260 lines
12 KiB
ReStructuredText
260 lines
12 KiB
ReStructuredText
.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
|
|
|
|
.. _netdev-FAQ:
|
|
|
|
==========
|
|
netdev FAQ
|
|
==========
|
|
|
|
Q: What is netdev?
|
|
------------------
|
|
A: It is a mailing list for all network-related Linux stuff. This
|
|
includes anything found under net/ (i.e. core code like IPv6) and
|
|
drivers/net (i.e. hardware specific drivers) in the Linux source tree.
|
|
|
|
Note that some subsystems (e.g. wireless drivers) which have a high
|
|
volume of traffic have their own specific mailing lists.
|
|
|
|
The netdev list is managed (like many other Linux mailing lists) through
|
|
VGER (http://vger.kernel.org/) and archives can be found below:
|
|
|
|
- http://marc.info/?l=linux-netdev
|
|
- http://www.spinics.net/lists/netdev/
|
|
|
|
Aside from subsystems like that mentioned above, all network-related
|
|
Linux development (i.e. RFC, review, comments, etc.) takes place on
|
|
netdev.
|
|
|
|
Q: How do the changes posted to netdev make their way into Linux?
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
A: There are always two trees (git repositories) in play. Both are
|
|
driven by David Miller, the main network maintainer. There is the
|
|
``net`` tree, and the ``net-next`` tree. As you can probably guess from
|
|
the names, the ``net`` tree is for fixes to existing code already in the
|
|
mainline tree from Linus, and ``net-next`` is where the new code goes
|
|
for the future release. You can find the trees here:
|
|
|
|
- https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/davem/net.git
|
|
- https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/davem/net-next.git
|
|
|
|
Q: How often do changes from these trees make it to the mainline Linus tree?
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
A: To understand this, you need to know a bit of background information on
|
|
the cadence of Linux development. Each new release starts off with a
|
|
two week "merge window" where the main maintainers feed their new stuff
|
|
to Linus for merging into the mainline tree. After the two weeks, the
|
|
merge window is closed, and it is called/tagged ``-rc1``. No new
|
|
features get mainlined after this -- only fixes to the rc1 content are
|
|
expected. After roughly a week of collecting fixes to the rc1 content,
|
|
rc2 is released. This repeats on a roughly weekly basis until rc7
|
|
(typically; sometimes rc6 if things are quiet, or rc8 if things are in a
|
|
state of churn), and a week after the last vX.Y-rcN was done, the
|
|
official vX.Y is released.
|
|
|
|
Relating that to netdev: At the beginning of the 2-week merge window,
|
|
the ``net-next`` tree will be closed - no new changes/features. The
|
|
accumulated new content of the past ~10 weeks will be passed onto
|
|
mainline/Linus via a pull request for vX.Y -- at the same time, the
|
|
``net`` tree will start accumulating fixes for this pulled content
|
|
relating to vX.Y
|
|
|
|
An announcement indicating when ``net-next`` has been closed is usually
|
|
sent to netdev, but knowing the above, you can predict that in advance.
|
|
|
|
IMPORTANT: Do not send new ``net-next`` content to netdev during the
|
|
period during which ``net-next`` tree is closed.
|
|
|
|
Shortly after the two weeks have passed (and vX.Y-rc1 is released), the
|
|
tree for ``net-next`` reopens to collect content for the next (vX.Y+1)
|
|
release.
|
|
|
|
If you aren't subscribed to netdev and/or are simply unsure if
|
|
``net-next`` has re-opened yet, simply check the ``net-next`` git
|
|
repository link above for any new networking-related commits. You may
|
|
also check the following website for the current status:
|
|
|
|
http://vger.kernel.org/~davem/net-next.html
|
|
|
|
The ``net`` tree continues to collect fixes for the vX.Y content, and is
|
|
fed back to Linus at regular (~weekly) intervals. Meaning that the
|
|
focus for ``net`` is on stabilization and bug fixes.
|
|
|
|
Finally, the vX.Y gets released, and the whole cycle starts over.
|
|
|
|
Q: So where are we now in this cycle?
|
|
|
|
Load the mainline (Linus) page here:
|
|
|
|
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git
|
|
|
|
and note the top of the "tags" section. If it is rc1, it is early in
|
|
the dev cycle. If it was tagged rc7 a week ago, then a release is
|
|
probably imminent.
|
|
|
|
Q: How do I indicate which tree (net vs. net-next) my patch should be in?
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
A: Firstly, think whether you have a bug fix or new "next-like" content.
|
|
Then once decided, assuming that you use git, use the prefix flag, i.e.
|
|
::
|
|
|
|
git format-patch --subject-prefix='PATCH net-next' start..finish
|
|
|
|
Use ``net`` instead of ``net-next`` (always lower case) in the above for
|
|
bug-fix ``net`` content. If you don't use git, then note the only magic
|
|
in the above is just the subject text of the outgoing e-mail, and you
|
|
can manually change it yourself with whatever MUA you are comfortable
|
|
with.
|
|
|
|
Q: I sent a patch and I'm wondering what happened to it?
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------
|
|
Q: How can I tell whether it got merged?
|
|
A: Start by looking at the main patchworks queue for netdev:
|
|
|
|
http://patchwork.ozlabs.org/project/netdev/list/
|
|
|
|
The "State" field will tell you exactly where things are at with your
|
|
patch.
|
|
|
|
Q: The above only says "Under Review". How can I find out more?
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
A: Generally speaking, the patches get triaged quickly (in less than
|
|
48h). So be patient. Asking the maintainer for status updates on your
|
|
patch is a good way to ensure your patch is ignored or pushed to the
|
|
bottom of the priority list.
|
|
|
|
Q: I submitted multiple versions of the patch series
|
|
----------------------------------------------------
|
|
Q: should I directly update patchwork for the previous versions of these
|
|
patch series?
|
|
A: No, please don't interfere with the patch status on patchwork, leave
|
|
it to the maintainer to figure out what is the most recent and current
|
|
version that should be applied. If there is any doubt, the maintainer
|
|
will reply and ask what should be done.
|
|
|
|
Q: How can I tell what patches are queued up for backporting to the various stable releases?
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
A: Normally Greg Kroah-Hartman collects stable commits himself, but for
|
|
networking, Dave collects up patches he deems critical for the
|
|
networking subsystem, and then hands them off to Greg.
|
|
|
|
There is a patchworks queue that you can see here:
|
|
|
|
http://patchwork.ozlabs.org/bundle/davem/stable/?state=*
|
|
|
|
It contains the patches which Dave has selected, but not yet handed off
|
|
to Greg. If Greg already has the patch, then it will be here:
|
|
|
|
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/stable-queue.git
|
|
|
|
A quick way to find whether the patch is in this stable-queue is to
|
|
simply clone the repo, and then git grep the mainline commit ID, e.g.
|
|
::
|
|
|
|
stable-queue$ git grep -l 284041ef21fdf2e
|
|
releases/3.0.84/ipv6-fix-possible-crashes-in-ip6_cork_release.patch
|
|
releases/3.4.51/ipv6-fix-possible-crashes-in-ip6_cork_release.patch
|
|
releases/3.9.8/ipv6-fix-possible-crashes-in-ip6_cork_release.patch
|
|
stable/stable-queue$
|
|
|
|
Q: I see a network patch and I think it should be backported to stable.
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
Q: Should I request it via stable@vger.kernel.org like the references in
|
|
the kernel's Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst file say?
|
|
A: No, not for networking. Check the stable queues as per above first
|
|
to see if it is already queued. If not, then send a mail to netdev,
|
|
listing the upstream commit ID and why you think it should be a stable
|
|
candidate.
|
|
|
|
Before you jump to go do the above, do note that the normal stable rules
|
|
in :ref:`Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst <stable_kernel_rules>`
|
|
still apply. So you need to explicitly indicate why it is a critical
|
|
fix and exactly what users are impacted. In addition, you need to
|
|
convince yourself that you *really* think it has been overlooked,
|
|
vs. having been considered and rejected.
|
|
|
|
Generally speaking, the longer it has had a chance to "soak" in
|
|
mainline, the better the odds that it is an OK candidate for stable. So
|
|
scrambling to request a commit be added the day after it appears should
|
|
be avoided.
|
|
|
|
Q: I have created a network patch and I think it should be backported to stable.
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
Q: Should I add a Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org like the references in the
|
|
kernel's Documentation/ directory say?
|
|
A: No. See above answer. In short, if you think it really belongs in
|
|
stable, then ensure you write a decent commit log that describes who
|
|
gets impacted by the bug fix and how it manifests itself, and when the
|
|
bug was introduced. If you do that properly, then the commit will get
|
|
handled appropriately and most likely get put in the patchworks stable
|
|
queue if it really warrants it.
|
|
|
|
If you think there is some valid information relating to it being in
|
|
stable that does *not* belong in the commit log, then use the three dash
|
|
marker line as described in
|
|
:ref:`Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst <the_canonical_patch_format>`
|
|
to temporarily embed that information into the patch that you send.
|
|
|
|
Q: Are all networking bug fixes backported to all stable releases?
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
A: Due to capacity, Dave could only take care of the backports for the
|
|
last two stable releases. For earlier stable releases, each stable
|
|
branch maintainer is supposed to take care of them. If you find any
|
|
patch is missing from an earlier stable branch, please notify
|
|
stable@vger.kernel.org with either a commit ID or a formal patch
|
|
backported, and CC Dave and other relevant networking developers.
|
|
|
|
Q: Is the comment style convention different for the networking content?
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
A: Yes, in a largely trivial way. Instead of this::
|
|
|
|
/*
|
|
* foobar blah blah blah
|
|
* another line of text
|
|
*/
|
|
|
|
it is requested that you make it look like this::
|
|
|
|
/* foobar blah blah blah
|
|
* another line of text
|
|
*/
|
|
|
|
Q: I am working in existing code that has the former comment style and not the latter.
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
Q: Should I submit new code in the former style or the latter?
|
|
A: Make it the latter style, so that eventually all code in the domain
|
|
of netdev is of this format.
|
|
|
|
Q: I found a bug that might have possible security implications or similar.
|
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
Q: Should I mail the main netdev maintainer off-list?**
|
|
A: No. The current netdev maintainer has consistently requested that
|
|
people use the mailing lists and not reach out directly. If you aren't
|
|
OK with that, then perhaps consider mailing security@kernel.org or
|
|
reading about http://oss-security.openwall.org/wiki/mailing-lists/distros
|
|
as possible alternative mechanisms.
|
|
|
|
Q: What level of testing is expected before I submit my change?
|
|
---------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
A: If your changes are against ``net-next``, the expectation is that you
|
|
have tested by layering your changes on top of ``net-next``. Ideally
|
|
you will have done run-time testing specific to your change, but at a
|
|
minimum, your changes should survive an ``allyesconfig`` and an
|
|
``allmodconfig`` build without new warnings or failures.
|
|
|
|
Q: Any other tips to help ensure my net/net-next patch gets OK'd?
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
A: Attention to detail. Re-read your own work as if you were the
|
|
reviewer. You can start with using ``checkpatch.pl``, perhaps even with
|
|
the ``--strict`` flag. But do not be mindlessly robotic in doing so.
|
|
If your change is a bug fix, make sure your commit log indicates the
|
|
end-user visible symptom, the underlying reason as to why it happens,
|
|
and then if necessary, explain why the fix proposed is the best way to
|
|
get things done. Don't mangle whitespace, and as is common, don't
|
|
mis-indent function arguments that span multiple lines. If it is your
|
|
first patch, mail it to yourself so you can test apply it to an
|
|
unpatched tree to confirm infrastructure didn't mangle it.
|
|
|
|
Finally, go back and read
|
|
:ref:`Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst <submittingpatches>`
|
|
to be sure you are not repeating some common mistake documented there.
|