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1.. _submitchecklist:
2
3=======================================
4Linux Kernel patch submission checklist
5=======================================
6
7Here are some basic things that developers should do if they want to see their
8kernel patch submissions accepted more quickly.
9
10These are all above and beyond the documentation that is provided in
11:ref:`Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst <submittingpatches>`
12and elsewhere regarding submitting Linux kernel patches.
13
14Review your code
15================
16
171) If you use a facility then #include the file that defines/declares
18 that facility. Don't depend on other header files pulling in ones
19 that you use.
20
212) Check your patch for general style as detailed in
22 :ref:`Documentation/process/coding-style.rst <codingstyle>`.
23
243) All memory barriers {e.g., ``barrier()``, ``rmb()``, ``wmb()``} need a
25 comment in the source code that explains the logic of what they are doing
26 and why.
27
28Review Kconfig changes
29======================
30
311) Any new or modified ``CONFIG`` options do not muck up the config menu and
32 default to off unless they meet the exception criteria documented in
33 ``Documentation/kbuild/kconfig-language.rst`` Menu attributes: default value.
34
352) All new ``Kconfig`` options have help text.
36
373) Has been carefully reviewed with respect to relevant ``Kconfig``
38 combinations. This is very hard to get right with testing---brainpower
39 pays off here.
40
41Provide documentation
42=====================
43
441) Include :ref:`kernel-doc <kernel_doc>` to document global kernel APIs.
45 (Not required for static functions, but OK there also.)
46
472) All new ``/proc`` entries are documented under ``Documentation/``
48
493) All new kernel boot parameters are documented in
50 ``Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst``.
51
524) All new module parameters are documented with ``MODULE_PARM_DESC()``
53
545) All new userspace interfaces are documented in ``Documentation/ABI/``.
55 See Documentation/admin-guide/abi.rst (or ``Documentation/ABI/README``)
56 for more information.
57 Patches that change userspace interfaces should be CCed to
58 linux-api@vger.kernel.org.
59
606) If any ioctl's are added by the patch, then also update
61 ``Documentation/userspace-api/ioctl/ioctl-number.rst``.
62
63Check your code with tools
64==========================
65
661) Check for trivial violations with the patch style checker prior to
67 submission (``scripts/checkpatch.pl``).
68 You should be able to justify all violations that remain in
69 your patch.
70
712) Check cleanly with sparse.
72
733) Use ``make checkstack`` and fix any problems that it finds.
74 Note that ``checkstack`` does not point out problems explicitly,
75 but any one function that uses more than 512 bytes on the stack is a
76 candidate for change.
77
78Build your code
79===============
80
811) Builds cleanly:
82
83 a) with applicable or modified ``CONFIG`` options ``=y``, ``=m``, and
84 ``=n``. No ``gcc`` warnings/errors, no linker warnings/errors.
85
86 b) Passes ``allnoconfig``, ``allmodconfig``
87
88 c) Builds successfully when using ``O=builddir``
89
90 d) Any Documentation/ changes build successfully without new warnings/errors.
91 Use ``make htmldocs`` or ``make pdfdocs`` to check the build and
92 fix any issues.
93
942) Builds on multiple CPU architectures by using local cross-compile tools
95 or some other build farm.
96 Note that testing against architectures of different word sizes
97 (32- and 64-bit) and different endianness (big- and little-) is effective
98 in catching various portability issues due to false assumptions on
99 representable quantity range, data alignment, or endianness, among
100 others.
101
1023) Newly-added code has been compiled with ``gcc -W`` (use
103 ``make KCFLAGS=-W``). This will generate lots of noise, but is good
104 for finding bugs like "warning: comparison between signed and unsigned".
105
1064) If your modified source code depends on or uses any of the kernel
107 APIs or features that are related to the following ``Kconfig`` symbols,
108 then test multiple builds with the related ``Kconfig`` symbols disabled
109 and/or ``=m`` (if that option is available) [not all of these at the
110 same time, just various/random combinations of them]:
111
112 ``CONFIG_SMP``, ``CONFIG_SYSFS``, ``CONFIG_PROC_FS``, ``CONFIG_INPUT``,
113 ``CONFIG_PCI``, ``CONFIG_BLOCK``, ``CONFIG_PM``, ``CONFIG_MAGIC_SYSRQ``,
114 ``CONFIG_NET``, ``CONFIG_INET=n`` (but latter with ``CONFIG_NET=y``).
115
116Test your code
117==============
118
1191) Has been tested with ``CONFIG_PREEMPT``, ``CONFIG_DEBUG_PREEMPT``,
120 ``CONFIG_SLUB_DEBUG``, ``CONFIG_DEBUG_PAGEALLOC``, ``CONFIG_DEBUG_MUTEXES``,
121 ``CONFIG_DEBUG_SPINLOCK``, ``CONFIG_DEBUG_ATOMIC_SLEEP``,
122 ``CONFIG_PROVE_RCU`` and ``CONFIG_DEBUG_OBJECTS_RCU_HEAD`` all
123 simultaneously enabled.
124
1252) Has been build- and runtime tested with and without ``CONFIG_SMP`` and
126 ``CONFIG_PREEMPT.``
127
1283) All codepaths have been exercised with all lockdep features enabled.
129
1304) Has been checked with injection of at least slab and page-allocation
131 failures. See ``Documentation/fault-injection/``.
132 If the new code is substantial, addition of subsystem-specific fault
133 injection might be appropriate.
134
1355) Tested with the most recent tag of linux-next to make sure that it still
136 works with all of the other queued patches and various changes in the VM,
137 VFS, and other subsystems.