-Linux Kernel patch sumbittal checklist
+Linux Kernel patch submission checklist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-Here are some basic things that developers should do if they
-want to see their kernel patch submittals accepted quicker.
+Here are some basic things that developers should do if they want to see their
+kernel patch submissions accepted more quickly.
-These are all above and beyond the documentation that is provided
-in Documentation/SubmittingPatches and elsewhere about submitting
-Linux kernel patches.
+These are all above and beyond the documentation that is provided in
+Documentation/SubmittingPatches and elsewhere regarding submitting Linux
+kernel patches.
+1: Builds cleanly with applicable or modified CONFIG options =y, =m, and
+ =n. No gcc warnings/errors, no linker warnings/errors.
-- Builds cleanly with applicable or modified CONFIG options =y, =m, and =n.
- No gcc warnings/errors, no linker warnings/errors.
+2: Passes allnoconfig, allmodconfig
-- Passes allnoconfig, allmodconfig
+3: Builds on multiple CPU architectures by using local cross-compile tools
+ or some other build farm.
-- Builds on multiple CPU arch-es by using local cross-compile tools
- or something like PLM at OSDL.
+4: ppc64 is a good architecture for cross-compilation checking because it
+ tends to use `unsigned long' for 64-bit quantities.
-- ppc64 is a good architecture for cross-compilation checking because it
- tends to use `unsigned long' for 64-bit quantities.
+5: Check your patch for general style as detailed in
+ Documentation/CodingStyle. Check for trivial violations with the
+ patch style checker prior to submission (scripts/checkpatch.pl).
+ You should be able to justify all violations that remain in
+ your patch.
-- Matches kernel coding style(!)
+6: Any new or modified CONFIG options don't muck up the config menu.
-- Any new or modified CONFIG options don't muck up the config menu.
+7: All new Kconfig options have help text.
-- All new Kconfig options have help text.
+8: Has been carefully reviewed with respect to relevant Kconfig
+ combinations. This is very hard to get right with testing -- brainpower
+ pays off here.
-- Has been carefully reviewed with respect to relevant Kconfig
- combinations. This is very hard to get right with testing --
- brainpower pays off here.
+9: Check cleanly with sparse.
-- Check cleanly with sparse.
+10: Use 'make checkstack' and 'make namespacecheck' and fix any problems
+ that they find. Note: checkstack does not point out problems explicitly,
+ but any one function that uses more than 512 bytes on the stack is a
+ candidate for change.
-- Use 'make checkstack' and 'make namespacecheck' and fix any
- problems that they find. Note: checkstack does not point out
- problems explicitly, but any one function that uses more than
- 512 bytes on the stack is a candidate for change.
+11: Include kernel-doc to document global kernel APIs. (Not required for
+ static functions, but OK there also.) Use 'make htmldocs' or 'make
+ mandocs' to check the kernel-doc and fix any issues.
-- Include kernel-doc to document global kernel APIs. (Not required
- for static functions, but OK there also.) Use 'make htmldocs'
- or 'make mandocs' to check the kernel-doc and fix any issues.
+12: Has been tested with CONFIG_PREEMPT, CONFIG_DEBUG_PREEMPT,
+ CONFIG_DEBUG_SLAB, CONFIG_DEBUG_PAGEALLOC, CONFIG_DEBUG_MUTEXES,
+ CONFIG_DEBUG_SPINLOCK, CONFIG_DEBUG_SPINLOCK_SLEEP all simultaneously
+ enabled.
-- Has been tested with CONFIG_PREEMPT, CONFIG_DEBUG_PREEMPT,
- CONFIG_DEBUG_SLAB, CONFIG_DEBUG_PAGEALLOC, CONFIG_DEBUG_MUTEXES,
- CONFIG_DEBUG_SPINLOCK, CONFIG_DEBUG_SPINLOCK_SLEEP all simultaneously
- enabled.
+13: Has been build- and runtime tested with and without CONFIG_SMP and
+ CONFIG_PREEMPT.
-- Has been build- and runtime tested with and without CONFIG_SMP and
- CONFIG_PREEMPT.
+14: If the patch affects IO/Disk, etc: has been tested with and without
+ CONFIG_LBDAF.
-- If the patch affects IO/Disk, etc: has been tested with and without
- CONFIG_LBD.
+15: All codepaths have been exercised with all lockdep features enabled.
+16: All new /proc entries are documented under Documentation/
-2006-APR-27
+17: All new kernel boot parameters are documented in
+ Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt.
+
+18: All new module parameters are documented with MODULE_PARM_DESC()
+
+19: All new userspace interfaces are documented in Documentation/ABI/.
+ See Documentation/ABI/README for more information.
+ Patches that change userspace interfaces should be CCed to
+ linux-api@vger.kernel.org.
+
+20: Check that it all passes `make headers_check'.
+
+21: Has been checked with injection of at least slab and page-allocation
+ failures. See Documentation/fault-injection/.
+
+ If the new code is substantial, addition of subsystem-specific fault
+ injection might be appropriate.
+
+22: Newly-added code has been compiled with `gcc -W' (use "make
+ EXTRA_CFLAGS=-W"). This will generate lots of noise, but is good for
+ finding bugs like "warning: comparison between signed and unsigned".
+
+23: Tested after it has been merged into the -mm patchset to make sure
+ that it still works with all of the other queued patches and various
+ changes in the VM, VFS, and other subsystems.
+
+24: All memory barriers {e.g., barrier(), rmb(), wmb()} need a comment in the
+ source code that explains the logic of what they are doing and why.
+
+25: If any ioctl's are added by the patch, then also update
+ Documentation/ioctl/ioctl-number.txt.
git://ftp.safe.ca / safe / jmp / linux-2.6 / blobdiff