docs: plan the next release and preserve WTMC history

docs/release-plan.md

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+# Next release plan
+
+Publish a release of the current RustiFlow code and mark it as GitHub's Latest
+release. Keep the WTMC release, its tag, and its assets as a historical artifact.
+WTMC records the last fully handwritten version of the project.
+
+The next release should cover the existing functionality. Defer new feature
+families until after it ships. Choose the version and target date after the
+readiness review identifies the remaining work.
+
+## Current position
+
+The maintainer reports that the latest GitHub build succeeded. The workflows at
+commit `a939861` provide the following checks and outputs:
+
+- [Rust CI](../.github/workflows/rust.yml) builds both eBPF programs and the
+  userspace program, checks formatting, runs Clippy and tests, and builds docs.
+- [Container CI](../.github/workflows/docker.yml) builds Linux amd64 images and
+  publishes them to GHCR on eligible pushes. It also handles `v*` tags.
+- These workflows do not attach standalone binaries to a GitHub release.
+
+The [engineering notes](engineering-notes.md) still list live realtime validation
+as outstanding after the byte-order and parser changes. A successful build does
+not close that task.
+
+## Release readiness
+
+- [ ] Choose a release owner, version, target date, and candidate commit. Record
+  them in this document. Limit subsequent candidate changes to release fixes.
+- [ ] Review changes since the WTMC tag and write release notes. Cover CLI,
+  configuration, CSV schemas, flow lifecycle, and offline/realtime semantics.
+- [ ] Document the corrected realtime byte-order behavior and its implications
+  for older datasets, using the engineering notes as the starting point.
+- [ ] Confirm successful Linux CI for the exact candidate commit, including both
+  eBPF builds, tests, formatting, and Clippy. Link the runs in the release record.
+- [ ] Run a tiny deterministic offline fixture through the release binary and
+  check the exported values and headers against expected results.
+- [ ] Smoke-test IPv4 and IPv6 realtime capture on the local `rustiflow-t0` veth
+  setup. Check addresses, ports, packet lengths, timing, and TCP termination.
+  Compare offline and realtime exports for the same traffic where their timestamp
+  and length sources permit it. Record the kernel, attach mode, commands, and
+  results. Prefer legacy netlink tc attachment on the local Arch setup.
+- [ ] Resolve release-blocking failures and document remaining limitations. Do
+  not describe veth throughput as physical wire-rate validation.
+
+## Packaging and documentation
+
+- [ ] Decide which Linux architectures the release supports and which runtime
+  dependencies each binary needs. The current container workflow covers amd64.
+- [ ] Add a repeatable release packaging procedure or workflow. Build assets
+  from the tagged commit, include checksums, and record the toolchain and build
+  commands. Confirm that the package includes everything realtime capture needs.
+- [ ] Test the packaged binary in a clean supported Linux environment. Verify
+  installation, `--help`, offline extraction, and realtime capture requirements.
+- [ ] Update the README installation instructions and examples for the selected
+  assets. Reconcile the documented bpf-linker version with the tested build setup.
+- [ ] Link the WTMC release from the new release notes and explain its historical
+  role as the last fully handwritten version.
+
+## Publication
+
+- [ ] Tag the validated commit and publish the release notes, binaries, and
+  checksums. Confirm that any versioned container images refer to that commit.
+- [ ] Mark the new stable release as Latest on GitHub. Leave the WTMC tag and
+  assets intact.
+- [ ] Download the published assets and verify their checksums and a basic
+  offline run. Check that the repository release link and README direct users
+  to the new release, and that WTMC remains accessible.
+
+The release is complete when users can download and run the validated assets
+from GitHub's Latest release and still find the original WTMC artifact.