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docs: reporting-issues.rst: duplicate sections for reviewing purposes
This duplicates two section to make the diff in the next patch a bit easier to gasp for humans. Straight copy, no content changes. Signed-off-by: Thorsten Leemhuis <[email protected]> Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/ef85edc8466f035eb243dd6629429ad4fd0565d8.1616181657.git.linux@leemhuis.info Signed-off-by: Jonathan Corbet <[email protected]>
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@@ -328,6 +328,66 @@ those often get rejected or ignored, so consider yourself warned. But it's still | |
better than not reporting the issue at all: sometimes such reports directly or | ||
indirectly will help to get the issue fixed over time. | ||
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Search for existing reports | ||
--------------------------- | ||
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*Search the archives of the bug tracker or mailing list in question | ||
thoroughly for reports that might match your issue. Also check if you find | ||
something with your favorite internet search engine or in the Linux Kernel | ||
Mailing List (LKML) archives. If you find anything, join the discussion | ||
instead of sending a new report.* | ||
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Reporting an issue that someone else already brought forward is often a waste | ||
of time for everyone involved, especially you as the reporter. So it's in your | ||
own interest to thoroughly check if somebody reported the issue already. Thus | ||
do not hurry with this step of the reporting process. Spending 30 to 60 minutes | ||
or even more time can save you and others quite a lot of time and trouble. | ||
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The best place to search is the bug tracker or the mailing list where your | ||
report needs to be filed. You'll find quite a few of those lists on | ||
`lore.kernel.org <https://lore.kernel.org/>`_, but some are hosted in | ||
different places. That for example is the case for the ath10k WiFi driver used | ||
as example in the previous step. But you'll often find the archives for these | ||
lists easily on the net. Searching for 'archive [email protected]' for | ||
example will quickly lead you to the `Info page for the ath10k mailing list | ||
<https://lists.infradead.org/mailman/listinfo/ath10k>`_, which at the top links | ||
to its `list archives <https://lists.infradead.org/pipermail/ath10k/>`_. | ||
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Sadly this and quite a few other lists miss a way to search the archives. In | ||
those cases use a regular internet search engine and add something like | ||
'site:lists.infradead.org/pipermail/ath10k/' to your search terms, which limits | ||
the results to the archives at that URL. | ||
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Additionally, search the internet and the `Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML) | ||
archives <https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/>`_, as maybe the real culprit might be | ||
in some other subsystem. Searching in `bugzilla.kernel.org | ||
<https://bugzilla.kernel.org/>`_ might also be a good idea, but if you find | ||
anything there keep in mind: most subsystems expect reports in different | ||
places, hence those you find there might have not even reached the people | ||
responsible for the subsystem in question. Nevertheless, the data there might | ||
provide valuable insights. | ||
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If you get flooded with results consider telling your search engine to limit | ||
search timeframe to the past month or year. And wherever you search, make sure | ||
to use good search terms; vary them a few times, too. While doing so try to | ||
look at the issue from the perspective of someone else: that will help you to | ||
come up with other words to use as search terms. Also make sure not to use too | ||
many search terms at once. Remember to search with and without information like | ||
the name of the kernel driver or the name of the affected hardware component. | ||
But its exact brand name (say 'ASUS Red Devil Radeon RX 5700 XT Gaming OC') | ||
often is not much helpful, as it is too specific. Instead try search terms like | ||
the model line (Radeon 5700 or Radeon 5000) and the code name of the main chip | ||
('Navi' or 'Navi10') with and without its manufacturer ('AMD'). | ||
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In case you find an existing report about your issue, join the discussion, as | ||
you might be able to provide valuable additional information. That can be | ||
important even when a fix is prepared or in its final stages already, as | ||
developers might look for people that can provide additional information or | ||
test a proposed fix. Jump to the section 'Duties after the report went out' for | ||
details on how to get properly involved. | ||
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Issue of high priority? | ||
----------------------- | ||
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@@ -1523,6 +1583,130 @@ was already fixed in the latest release of version line you're interested in. | |
This kernel needs to be vanilla and shouldn't be tainted before the issue | ||
happens, as detailed outlined already above in the process of testing mainline. | ||
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Check code history and search for existing discussions | ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | ||
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*Search the Linux kernel version control system for the change that fixed | ||
the issue in mainline, as its commit message might tell you if the fix is | ||
scheduled for backporting already. If you don't find anything that way, | ||
search the appropriate mailing lists for posts that discuss such an issue | ||
or peer-review possible fixes; then check the discussions if the fix was | ||
deemed unsuitable for backporting. If backporting was not considered at | ||
all, join the newest discussion, asking if it's in the cards.* | ||
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In a lot of cases the issue you deal with will have happened with mainline, but | ||
got fixed there. The commit that fixed it would need to get backported as well | ||
to get the issue solved. That's why you want to search for it or any | ||
discussions abound it. | ||
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* First try to find the fix in the Git repository that holds the Linux kernel | ||
sources. You can do this with the web interfaces `on kernel.org | ||
<https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/>`_ | ||
or its mirror `on GitHub <https://github.com/torvalds/linux>`_; if you have | ||
a local clone you alternatively can search on the command line with ``git | ||
log --grep=<pattern>``. | ||
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If you find the fix, look if the commit message near the end contains a | ||
'stable tag' that looks like this: | ||
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Cc: <[email protected]> # 5.4+ | ||
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If that's case the developer marked the fix safe for backporting to version | ||
line 5.4 and later. Most of the time it's getting applied there within two | ||
weeks, but sometimes it takes a bit longer. | ||
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* If the commit doesn't tell you anything or if you can't find the fix, look | ||
again for discussions about the issue. Search the net with your favorite | ||
internet search engine as well as the archives for the `Linux kernel | ||
developers mailing list <https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/>`_. Also read the | ||
section `Locate kernel area that causes the issue` above and follow the | ||
instructions to find the subsystem in question: its bug tracker or mailing | ||
list archive might have the answer you are looking for. | ||
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* If you see a proposed fix, search for it in the version control system as | ||
outlined above, as the commit might tell you if a backport can be expected. | ||
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* Check the discussions for any indicators the fix might be too risky to get | ||
backported to the version line you care about. If that's the case you have | ||
to live with the issue or switch to the kernel version line where the fix | ||
got applied. | ||
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* If the fix doesn't contain a stable tag and backporting was not discussed, | ||
join the discussion: mention the version where you face the issue and that | ||
you would like to see it fixed, if suitable. | ||
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Details about reporting issues only occurring in older kernel version lines | ||
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||
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This subsection provides details for steps you need to take if you could not | ||
reproduce your issue with a mainline kernel, but want to see it fixed in older | ||
version lines (aka stable and longterm kernels). | ||
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Some fixes are too complex | ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | ||
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*Prepare yourself for the possibility that going through the next few steps | ||
might not get the issue solved in older releases: the fix might be too big | ||
or risky to get backported there.* | ||
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Even small and seemingly obvious code-changes sometimes introduce new and | ||
totally unexpected problems. The maintainers of the stable and longterm kernels | ||
are very aware of that and thus only apply changes to these kernels that are | ||
within rules outlined in 'Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst'. | ||
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Complex or risky changes for example do not qualify and thus only get applied | ||
to mainline. Other fixes are easy to get backported to the newest stable and | ||
longterm kernels, but too risky to integrate into older ones. So be aware the | ||
fix you are hoping for might be one of those that won't be backported to the | ||
version line your care about. In that case you'll have no other choice then to | ||
live with the issue or switch to a newer Linux version, unless you want to | ||
patch the fix into your kernels yourself. | ||
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Make sure the particular version line still gets support | ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | ||
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*Check if the kernel developers still maintain the Linux kernel version | ||
line you care about: go to the front page of kernel.org and make sure it | ||
mentions the latest release of the particular version line without an | ||
'[EOL]' tag.* | ||
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Most kernel version lines only get supported for about three months, as | ||
maintaining them longer is quite a lot of work. Hence, only one per year is | ||
chosen and gets supported for at least two years (often six). That's why you | ||
need to check if the kernel developers still support the version line you care | ||
for. | ||
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Note, if kernel.org lists two 'stable' version lines on the front page, you | ||
should consider switching to the newer one and forget about the older one: | ||
support for it is likely to be abandoned soon. Then it will get a "end-of-life" | ||
(EOL) stamp. Version lines that reached that point still get mentioned on the | ||
kernel.org front page for a week or two, but are unsuitable for testing and | ||
reporting. | ||
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Search stable mailing list | ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | ||
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*Check the archives of the Linux stable mailing list for existing reports.* | ||
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Maybe the issue you face is already known and was fixed or is about to. Hence, | ||
`search the archives of the Linux stable mailing list | ||
<https://lore.kernel.org/stable/>`_ for reports about an issue like yours. If | ||
you find any matches, consider joining the discussion, unless the fix is | ||
already finished and scheduled to get applied soon. | ||
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Reproduce issue with the newest release | ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | ||
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*Install the latest release from the particular version line as a vanilla | ||
kernel. Ensure this kernel is not tainted and still shows the problem, as | ||
the issue might have already been fixed there.* | ||
|
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Before investing any more time in this process you want to check if the issue | ||
was already fixed in the latest release of version line you're interested in. | ||
This kernel needs to be vanilla and shouldn't be tainted before the issue | ||
happens, as detailed outlined already above in the process of testing mainline. | ||
|
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Check code history and search for existing discussions | ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | ||
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