Contributing to
Linux Kernel
Vaishali Thakkar
(https://vthakkar1994.wordpress.com/, @kernel_girl)
https://github.com/vthakkar1994/Linux-Kernel-Workshop
What you need
Git
Source-code of linux-next/staging-testing
Your favorite text-editor [Vim]
Mail transport client esmtp
Mail client mutt or git send-email for sending
patches
Instructions available at:
https://github.com/vthakkar1994/Linux-Kernel-Workshop
What we are going to cover
Work flow cycle of the Linux kernel
Linux kernel communication and coding style
Git basics
Understanding patch best practices with
generating and mailing first patch
What after sending first patch?
The process of the kernel hacking
is a
CYCLE
The creative cycle
Code your changes
The creative cycle
Code your changes
● Find a contribution to make
The creative cycle
Code your changes
● Find a contribution to make
● Read mailing list archives
The creative cycle
Code your changes
● Find a contribution to make
● Read mailing list archives
● Gain experience and ask questions
The creative cycle
Code your changes
Create and send in your patch
The creative cycle
Code your changes
Send in your patch
Gather feedback
● Testing results and the patch
The creative cycle
Code your changes
Send in your patch
Gather feedback
● Testing results and the patch
● Mentoring and guidance
The creative cycle
Code your changes
Send in your patch
Gather feedback
● Testing results and the patch
● Mentoring and guidance
● Discussion of strategies and suggestions
The creative cycle
Code your changes
Send in your patch
Gather feedback
Repeat
Communication style
Mailing lists – scripts/get_maintainer.pl
Communication style
Mailing lists – scripts/get_maintainer.pl
Responding to emails
● Consistent communictaion style
- Use factual, objective language
- Be considerate and polite
- People are busy, just be patient
Communication style
Mailing lists – scripts/get_maintainer.pl
Responding to emails
✔ Consistent communication style
● Respond inline – Say NO to top-posting
Subject: Design decisions for next release
On Fri, Sep 12, 2014 at 03:00:56PM -0700, Baz Quux wrote:
> On Fri, 12 September 2014 at 02:30:17PM -0700, Foo Bar wrote:
>
> I think we should do X.
I think we should do Y.
Kludge
Communication style
Mailing lists – scripts/get_maintainer.pl
Responding to emails
✔ Consistent communication style
✔ Respond inline
● Make sure to use one of the standard email clients
listed in Documentation/email-clients.txt.
1. Mutt
- sudo apt-get install mutt
2. git send-email
- sudo apt-get install git-email
3. Thunder bird
Communication style
Mailing lists – scripts/get_maintainer.pl
Responding to emails
✔ Consistent communication style
✔ Respond inline
✔ Use standard email clients
- Do NOT use the gmail web interface
WHY: It line-wraps the mail
Communication style
Mailing lists – scripts/get_maintainer.pl
Responding to emails
✔ Consistent communication style
✔ Respond inline
✔ Use standard email clients
✗ Do NOT use the gmail web interface
- DO NOT use outlook
WHY: It mangles patches (turns tabs into spaces).
Communication style
Mailing lists – scripts/get_maintainer.pl
Responding to emails
✔ Consistent communication style
✔ Respond inline
✔ Use standard email clients
✗ Do NOT use the gmail web interface
✗ DO NOT use outlook
✗ Don't include quotes in your signature
Communication style
Mailing lists – scripts/get_maintainer.pl
Responding to emails
Avoid sending private mails
- Likely to be missed
- Not encouraged by developers/maintainers
Communication style
Mailing lists – scripts/get_maintainer.pl
Responding to emails
Avoid sending private mails
Internet Relay Chat [IRC]
● Looks like multi-way text messaging
● Use a dedicated client [not a web client]
● Connect to a network
● Once on a network, join a channel
Communication style
Mailing lists – scripts/get_maintainer.pl
Responding to emails
Avoid sending private mails
IRC Ettiquetts
● NEVER SHOUT! Using all capital letters is the same as
screaming
Communication style
Mailing lists – scripts/get_maintainer.pl
Responding to emails
Avoid sending private mails
IRC Ettiquetts
✗ NEVER SHOUT! Using all capital letters is the same as
screaming
●Be considerate. When you are asking for help, being
rude or pushy will rarely get you an answer to your
question.
Communication style
Mailing lists – scripts/get_maintainer.pl
Responding to emails
Avoid sending private mails
IRC Ettiquetts
✗ NEVER SHOUT! Using all capital letters is the same as
screaming
✔ Be considerate. When you are asking for help, being
rude or pushy will rarely get you an answer to your
question.
✔ Be patient.
Communication style
Mailing lists – scripts/get_maintainer.pl
Responding to emails
Avoid sending private mails
IRC Ettiquetts
Remember, anything you post on the internet is
there FOREVER.
Coding Style
Documentation/codingstyle
Coding Style
Documentation/codingstyle
Use Tabs
Coding Style
Documentation/codingstyle
Use Tabs
All tabs are 8 characters
- 'set tabstop=8'
Coding Style
Documentation/codingstyle
Use Tabs
All tabs are 8 characters
80 character line limit
Coding Style
Documentation/codingstyle
Use Tabs
All tabs are 8 characters
80 character line limit
Run scripts/checkpatch.pl [and
cleanpatch] before sending any patch
Open source
Created by Linus in 2005 to work on Linux kernel
Fastest version control system
Installation: 'sudo apt-get install git'
Setting up .gitconfig
Basic commands
● Git clone
git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/gregkh/staging.git
● Git branch
git checkout -b first-patch [creating new branch]
● Git status
Patch
fcoe: Convert use of __constant_htons to htons
In little endian cases, the macro htons unfolds to __swab16 which provides special case for constants. In
big endian cases, __constant_htons and htons expand directly to the same expression. So, replace
__constant_htons with htons with the goal of getting rid of the definition of __constant_htons completely.
Signed-off-by: Vaishali Thakkar <[email protected] >
Acked-by: Vasu Dev <
[email protected]>
Signed-off-by: Mark Brown <
[email protected]>
diff --git a/drivers/scsi/fcoe/fcoe.c b/drivers/scsi/fcoe/fcoe.c
index ec193a8..d3eb80c 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/fcoe/fcoe.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/fcoe/fcoe.c
@@ -364,7 +364,7 @@ static int fcoe_interface_setup(struct fcoe_interface *fcoe,
* on the ethertype for the given device
*/
fcoe->fcoe_packet_type.func = fcoe_rcv;
- fcoe->fcoe_packet_type.type = __constant_htons(ETH_P_FCOE);
+ fcoe->fcoe_packet_type.type = htons(ETH_P_FCOE);
fcoe->fcoe_packet_type.dev = netdev;
Developer's certificate of origin
By making a contribution to this project, I certify that:
(a) The contribution was created in whole or in part by me and I have the right to
submit it under the open source license indicated in the file; or
(b) The contribution is based upon previous work that, to the best of my knowledge,
is covered under an appropriate open source license and I have the right under
that license to submit that work with modifications, whether created in whole or in
part by me, under the same open source license (unless I am permitted to
submit under a different license), as indicated in the file; or
(c) The contribution was provided directly to me by some other person who certified
(a), (b) or and I have not modified it.
(d) I understand and agree that this project and the contribution are public and that a
record of the contribution (including all personal information I submit with it,
including my sign-off) is maintained indefinitely and may be redistributed
consistent with this project or the open source license(s) involved.
Creating and emailing first patch
Run scripts/checkpatch.pl
scripts/checkpatch.pl –file –terse directory/file.c
Creating and emailing first patch
Run scripts/checkpatch.pl
Pick one warning and change the code
Creating and emailing first patch
Run scripts/checkpatch.pl
Pick one warning and change the code
Compile the change
- make directory/file.o
Creating and emailing first patch
Run scripts/checkpatch.pl
Pick one warning and change the code
Compile the change
Create the patch
● git add directory/file.c
Creating and emailing first patch
Run scripts/checkpatch.pl
Pick one warning and change the code
Compile the change
Create the patch
✔ git add directory/file.c
● git commit -s -v
- Adds signed-off by line and shows the diff
you are committing
Creating and emailing first patch
Run scripts/checkpatch.pl
Pick one warning and change the code
Compile the change
Create the patch
✔ git add directory/file.c
✔ git commit -s -v
● git format-patch -o /tmp/ HEAD^
- -o flag specifies where to put the patch
Creating and emailing first patch
Run scripts/checkpatch.pl
Pick one warning and change the code
Compile the change
Create the patch
✔ git add directory/file.c
✔ git commit -s -v
✔ git format-patch -o /tmp/ HEAD^
● Getting the list of maintainers
- scripts/get_maintainer.pl /tmp/xxx.patch
Creating and emailing first patch
Run scripts/checkpatch.pl
Pick one warning and change the code
Compile the change
Create the patch
✔ git add directory/file.c
✔ git commit -s -v
✔ git format-patch -o /tmp/ HEAD^
✔ Getting the list of maintainers
● Sending your patch with git send-email or mutt
- git send-email /tmp/xxx.patch | mutt -H
/tmp/xxx.patch
Creating and emailing first patch
Run scripts/checkpatch.pl
Pick one warning and change the code
Compile the change
Create the patch
✔ git add directory/file.c
✔ git commit -s -v
✔ git format-patch -o /tmp/ HEAD^
✔ Getting the list of maintainers
✔ Sending your patch with mutt or git send-email
What after sending first patch?
Repeat the work-flow cycle
Use bug finding tools [sparse, smatch,
coccinelle etc]
Work on API functions
Work on easy to fix issues of y2038 problem,
devm functions etc
Work on drivers or topics of your interest in the
linux-kernel
Overview of common bug finding tools
Sparse:
● Sparse is a tool for static code analysis that helps
kernel developers to detect coding errors.
● Installation: sudo apt-get install sparse [from package
manager]
● Use: make C=2 drivers/staging/wlan-ng/
● Dedicated mailing list - YES
● Resources:
- Documentation/sparse.txt
- https://sparse.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Main_Page
- http://kernelnewbies.org/Sparse
Overview of common bug finding tools
Smatch:
● Smatch is a C static analysis tool with the lots of
kernel specific checks
● The core part of Smatch is a flow analysis engine.
● Developed by Dan Carpenter
● Dedicated mailing list – YES
● Resources:
- Oracle mainline kernel blog
- http://smatch.sourceforge.net/
Overview of common bug finding tools
Coccinelle:
● Program matching and transformation tool for the C code
● Provides the language Semantic patch language [SmPL] for
specifiying desired matches and transformation
● Initially targeted towards performing collateral evolutions
● Beyound collateral evolutions, successfully used for bug finding
and fixing in the Linux kernel
● Dedicated mailing list and IRC channel - YES
● Resources:
- http://coccinelle.lip6.fr/
- https://github.com/coccinelle
- Conference talks by Julia Lawall and other kernel developers
- Research papers by INRIA researchers
Overview of common bug finding tools
Trinity
● A Linux system call fuzz tester
● Used by kernel developers to find the bugs
● Developed by Dave Jones
● Dedicated mailing list - YES
● Resources:
- http://codemonkey.org.uk/projects/trinity/
- https://github.com/kernelslacker/trinity
- LWN articles
- Conference talks by Dave Jones
Some other bug finding tools
Flowfinder: A simple program that examines
C/C++ source code and reports
possible security weaknesses
(“flaws”) sorted by risk level
Pahole: Shows and manipulates data structure
layout
Parfait: A static bug checking tool for the C and
C++ code
Questions
Welcome to the Linux
Kernel community
