README

  1Linux kernel
  2============
  3
  4The Linux kernel is the core of any Linux operating system. It manages hardware,
  5system resources, and provides the fundamental services for all other software.
  6
  7Quick Start
  8-----------
  9
 10* Report a bug: See Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-issues.rst
 11* Get the latest kernel: https://kernel.org
 12* Build the kernel: See Documentation/admin-guide/quickly-build-trimmed-linux.rst
 13* Join the community: https://lore.kernel.org/
 14
 15Essential Documentation
 16-----------------------
 17
 18All users should be familiar with:
 19
 20* Building requirements: Documentation/process/changes.rst
 21* Code of Conduct: Documentation/process/code-of-conduct.rst
 22* License: See COPYING
 23
 24Documentation can be built with make htmldocs or viewed online at:
 25https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/
 26
 27
 28Who Are You?
 29============
 30
 31Find your role below:
 32
 33* New Kernel Developer - Getting started with kernel development
 34* Academic Researcher - Studying kernel internals and architecture
 35* Security Expert - Hardening and vulnerability analysis
 36* Backport/Maintenance Engineer - Maintaining stable kernels
 37* System Administrator - Configuring and troubleshooting
 38* Maintainer - Leading subsystems and reviewing patches
 39* Hardware Vendor - Writing drivers for new hardware
 40* Distribution Maintainer - Packaging kernels for distros
 41
 42
 43For Specific Users
 44==================
 45
 46New Kernel Developer
 47--------------------
 48
 49Welcome! Start your kernel development journey here:
 50
 51* Getting Started: Documentation/process/development-process.rst
 52* Your First Patch: Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst
 53* Coding Style: Documentation/process/coding-style.rst
 54* Build System: Documentation/kbuild/index.rst
 55* Development Tools: Documentation/dev-tools/index.rst
 56* Kernel Hacking Guide: Documentation/kernel-hacking/hacking.rst
 57* Core APIs: Documentation/core-api/index.rst
 58
 59Academic Researcher
 60-------------------
 61
 62Explore the kernel's architecture and internals:
 63
 64* Researcher Guidelines: Documentation/process/researcher-guidelines.rst
 65* Memory Management: Documentation/mm/index.rst
 66* Scheduler: Documentation/scheduler/index.rst
 67* Networking Stack: Documentation/networking/index.rst
 68* Filesystems: Documentation/filesystems/index.rst
 69* RCU (Read-Copy Update): Documentation/RCU/index.rst
 70* Locking Primitives: Documentation/locking/index.rst
 71* Power Management: Documentation/power/index.rst
 72
 73Security Expert
 74---------------
 75
 76Security documentation and hardening guides:
 77
 78* Security Documentation: Documentation/security/index.rst
 79* LSM Development: Documentation/security/lsm-development.rst
 80* Self Protection: Documentation/security/self-protection.rst
 81* Reporting Vulnerabilities: Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst
 82* CVE Procedures: Documentation/process/cve.rst
 83* Embargoed Hardware Issues: Documentation/process/embargoed-hardware-issues.rst
 84* Security Features: Documentation/userspace-api/seccomp_filter.rst
 85
 86Backport/Maintenance Engineer
 87-----------------------------
 88
 89Maintain and stabilize kernel versions:
 90
 91* Stable Kernel Rules: Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst
 92* Backporting Guide: Documentation/process/backporting.rst
 93* Applying Patches: Documentation/process/applying-patches.rst
 94* Subsystem Profile: Documentation/maintainer/maintainer-entry-profile.rst
 95* Git for Maintainers: Documentation/maintainer/configure-git.rst
 96
 97System Administrator
 98--------------------
 99
100Configure, tune, and troubleshoot Linux systems:
101
102* Admin Guide: Documentation/admin-guide/index.rst
103* Kernel Parameters: Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst
104* Sysctl Tuning: Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/index.rst
105* Tracing/Debugging: Documentation/trace/index.rst
106* Performance Security: Documentation/admin-guide/perf-security.rst
107* Hardware Monitoring: Documentation/hwmon/index.rst
108
109Maintainer
110----------
111
112Lead kernel subsystems and manage contributions:
113
114* Maintainer Handbook: Documentation/maintainer/index.rst
115* Pull Requests: Documentation/maintainer/pull-requests.rst
116* Managing Patches: Documentation/maintainer/modifying-patches.rst
117* Rebasing and Merging: Documentation/maintainer/rebasing-and-merging.rst
118* Development Process: Documentation/process/maintainer-handbooks.rst
119* Maintainer Entry Profile: Documentation/maintainer/maintainer-entry-profile.rst
120* Git Configuration: Documentation/maintainer/configure-git.rst
121
122Hardware Vendor
123---------------
124
125Write drivers and support new hardware:
126
127* Driver API Guide: Documentation/driver-api/index.rst
128* Driver Model: Documentation/driver-api/driver-model/driver.rst
129* Device Drivers: Documentation/driver-api/infrastructure.rst
130* Bus Types: Documentation/driver-api/driver-model/bus.rst
131* Device Tree Bindings: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/
132* Power Management: Documentation/driver-api/pm/index.rst
133* DMA API: Documentation/core-api/dma-api.rst
134
135Distribution Maintainer
136-----------------------
137
138Package and distribute the kernel:
139
140* Stable Kernel Rules: Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst
141* ABI Documentation: Documentation/ABI/README
142* Kernel Configuration: Documentation/kbuild/kconfig.rst
143* Module Signing: Documentation/admin-guide/module-signing.rst
144* Kernel Parameters: Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst
145* Tainted Kernels: Documentation/admin-guide/tainted-kernels.rst
146
147
148
149Communication and Support
150=========================
151
152* Mailing Lists: https://lore.kernel.org/
153* IRC: #kernelnewbies on irc.oftc.net
154* Bugzilla: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/
155* MAINTAINERS file: Lists subsystem maintainers and mailing lists
156* Email Clients: Documentation/process/email-clients.rst