199 lines
7.4 KiB
ReStructuredText
199 lines
7.4 KiB
ReStructuredText
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.. _stable_kernel_rules:
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Everything you ever wanted to know about Linux -stable releases
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===============================================================
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Rules on what kind of patches are accepted, and which ones are not, into the
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"-stable" tree:
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- It must be obviously correct and tested.
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- It cannot be bigger than 100 lines, with context.
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- It must fix only one thing.
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- It must fix a real bug that bothers people (not a, "This could be a
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problem..." type thing).
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- It must fix a problem that causes a build error (but not for things
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marked CONFIG_BROKEN), an oops, a hang, data corruption, a real
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security issue, or some "oh, that's not good" issue. In short, something
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critical.
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- Serious issues as reported by a user of a distribution kernel may also
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be considered if they fix a notable performance or interactivity issue.
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As these fixes are not as obvious and have a higher risk of a subtle
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regression they should only be submitted by a distribution kernel
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maintainer and include an addendum linking to a bugzilla entry if it
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exists and additional information on the user-visible impact.
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- New device IDs and quirks are also accepted.
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- No "theoretical race condition" issues, unless an explanation of how the
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race can be exploited is also provided.
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- It cannot contain any "trivial" fixes in it (spelling changes,
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whitespace cleanups, etc).
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- It must follow the
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:ref:`Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst <submittingpatches>`
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rules.
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- It or an equivalent fix must already exist in Linus' tree (upstream).
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Procedure for submitting patches to the -stable tree
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----------------------------------------------------
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.. note::
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Security patches should not be handled (solely) by the -stable review
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process but should follow the procedures in
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:ref:`Documentation/admin-guide/security-bugs.rst <securitybugs>`.
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For all other submissions, choose one of the following procedures
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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.. _option_1:
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Option 1
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********
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To have the patch automatically included in the stable tree, add the tag
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.. code-block:: none
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Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
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in the sign-off area. Once the patch is merged it will be applied to
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the stable tree without anything else needing to be done by the author
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or subsystem maintainer.
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.. _option_2:
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Option 2
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********
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After the patch has been merged to Linus' tree, send an email to
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stable@vger.kernel.org containing the subject of the patch, the commit ID,
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why you think it should be applied, and what kernel version you wish it to
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be applied to.
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.. _option_3:
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Option 3
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********
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Send the patch, after verifying that it follows the above rules, to
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stable@vger.kernel.org. You must note the upstream commit ID in the
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changelog of your submission, as well as the kernel version you wish
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it to be applied to.
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:ref:`option_1` is **strongly** preferred, is the easiest and most common.
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:ref:`option_2` and :ref:`option_3` are more useful if the patch isn't deemed
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worthy at the time it is applied to a public git tree (for instance, because
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it deserves more regression testing first). :ref:`option_3` is especially
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useful if the original upstream patch needs to be backported (for example
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the backport needs some special handling due to e.g. API changes).
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Note that for :ref:`option_3`, if the patch deviates from the original
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upstream patch (for example because it had to be backported) this must be very
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clearly documented and justified in the patch description.
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The upstream commit ID must be specified with a separate line above the commit
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text, like this:
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.. code-block:: none
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commit <sha1> upstream.
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Additionally, some patches submitted via :ref:`option_1` may have additional
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patch prerequisites which can be cherry-picked. This can be specified in the
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following format in the sign-off area:
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.. code-block:: none
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Cc: <stable@vger.kernel.org> # 3.3.x: a1f84a3: sched: Check for idle
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Cc: <stable@vger.kernel.org> # 3.3.x: 1b9508f: sched: Rate-limit newidle
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Cc: <stable@vger.kernel.org> # 3.3.x: fd21073: sched: Fix affinity logic
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Cc: <stable@vger.kernel.org> # 3.3.x
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Signed-off-by: Ingo Molnar <mingo@elte.hu>
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The tag sequence has the meaning of:
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.. code-block:: none
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git cherry-pick a1f84a3
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git cherry-pick 1b9508f
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git cherry-pick fd21073
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git cherry-pick <this commit>
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Also, some patches may have kernel version prerequisites. This can be
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specified in the following format in the sign-off area:
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.. code-block:: none
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Cc: <stable@vger.kernel.org> # 3.3.x
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The tag has the meaning of:
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.. code-block:: none
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git cherry-pick <this commit>
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For each "-stable" tree starting with the specified version.
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Following the submission:
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- The sender will receive an ACK when the patch has been accepted into the
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queue, or a NAK if the patch is rejected. This response might take a few
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days, according to the developer's schedules.
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- If accepted, the patch will be added to the -stable queue, for review by
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other developers and by the relevant subsystem maintainer.
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Review cycle
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------------
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- When the -stable maintainers decide for a review cycle, the patches will be
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sent to the review committee, and the maintainer of the affected area of
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the patch (unless the submitter is the maintainer of the area) and CC: to
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the linux-kernel mailing list.
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- The review committee has 48 hours in which to ACK or NAK the patch.
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- If the patch is rejected by a member of the committee, or linux-kernel
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members object to the patch, bringing up issues that the maintainers and
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members did not realize, the patch will be dropped from the queue.
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- The ACKed patches will be posted again as part of release candidate (-rc)
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to be tested by developers and testers.
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- Usually only one -rc release is made, however if there are any outstanding
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issues, some patches may be modified or dropped or additional patches may
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be queued. Additional -rc releases are then released and tested until no
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issues are found.
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- Responding to the -rc releases can be done on the mailing list by sending
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a "Tested-by:" email with any testing information desired. The "Tested-by:"
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tags will be collected and added to the release commit.
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- At the end of the review cycle, the new -stable release will be released
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containing all the queued and tested patches.
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- Security patches will be accepted into the -stable tree directly from the
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security kernel team, and not go through the normal review cycle.
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Contact the kernel security team for more details on this procedure.
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Trees
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-----
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- The queues of patches, for both completed versions and in progress
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versions can be found at:
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https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/stable-queue.git
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- The finalized and tagged releases of all stable kernels can be found
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in separate branches per version at:
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https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git
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- The release candidate of all stable kernel versions can be found at:
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https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-stable-rc.git/
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.. warning::
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The -stable-rc tree is a snapshot in time of the stable-queue tree and
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will change frequently, hence will be rebased often. It should only be
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used for testing purposes (e.g. to be consumed by CI systems).
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Review committee
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----------------
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- This is made up of a number of kernel developers who have volunteered for
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this task, and a few that haven't.
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