[SOLVED] Which bleeding-edge kernel source to use for kernel testing/debugging?

GrapefruiTgirl · 09-22-2009, 07:12 PM

I would like to know what kernel source I should be using, if I wish to do testing, contribute bug reports or give other feedback, etc.

Usually I'd probably download an RC kernel -- that makes sense -- however since 2.6.31 has been released stable, all the RC kernels that I can find via kernel.org are 2.6.31-RC kernels. There do not yet seem to exist 2.6.32-RC kernels in the pre-release or testing folders on the server.

So, I am currently cloning Linus' GIT kernel tree, which I presume is the very latest of all.

Is this right? Is there another location I haven't found, from where I should be getting a more appropriate kernel source for testing?

Sasha

cladisch · 09-23-2009, 10:56 AM

Quote:

I would like to know what kernel source I should be using, if I wish to do testing, contribute bug reports or give other feedback, etc.

Generally speaking, the source that the developers receiving your bug reports use.
Most maintainers have their own git trees with their own changes on top of Linus' tree, so the latter is the one you should generally use for testing.

The rc snapshots are a service for people not using git.

If you want to live dangerously, try the linux-next git tree.

Quote:

There do not yet seem to exist 2.6.32-RC kernels

In the two-week merge window after the release things change so much that it wouldn't make sense to pick a particular revision for testing.
The -rc1 kernel would be the starting point for testing for the next kernel release.

GrapefruiTgirl · 09-23-2009, 11:30 AM

cladisch, thank you so much for your reply. It's exactly what I wanted; however I am going to ask for a tiny bit of clarification:

Quote:

Originally Posted by cladisch

Generally speaking, the source that the developers receiving your bug reports use.
Most maintainers have their own git trees with their own changes on top of Linus' tree, so the latter is the one you should generally use for testing.

(1) So, the latter, meaning I should be using the Linus-GIT tree for testing?
(2) And if so, then, obviously (I think) one would not send a bug report directly to Linus, just because one were running his GIT kernel; one would send a bug report to the maintainer of the particular subsystem with the bug, right?

Quote:

The rc snapshots are a service for people not using git.

Ok, thanks for that bit.

Quote:

If you want to live dangerously, try the linux-next git tree.

(3) Yes

I think that's the one I would like to try. Now, on the kernel.org -> git reporitory, I saw hundreds of kernel trees. Is the linux-next kernel in there somewhere? I'll be looking myself anyway, but if there's a "best" place to get the linux-next kernel, I'd be happy if you'd tell me where.

EDIT: I may have found it. Would you kindly look at here: http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kern...fr/linux-next/ and verify for me, if these:

Code:

patch-v2.6.31-next-20090923.bz2          23-Sep-2009 07:21  9.7M  
patch-v2.6.31-next-20090923.bz2.sign     23-Sep-2009 07:21  248   
patch-v2.6.31-next-20090923.gz           23-Sep-2009 07:21   12M  
patch-v2.6.31-next-20090923.gz.sign      23-Sep-2009 07:21  248   
patch-v2.6.31-next-20090923.sign         23-Sep-2009 07:21  248

.. look like the linux-next kernel? And so, these are patches against the official release of 2.6.31-stable, working towards 2.6.32?

EDIT 2 Here's the explanation of linux-next: http://linux.f-seidel.de/linux-next/...t.ShortSummary and includes the URLs for gitting it.

Quote:

In the two-week merge window after the release things change so much that it wouldn't make sense to pick a particular revision for testing.
The -rc1 kernel would be the starting point for testing for the next kernel release.

(4) wrt the -rc1 kernel, do you mean 2.6.32-rc1 when it appears?

Thanks again,

Sasha

cladisch · 09-24-2009, 01:33 AM

Quote:

So, the latter, meaning I should be using the Linus-GIT tree for testing?

Yes.

Quote:

And if so, then, obviously (I think) one would not send a bug report directly to Linus, just because one were running his GIT kernel; one would send a bug report to the maintainer of the particular subsystem with the bug, right?

Yes, with CC to some appropriate mailing list (linux-kernel or some subsystem-specific list); see the file MAINTAINERS at the top of the kernel source.

There is also a bugtracker, but this is used for bugs in released kernels.

Quote:

If you want to live dangerously, try the linux-next git tree.

Yes I think that's the one I would like to try.

"Dangerous" means that this tree is generated automatically, that it does not compile sometimes, often crashes, and sometimes corrupts your data.

Quote:

Now, on the kernel.org -> git reporitory, I saw hundreds of kernel trees. Is the linux-next kernel in there somewhere?

It's maintained by Stephen Rothwell ("sfr" or "next"):
git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/next/linux-next.git

Quote:

I may have found it. Would you kindly look at here: http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kern...fr/linux-next/ and verify for me, if these:

Code:

patch-v2.6.31-next-20090923.bz2
...

.. look like the linux-next kernel? And so, these are patches against the official release of 2.6.31-stable, working towards 2.6.32?

They are against the 2.6.31 (not -stable) kernel.
Using git instead of downloading patches might save bandwidth.

The -next tree does not work towards 2.6.32 (Linus' tree does) but contains patches that might be integrated directly after 2.6.32 is released, or into some future kernel, or not at all.

Quote:

wrt the -rc1 kernel, do you mean 2.6.32-rc1 when it appears?

Yes, but the same applies to 2.6.33-rc1 and so on.

GrapefruiTgirl · 09-24-2009, 08:11 AM

Thank you for the information & clarification, cladisch.

Sasha