Release of v16.0.2

[frouioui]

This release is not scheduled yet.

Pre-Release

• Notify the community on Slack.
• Make sure the release notes summary is prepared and clean
  • Mention security fixes and Go 1.20.3 upgrade
  • [release-16.0] Upgrade the Golang version to go1.20.3 #12832
• Make sure everyone in the release team meet the pre-requisites for the release
  • https://github.com/vitessio/vitess/blob/main/doc/internal/ReleaseInstructions.md#pre-requisites
• Make sure all backports are complete
  • Look at v16.0.2 milestone
  • Check that PRs on main make it to release-16.0 if they needed to be backported. You may use this link to quickly filter out PRs.
  • 🚨 important backports:
    • Backport: [topo] Disallow the slash character in shard names #12843 #12858
  • Merge Add documentation about grpc-use-static-authentication-callerid flag on vtgate website#1454 during the pre-release
• Do the code freeze and pre release following the instructions.

Release

• Follow the release instructions for release: here
• Continue with the Java release following these instructions.
• Merge the 16.0.2 release notes on main.
• Make sure arewefastyet benchmarks the new release (https://benchmark.vitess.io/status)
• Release the operator, v2.9.2.

Post-Release

• Notify the community on Slack.
• Benchmarking results
• Tweet both vitess release and operator release

[GuptaManan100]

#12984 has been pending for a while. But I don't think that is a blocker for the patch release. I was able to fix its tests, so I am waiting for it to work.

[GuptaManan100]

#12984 is merged. Continuing with the pre-release step.