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Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/process/howto.rst')
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diff --git a/Documentation/process/howto.rst b/Documentation/process/howto.rst index dcb25f94188e..ad2b6c852b95 100644 --- a/Documentation/process/howto.rst +++ b/Documentation/process/howto.rst @@ -1,3 +1,5 @@ +.. _process_howto: + HOWTO do Linux kernel development ================================= @@ -223,7 +225,7 @@ Cross-Reference project, which is able to present source code in a self-referential, indexed webpage format. An excellent up-to-date repository of the kernel code may be found at: - http://lxr.free-electrons.com/ + https://elixir.bootlin.com/ The development process @@ -233,23 +235,21 @@ Linux kernel development process currently consists of a few different main kernel "branches" and lots of different subsystem-specific kernel branches. These different branches are: - - main 4.x kernel tree - - 4.x.y -stable kernel tree - - 4.x -git kernel patches - - subsystem specific kernel trees and patches - - the 4.x -next kernel tree for integration tests + - Linus's mainline tree + - Various stable trees with multiple major numbers + - Subsystem-specific trees + - linux-next integration testing tree -4.x kernel tree -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +Mainline tree +~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -4.x kernels are maintained by Linus Torvalds, and can be found on -https://kernel.org in the pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ directory. Its development -process is as follows: +Mainline tree are maintained by Linus Torvalds, and can be found at +https://kernel.org or in the repo. Its development process is as follows: - As soon as a new kernel is released a two weeks window is open, during this period of time maintainers can submit big diffs to Linus, usually the patches that have already been included in the - -next kernel for a few weeks. The preferred way to submit big changes + linux-next for a few weeks. The preferred way to submit big changes is using git (the kernel's source management tool, more information can be found at https://git-scm.com/) but plain patches are also just fine. @@ -276,41 +276,30 @@ mailing list about kernel releases: released according to perceived bug status, not according to a preconceived timeline."* -4.x.y -stable kernel tree -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +Various stable trees with multiple major numbers +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kernels with 3-part versions are -stable kernels. They contain relatively small and critical fixes for security problems or significant -regressions discovered in a given 4.x kernel. +regressions discovered in a given major mainline release, with the first +2-part of version number are the same correspondingly. This is the recommended branch for users who want the most recent stable kernel and are not interested in helping test development/experimental versions. -If no 4.x.y kernel is available, then the highest numbered 4.x -kernel is the current stable kernel. - -4.x.y are maintained by the "stable" team <stable@vger.kernel.org>, and +Stable trees are maintained by the "stable" team <stable@vger.kernel.org>, and are released as needs dictate. The normal release period is approximately two weeks, but it can be longer if there are no pressing problems. A security-related problem, instead, can cause a release to happen almost instantly. -The file Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst in the kernel tree -documents what kinds of changes are acceptable for the -stable tree, and -how the release process works. - -4.x -git patches -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -These are daily snapshots of Linus' kernel tree which are managed in a -git repository (hence the name.) These patches are usually released -daily and represent the current state of Linus' tree. They are more -experimental than -rc kernels since they are generated automatically -without even a cursory glance to see if they are sane. +The file :ref:`Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst <stable_kernel_rules>` +in the kernel tree documents what kinds of changes are acceptable for +the -stable tree, and how the release process works. -Subsystem Specific kernel trees and patches -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +Subsystem-specific trees +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The maintainers of the various kernel subsystems --- and also many kernel subsystem developers --- expose their current state of @@ -334,19 +323,19 @@ revisions to it, and maintainers can mark patches as under review, accepted, or rejected. Most of these patchwork sites are listed at https://patchwork.kernel.org/. -4.x -next kernel tree for integration tests -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +linux-next integration testing tree +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -Before updates from subsystem trees are merged into the mainline 4.x -tree, they need to be integration-tested. For this purpose, a special +Before updates from subsystem trees are merged into the mainline tree, +they need to be integration-tested. For this purpose, a special testing repository exists into which virtually all subsystem trees are pulled on an almost daily basis: https://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/next/linux-next.git -This way, the -next kernel gives a summary outlook onto what will be +This way, the linux-next gives a summary outlook onto what will be expected to go into the mainline kernel at the next merge period. -Adventurous testers are very welcome to runtime-test the -next kernel. +Adventurous testers are very welcome to runtime-test the linux-next. Bug Reporting @@ -358,7 +347,8 @@ tool. For details on how to use the kernel bugzilla, please see: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/page.cgi?id=faq.html -The file admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst in the main kernel source directory has a good +The file :ref:`admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst <reportingbugs>` +in the main kernel source directory has a good template for how to report a possible kernel bug, and details what kind of information is needed by the kernel developers to help track down the problem. @@ -424,7 +414,7 @@ add your statements between the individual quoted sections instead of writing at the top of the mail. If you add patches to your mail, make sure they are plain readable text -as stated in Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst. +as stated in :ref:`Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst <submittingpatches>`. Kernel developers don't want to deal with attachments or compressed patches; they may want to comment on individual lines of your patch, which works only that way. Make sure you |