[PATCH 3.19 163/177] stable_kernel_rules: reorganize and update submission options

Greg Kroah-Hartman
2015-03-16T14:19:30Z

From: Brian Norris <computersforpeace@gmail.com>

commit 5de61e7aa1ba9ac3c7edbea375da2bc8eb1a89ae upstream.

The current organization of Documentation/stable_kernel_rules.txt
doesn't clearly differentiate the mutually exclusive options for
submission to the -stable review process. As I understand it, patches
are not actually required to be mailed directly to
stable@vger.kernel.org, but the instructions do not make this clear.

Also, there are some established processes that are not listed --
specifically, what I call Option 2 below.

This patch updates and reorganizes a bit, to make things clearer.

Signed-off-by: Brian Norris <computersforpeace@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org>

---
Documentation/stable_kernel_rules.txt | 44 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++--------
1 file changed, 34 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)

--- a/Documentation/stable_kernel_rules.txt
+++ b/Documentation/stable_kernel_rules.txt
@@ -32,18 +32,42 @@ Procedure for submitting patches to the
- If the patch covers files in net/ or drivers/net please follow netdev stable
submission guidelines as described in
Documentation/networking/netdev-FAQ.txt
- - Send the patch, after verifying that it follows the above rules, to
- stable@vger.kernel.org. You must note the upstream commit ID in the
- changelog of your submission, as well as the kernel version you wish
- it to be applied to.
- - To have the patch automatically included in the stable tree, add the tag
+ - Security patches should not be handled (solely) by the -stable review
+ process but should follow the procedures in Documentation/SecurityBugs.
+
+For all other submissions, choose one of the following procedures:
+
+ --- Option 1 ---
+
+ To have the patch automatically included in the stable tree, add the tag
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
in the sign-off area. Once the patch is merged it will be applied to
the stable tree without anything else needing to be done by the author
or subsystem maintainer.
- - If the patch requires other patches as prerequisites which can be
- cherry-picked, then this can be specified in the following format in
- the sign-off area:
+
+ --- Option 2 ---
+
+ After the patch has been merged to Linus' tree, send an email to
+ stable@vger.kernel.org containing the subject of the patch, the commit ID,
+ why you think it should be applied, and what kernel version you wish it to
+ be applied to.
+
+ --- Option 3 ---
+
+ Send the patch, after verifying that it follows the above rules, to
+ stable@vger.kernel.org. You must note the upstream commit ID in the
+ changelog of your submission, as well as the kernel version you wish
+ it to be applied to.
+
+Option 1 is probably the easiest and most common. Options 2 and 3 are more
+useful if the patch isn't deemed worthy at the time it is applied to a public
+git tree (for instance, because it deserves more regression testing first).
+Option 3 is especially useful if the patch needs some special handling to apply
+to an older kernel (e.g., if API's have changed in the meantime).
+
+Additionally, some patches submitted via Option 1 may have additional patch
+prerequisites which can be cherry-picked. This can be specified in the following
+format in the sign-off area:

Cc: <stable@vger.kernel.org> # 3.3.x: a1f84a3: sched: Check for idle
Cc: <stable@vger.kernel.org> # 3.3.x: 1b9508f: sched: Rate-limit newidle
@@ -57,13 +81,13 @@ Procedure for submitting patches to the
git cherry-pick fd21073
git cherry-pick <this commit>

+Following the submission:
+
- The sender will receive an ACK when the patch has been accepted into the
queue, or a NAK if the patch is rejected. This response might take a few
days, according to the developer's schedules.
- If accepted, the patch will be added to the -stable queue, for review by
other developers and by the relevant subsystem maintainer.
- - Security patches should not be sent to this alias, but instead to the
- documented security@kernel.org address.