Commit | Line | Data |
---|---|---|
8b7ecb11 | 1 | Linux Kernel patch submission checklist |
7a71a809 | 2 | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
915a56d2 | 3 | |
e54695a5 AM |
4 | Here are some basic things that developers should do if they want to see their |
5 | kernel patch submissions accepted more quickly. | |
915a56d2 | 6 | |
e54695a5 | 7 | These are all above and beyond the documentation that is provided in |
7a71a809 MCC |
8 | Documentation/SubmittingPatches |
9 | and elsewhere regarding submitting Linux kernel patches. | |
915a56d2 RD |
10 | |
11 | ||
7a71a809 | 12 | 1) If you use a facility then #include the file that defines/declares |
b5247c85 RD |
13 | that facility. Don't depend on other header files pulling in ones |
14 | that you use. | |
15 | ||
7a71a809 | 16 | 2) Builds cleanly: |
915a56d2 | 17 | |
7a71a809 MCC |
18 | a) with applicable or modified ``CONFIG`` options ``=y``, ``=m``, and |
19 | ``=n``. No ``gcc`` warnings/errors, no linker warnings/errors. | |
915a56d2 | 20 | |
7a71a809 | 21 | b) Passes ``allnoconfig``, ``allmodconfig`` |
85f9642e | 22 | |
7a71a809 MCC |
23 | c) Builds successfully when using ``O=builddir`` |
24 | ||
25 | 3) Builds on multiple CPU architectures by using local cross-compile tools | |
7de3369c | 26 | or some other build farm. |
915a56d2 | 27 | |
7a71a809 MCC |
28 | 4) ppc64 is a good architecture for cross-compilation checking because it |
29 | tends to use ``unsigned long`` for 64-bit quantities. | |
915a56d2 | 30 | |
df24d9a6 | 31 | 5: Check your patch for general style as detailed in |
7a71a809 MCC |
32 | Documentation/CodingStyle. |
33 | Check for trivial violations with the patch style checker prior to | |
34 | submission (``scripts/checkpatch.pl``). | |
df24d9a6 BF |
35 | You should be able to justify all violations that remain in |
36 | your patch. | |
915a56d2 | 37 | |
7a71a809 | 38 | 6) Any new or modified ``CONFIG`` options don't muck up the config menu. |
915a56d2 | 39 | |
7a71a809 | 40 | 7) All new ``Kconfig`` options have help text. |
915a56d2 | 41 | |
7a71a809 | 42 | 8) Has been carefully reviewed with respect to relevant ``Kconfig`` |
e54695a5 AM |
43 | combinations. This is very hard to get right with testing -- brainpower |
44 | pays off here. | |
915a56d2 | 45 | |
7a71a809 MCC |
46 | 9) Check cleanly with sparse. |
47 | ||
48 | 10) Use ``make checkstack`` and ``make namespacecheck`` and fix any problems | |
49 | that they find. | |
50 | ||
51 | .. note:: | |
915a56d2 | 52 | |
7a71a809 MCC |
53 | ``checkstack`` does not point out problems explicitly, |
54 | but any one function that uses more than 512 bytes on the stack is a | |
55 | candidate for change. | |
915a56d2 | 56 | |
0cef67aa MCC |
57 | 11: Include :ref:`kernel-doc <kernel_doc>` to document global kernel APIs. |
58 | (Not required for static functions, but OK there also.) Use | |
59 | ``make htmldocs`` or ``make pdfdocs`` to check the | |
60 | :ref:`kernel-doc <kernel_doc>` and fix any issues. | |
915a56d2 | 61 | |
7a71a809 MCC |
62 | 12) Has been tested with ``CONFIG_PREEMPT``, ``CONFIG_DEBUG_PREEMPT``, |
63 | ``CONFIG_DEBUG_SLAB``, ``CONFIG_DEBUG_PAGEALLOC``, ``CONFIG_DEBUG_MUTEXES``, | |
64 | ``CONFIG_DEBUG_SPINLOCK``, ``CONFIG_DEBUG_ATOMIC_SLEEP``, | |
65 | ``CONFIG_PROVE_RCU`` and ``CONFIG_DEBUG_OBJECTS_RCU_HEAD`` all | |
66 | simultaneously enabled. | |
915a56d2 | 67 | |
7a71a809 MCC |
68 | 13) Has been build- and runtime tested with and without ``CONFIG_SMP`` and |
69 | ``CONFIG_PREEMPT.`` | |
915a56d2 | 70 | |
7a71a809 MCC |
71 | 14) If the patch affects IO/Disk, etc: has been tested with and without |
72 | ``CONFIG_LBDAF.`` | |
915a56d2 | 73 | |
7a71a809 | 74 | 15) All codepaths have been exercised with all lockdep features enabled. |
915a56d2 | 75 | |
7a71a809 | 76 | 16) All new ``/proc`` entries are documented under ``Documentation/`` |
e54695a5 | 77 | |
7a71a809 MCC |
78 | 17) All new kernel boot parameters are documented in |
79 | ``Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt``. | |
e54695a5 | 80 | |
7a71a809 | 81 | 18) All new module parameters are documented with ``MODULE_PARM_DESC()`` |
1a036cdd | 82 | |
7a71a809 MCC |
83 | 19) All new userspace interfaces are documented in ``Documentation/ABI/``. |
84 | See ``Documentation/ABI/README`` for more information. | |
1d992ce9 MK |
85 | Patches that change userspace interfaces should be CCed to |
86 | linux-api@vger.kernel.org. | |
ce584f91 | 87 | |
7a71a809 | 88 | 20) Check that it all passes ``make headers_check``. |
0dd4e5b8 | 89 | |
7a71a809 MCC |
90 | 21) Has been checked with injection of at least slab and page-allocation |
91 | failures. See ``Documentation/fault-injection/``. | |
0dd4e5b8 AM |
92 | |
93 | If the new code is substantial, addition of subsystem-specific fault | |
94 | injection might be appropriate. | |
a517b9f9 | 95 | |
7a71a809 MCC |
96 | 22) Newly-added code has been compiled with ``gcc -W`` (use |
97 | ``make EXTRA_CFLAGS=-W``). This will generate lots of noise, but is good | |
98 | for finding bugs like "warning: comparison between signed and unsigned". | |
244474b2 | 99 | |
7a71a809 | 100 | 23) Tested after it has been merged into the -mm patchset to make sure |
244474b2 RD |
101 | that it still works with all of the other queued patches and various |
102 | changes in the VM, VFS, and other subsystems. | |
8033fe65 | 103 | |
7a71a809 MCC |
104 | 24) All memory barriers {e.g., ``barrier()``, ``rmb()``, ``wmb()``} need a |
105 | comment in the source code that explains the logic of what they are doing | |
106 | and why. | |
7de3369c | 107 | |
7a71a809 MCC |
108 | 25) If any ioctl's are added by the patch, then also update |
109 | ``Documentation/ioctl/ioctl-number.txt``. | |
85f9642e | 110 | |
7a71a809 MCC |
111 | 26) If your modified source code depends on or uses any of the kernel |
112 | APIs or features that are related to the following ``Kconfig`` symbols, | |
113 | then test multiple builds with the related ``Kconfig`` symbols disabled | |
114 | and/or ``=m`` (if that option is available) [not all of these at the | |
85f9642e RD |
115 | same time, just various/random combinations of them]: |
116 | ||
7a71a809 MCC |
117 | ``CONFIG_SMP``, ``CONFIG_SYSFS``, ``CONFIG_PROC_FS``, ``CONFIG_INPUT``, ``CONFIG_PCI``, ``CONFIG_BLOCK``, ``CONFIG_PM``, ``CONFIG_MAGIC_SYSRQ``, |
118 | ``CONFIG_NET``, ``CONFIG_INET=n`` (but latter with ``CONFIG_NET=y``). |