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Commit d2b008f1 authored by Zenghui Yu's avatar Zenghui Yu Committed by Jonathan Corbet
Browse files

Documentation/process/howto: Update for 4.x -> 5.x versioning 



As linux-5.0 is coming up soon, the howto.rst document can be
updated for the new kernel version. Instead of changing all 4.x
references to 5.x, this time we git rid of all explicit version
numbers and rework some kernel trees' name to keep the docs
current and real.

Signed-off-by: default avatarZenghui Yu <zenghuiyu96@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: default avatarJonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>
parent 19c3fe28

Documentation/process/howto.rst

+22 −25
Original line number Diff line number Diff line
@@ -235,22 +235,21 @@ Linux kernel development process currently consists of a few different 
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

  - 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.
@@ -277,21 +276,19 @@ mailing list about kernel releases: 
	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
@@ -301,8 +298,8 @@ The file :ref:`Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst <stable_kernel_rule 
in the kernel tree documents what kinds of changes are acceptable for

the -stable tree, and how the release process works.



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
@@ -326,19 +323,19 @@ revisions to it, and maintainers can mark patches as under review, 
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.





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