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
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.
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
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.
-
-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
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
projects / linux.git / blobdiff