Thank you! I agree that having a link off of kernel.org makes sense. Richard
On 8/2/05, Jesper Juhl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi, > > How to apply the -rc, -git, -mm and the 2.6.x.y (-stable) patches is a quite > frequently asked question on LKML and elsewhere. > Since so many people seem to be confused by this I gathered it ought to be > properly documented once and for all so we a) get more people testing those > trees and b) get asked this question less often. > So, I sat down and wrote such a document. > > Below is a patch to add a new file "applying-patches.txt" to Documentation/ > This document describes each of the trees and gives examples on how to apply > the various patches. > > Looking forward to your feedback (and possible inclusion). > > I guess this document could also be placed somewhere on kernel.org and linked > to from the front page so that people downloading the various patches will > have this information available at their fingertips. > > > Signed-off-by: Jesper Juhl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > --- > > Documentation/applying-patches.txt | 221 > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > 1 files changed, 221 insertions(+) > > diff -uP linux-2.6.13-rc5-orig/Documentation/applying-patches.txt > linux-2.6.13-rc5/Documentation/applying-patches.txt > --- linux-2.6.13-rc5-orig/Documentation/applying-patches.txt 1970-01-01 > 01:00:00.000000000 +0100 > +++ linux-2.6.13-rc5/Documentation/applying-patches.txt 2005-08-02 > 23:17:13.000000000 +0200 > @@ -0,0 +1,221 @@ > + > + Applying Patches To The Linux Kernel > + ------------------------------------ > + > + (Written by Jesper Juhl, August 2005) > + > + > +A frequently asked question on the Linux Kernel Mailing List is how to apply > +a patch to the kernel or, more specifically, what base kernel a patch for > +one of the many trees/branches should be applied to. Hopefully this document > +will explain this to you. > + > + > +What is a patch? > +--- > + A patch is a small text document containing a delta of changes between two > +different versions of a source tree. Patches are created with the `diff' > +program. > +To correctly apply a patch you need to know what base it was generated from > +and what new version the patch will change the source tree into. > + > + > +How do I apply a patch? > +--- > + You apply a patch with the `patch' program. The patch program reads a diff > +(or patch) file and makes the changes to the source tree described in it. > +Patches for the Linux kernel are generated releative to the parent directory > +holding the kernel source dir. This means that paths to files inside the > +patch file contain the name of the kernel source dirs it was generated > +against - since this is unlikely to match the name of the kernel source dir > +on your local machine (but is often useful info to see what version an > +otherwise unlabeled patch was generated against) you should change into your > +kernel source directory and then strip the first element of the path from > +filenames in the patch file when applying it (the -p1 argument to `patch' > +does this). To revert a previously applied patch, use the -R argument to > +patch. > + > + > +Where can I download the patches? > +--- > +The patches are available at http://kernel.org/ > +Most recent patches are linked from the front page, but they also have > +specific homes. > +The 2.6.x.y (-stable) and 2.6.x patches live at > + ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ > +The -rc patches live at > + ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/testing/ > +The -git patches live at > + ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/snapshots/ > +The -mm kernels live at > +ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/people/akpm/patches/2.6/ > + > + > +The 2.6.x kernels > +--- > + These are the base stable releases released by Linus. The highest numbered > +release is the most recent. If regressions or other serious flaws are found > +then a -stable fix patch will be released (see below) on to of this base. > +Once a new 2.6.x base kernel is released, a patch is made available that is > +a delta between the previous 2.6.x kernel and the new one. > +To apply a patch moving from 2.6.11 to 2.6.12 you'd do the following (note > +that such patches do *NOT* apply on top of 2.6.x.y kernels but on top of the > +base 2.6.x kernel - if you need to move from 2.6.x.y to 2.6.x+1 you need to > +first revert the 2.6.x.y patch). > + > +# moving from 2.6.11 to 2.6.12 > +$ cd ~/linux-2.6.11 # change to kernel source dir > +$ patch -p1 < ../patch-2.6.12 # apply the 2.6.12 patch > +$ cd .. > +$ mv linux-2.6.11 linux-2.6.12 # rename source dir > + > +# moving from 2.6.11.1 to 2.6.12 > +$ cd ~/linux-2.6.11.1 # change to kernel source dir > +$ patch -p1 -R < ../patch-2.6.11.1 # revert the 2.6.11.1 patch > + # source dir is now 2.6.11 > +$ patch -p1 < ../patch-2.6.12 # apply new 2.6.12 patch > +$ cd .. > +$ mv linux-2.6.11.1 inux-2.6.12 # rename source dir > + > + > +The 2.6.x.y kernels > +--- > + Kernels with 4 digit versions are -stable kernels. They contain small(ish) > +critical fixes for security problems or significant regressions discovered > +in a given 2.6.x kernel. This is the recommended branch for users who want > +the most recent stable kernel and are not interrested in helping test > +development/experimental versions. If no 2.6.x.y kernel is available, then > +the highest numbered 2.6.x kernel is the current stable kernel. > +These patches are not incremental, meaning that for example the 2.6.12.3 > +patch does not apply on top of the 2.6.12.2 kernel source, but rather on top > +of the base 2.6.12 kernel source. > +So, in order to apply the 2.6.12.3 patch to your existing 2.6.12.2 kernel > +source you have to first back out the 2.6.12.2 patch (so you are left with a > +base 2.6.12 kernel source) and then apply the new 2.6.12.3 patch. > +Here's a small example > + > +$ cd ~/linux-2.6.12.2 # change into the kernel source dir > +$ patch -p1 -R < ../patch-2.6.12.2 # revert the 2.6.12.2 patch > +$ patch -p1 < ../patch-2.6.12.3 # apply the new 2.6.12.3 patch > +$ cd .. > +$ mv linux-2.6.12.2 linux-2.6.12.3 # rename the kernel source dir > + > + > +The -rc kernels > +--- > + These are ReleaseCandidate kernels. These are development kernels released > +by Linus whenever he deems the current git (the kernels source management > +tool) tree to be in a resonably sane state adequate for testing. These > +kernels are not stable and you should expect occasional breakage if you > +intend to run them. This is however the most stable of the main development > +branches and is also what will eventually turn into the next stable kernel, > +so it is important that it be tested by as many people as possible. > +This is a good branch to run for people who want to help out testing > +development kernel but do not want to run some of the really experimental > +stuff (such people should see the sections about -git and -mm kernels below). > +The -rc patches are not incremental, they apply to a base 2.6.x kernel, just > +like the 2.6.x.y patches described above. The kernel version before the -rcN > +suffix denotes the version of the kernel that this -rc kernel will eventually > +turn into. So, 2.6.13-rc5 means that this is the fifth release candidate for > +the 2.6.13 kernel and the patch should be applied on top of the 2.6.12 > +kernel source. > +Here are 3 examples of how to apply these patches > + > +# first an example of moving from 2.6.12 to 2.6.13-rc3 > +$ cd ~/linux-2.6.12 # change into the 2.6.12 source dir > +$ patch -p1 < ../patch-2.6.13-rc3 # apply the 2.6.13-rc3 patch > +$ cd .. > +$ mv linux-2.6.12 linux-2.6.13-rc3 # rename the source dir > + > +# now let's move from 2.6.13-rc3 to 2.6.13-rc5 > +$ cd ~/linux-2.6.13-rc3 # change into the 2.6.13-rc3 > dir > +$ patch -p1 -R < ../patch-2.6.13-rc3 # revert the 2.6.13-rc3 patch > +$ patch -p1 < ../patch-2.6.13-rc5 # apply the new 2.6.13-rc5 patch > +$ cd .. > +$ mv linux-2.6.13-rc3 linux-2.6.13-rc5 # rename the source dir > + > +# finally let's try and move from 2.6.12.3 to 2.6.13-rc5 > +$ cd ~/linux-2.6.12.3 # change to the kernel source dir > +$ patch -p1 -R < ../patch-2.6.12.3 # revert the 2.6.12.3 patch > +$ patch -p1 < ../patch-2.6.13-rc5 # apply new 2.6.13-rc5 patch > +$ cd .. > +$ mv linux-2.6.12.3 linux-2.6.13-rc5 # rename the kernel source dir > + > + > +The -git kernels > +--- > + These are daily snapshots of Linus' kernel tree (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 and have not been looked over and deemed worthy of > +-rc status yet. -git patches are not incremental and apply either to a base > +2.6.x kernel or a base 2.6.x-rc kernel - you can see which from their name, > +a patch named 2.6.12-git1 applies to the 2.6.12 kernel source and a patch > +named 2.6.13-rc3-git2 applies to the source of the 2.6.13-rc3 kernel. > +Here are some examples of how to apply these patches > + > +# moving from 2.6.12 to 2.6.12-git1 > +$ cd ~/linux-2.6.12 # change to the kernel source dir > +$ patch -p1 < ../patch-2.6.12-git1 # apply the 2.6.12-git1 patch > +$ cd .. > +$ mv linux-2.6.12 linux-2.6.12-git1 # rename the kernel source dir > + > +# moving from 2.6.12-git1 to 2.6.13-rc2-git3 > +$ cd ~/linux-2.6.12-git1 # change to the kernel source dir > +$ patch -p1 -R < ../patch-2.6.12-git1 # revert the 2.6.12-git1 patch > + # we now have a 2.6.12 kernel > +$ patch -p1 < ../patch-2.6.13-rc2 # apply the 2.6.13-rc2 patch > + # the kernel is now 2.6.13-rc2 > +$ patch -p1 < ../patch-2.6.13-rc2-git3 # apply the 2.6.13-rc2-git3 patch > + # the kernel is now 2.6.13-rc2-git3 > +$ cd .. > +$ mv linux-2.6.12-git1 linux-2.6.13-rc2-git3 # rename source dir > + > + > +The -mm kernels > +--- > + These are experimental kernels released by Andrew Morton. The -mm tree > +serves as a sort of proving ground for new features and other experimental > +patches. Once a patch has proved its worth in -mm for a while Andrew pushes > +it on to Linus for inclusion in mainline. This branch is in constant flux > +and contains many experimental features, a lot of debugging patches not > +appropriate for mainline etc and is the most experimental of the branches > +described in this document. These kernels are not appropriate for use on > +systems that are supposed to be stable and they a more risky to run than any > +of the other branches (make sure you have up-to-date backups - that goes for > +any experimental kernel but even more so for -mm kernels). These kernels in > +addition to all the other experimental patches they contain usually also > +contain any changes in the mainline -git kernels available at the time of > +release. > +Testing of -mm kernels is greatly appreciated since the whole point of the > +tree is to weed out regressions, crashes, data corruption bugs, build > +breakage (and any other bug in general) before changes are merged into the > +more stable mainline Linus tree. But testers of -mm should be aware that > +breakage in this tree is more common than in any other tree. > +The -mm kernels are not released on a fixed schedule, but usually a few -mm > +kernels are released in between each -rc kernel (1 to 3 is common). > +The mm kernels apply to either a base 2.6.x kernel (when no -rc kernels have > +been released yet) or to a Linus -rc kernel. > +Here are some examples of applying the -mm patches > + > +# moving from 2.6.12 to 2.6.12-mm1 > +$ cd ~/linux-2.6.12 # change to the 2.6.12 source dir > +$ patch -p1 < ../2.6.12-mm1 # apply the 2.6.12-mm1 patch > +$ cd .. > +$ mv linux-2.6.12 linux-2.6.12-mm1 # rename the source appropriately > + > +# moving from 2.6.12-mm1 to 2.6.13-rc3-mm3 > +$ cd ~/linux-2.6.12-mm1 > +$ patch -p1 -R < ../2.6.12-mm1 # revert the 2.6.12-mm1 patch > + # we now have a 2.6.12 source > +$ patch -p1 < ../patch-2.6.13-rc3 # apply the 2.6.13-rc3 patch > + # we now have a 2.6.13-rc3 source > +$ patch -p1 < ../2.6.13-rc3-mm3 # apply the 2.6.13-rc3-mm3 > patch > +$ cd .. > +$ mv linux-2.6.12-mm1 linux-2.6.13-rc3-mm3 # rename the source dir > + > + > +This concludes this list of explanations of the various kernel trees and I > +hope you are now crystal clear on how to apply the various patches and help > +testing the kernel. > > > - > To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in > the body of a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html > Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/ > - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
