitates. The JCP community should recognize that issue reports are a central aspect of any good software and it's only natural to point out shortcomings and strive to make improvements. Despite this good faith, not all implementors will be comfortable with a public appeals process. Instructions about how to make a private appeal are therefore provided.

2.1. Who can make challenges to the TCK?

Any implementor may submit an appeal to challenge one or more tests in the Bean Validation TCK. In fact, members of the JSR-303 Expert Group (EG) encourage this level of participation.

2.2. What challenges to the TCK may be submitted?

Any test case (e.g., @Artifact class, @Test method), test case configuration (e.g., validation.xml), test entities, annotations and other resources may be challenged by an appeal.

What is generally not challengable are the assertions made by the specification. The specification document is controlled by a separate process and challenges to it should be handled through the JSR-303 EG by sending an e-mail to jsr303-comments@jcp.org.

2.3. How these challenges are submitted?

To submit a challenge, a new issue should be created in the BVTCK project of the Hibernate JIRA using the Issue Type: Bug. The appellant should complete the Summary, Component (TCK Appeal), Environment and Description Field only. Any communication regarding the issue should be pursed in the comments of the filed issue for accurate record.

To submit an issue in the Hibernate JIRA, you must have a (free) Jira member account. You can create a member account using the on-line registration.

If you wish to make a private challenge, you should follow the above procedure, setting the Security Level to Private. Only the issue reporter, TCK Project Lead and designates will be able to view the issue.

2.4. How and by whom challenges are addressed?

The challenges will be addressed in a timely fashion by the Bean Validation TCK Project Lead, as designated by Specification Lead, Red Hat Middleware LLC. or his/her designate. The appellant can also monitor the process by following the issue report filed in the BVTCK project of the Hibernate JIRA.

The current TCK Project Lead is listed on the BVTCK Project Summary Page.

2.5. How accepted challenges to the TCK are managed?

Accepted challenges will be acknowledged via the filed issue's comment section. Communication between the Bean Validation TCK Project Lead and the appellant will take place via the issue comments. The issue's status will be set to "Resolved" when the TCK project lead believes the issue to be resolved. The appellant should, within 30 days, either close the issue if they agree, or reopen the issue if they do not believe the issue to be resolved.

Resolved issue not addressed for 30 days will be closed by the TCK Project Lead. If the TCK Project Lead and appellant are unable to agree on the issue resolution, it will be referred to the JSR-303 specification lead or his/her designate.