^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 1) .. _reportingbugs:
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 2)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 3) Reporting bugs
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 4) ++++++++++++++
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 5)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 6) Background
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 7) ==========
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 8)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 9) The upstream Linux kernel maintainers only fix bugs for specific kernel
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 10) versions. Those versions include the current "release candidate" (or -rc)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 11) kernel, any "stable" kernel versions, and any "long term" kernels.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 12)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 13) Please see https://www.kernel.org/ for a list of supported kernels. Any
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 14) kernel marked with [EOL] is "end of life" and will not have any fixes
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 15) backported to it.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 16)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 17) If you've found a bug on a kernel version that isn't listed on kernel.org,
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 18) contact your Linux distribution or embedded vendor for support.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 19) Alternatively, you can attempt to run one of the supported stable or -rc
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 20) kernels, and see if you can reproduce the bug on that. It's preferable
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 21) to reproduce the bug on the latest -rc kernel.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 22)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 23)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 24) How to report Linux kernel bugs
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 25) ===============================
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 26)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 27)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 28) Identify the problematic subsystem
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 29) ----------------------------------
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 30)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 31) Identifying which part of the Linux kernel might be causing your issue
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 32) increases your chances of getting your bug fixed. Simply posting to the
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 33) generic linux-kernel mailing list (LKML) may cause your bug report to be
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 34) lost in the noise of a mailing list that gets 1000+ emails a day.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 35)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 36) Instead, try to figure out which kernel subsystem is causing the issue,
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 37) and email that subsystem's maintainer and mailing list. If the subsystem
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 38) maintainer doesn't answer, then expand your scope to mailing lists like
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 39) LKML.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 40)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 41)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 42) Identify who to notify
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 43) ----------------------
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 44)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 45) Once you know the subsystem that is causing the issue, you should send a
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 46) bug report. Some maintainers prefer bugs to be reported via bugzilla
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 47) (https://bugzilla.kernel.org), while others prefer that bugs be reported
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 48) via the subsystem mailing list.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 49)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 50) To find out where to send an emailed bug report, find your subsystem or
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 51) device driver in the MAINTAINERS file. Search in the file for relevant
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 52) entries, and send your bug report to the person(s) listed in the "M:"
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 53) lines, making sure to Cc the mailing list(s) in the "L:" lines. When the
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 54) maintainer replies to you, make sure to 'Reply-all' in order to keep the
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 55) public mailing list(s) in the email thread.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 56)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 57) If you know which driver is causing issues, you can pass one of the driver
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 58) files to the get_maintainer.pl script::
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 59)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 60) perl scripts/get_maintainer.pl -f <filename>
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 61)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 62) If it is a security bug, please copy the Security Contact listed in the
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 63) MAINTAINERS file. They can help coordinate bugfix and disclosure. See
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 64) :ref:`Documentation/admin-guide/security-bugs.rst <securitybugs>` for more information.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 65)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 66) If you can't figure out which subsystem caused the issue, you should file
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 67) a bug in kernel.org bugzilla and send email to
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 68) linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, referencing the bugzilla URL. (For more
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 69) information on the linux-kernel mailing list see
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 70) http://vger.kernel.org/lkml/).
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 71)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 72)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 73) Tips for reporting bugs
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 74) -----------------------
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 75)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 76) If you haven't reported a bug before, please read:
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 77)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 78) https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 79)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 80) http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 81)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 82) It's REALLY important to report bugs that seem unrelated as separate email
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 83) threads or separate bugzilla entries. If you report several unrelated
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 84) bugs at once, it's difficult for maintainers to tease apart the relevant
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 85) data.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 86)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 87)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 88) Gather information
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 89) ------------------
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 90)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 91) The most important information in a bug report is how to reproduce the
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 92) bug. This includes system information, and (most importantly)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 93) step-by-step instructions for how a user can trigger the bug.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 94)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 95) If the failure includes an "OOPS:", take a picture of the screen, capture
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 96) a netconsole trace, or type the message from your screen into the bug
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 97) report. Please read "Documentation/admin-guide/bug-hunting.rst" before posting your
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 98) bug report. This explains what you should do with the "Oops" information
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 99) to make it useful to the recipient.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 100)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 101) This is a suggested format for a bug report sent via email or bugzilla.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 102) Having a standardized bug report form makes it easier for you not to
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 103) overlook things, and easier for the developers to find the pieces of
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 104) information they're really interested in. If some information is not
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 105) relevant to your bug, feel free to exclude it.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 106)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 107) First run the ver_linux script included as scripts/ver_linux, which
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 108) reports the version of some important subsystems. Run this script with
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 109) the command ``awk -f scripts/ver_linux``.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 110)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 111) Use that information to fill in all fields of the bug report form, and
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 112) post it to the mailing list with a subject of "PROBLEM: <one line
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 113) summary from [1.]>" for easy identification by the developers::
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 114)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 115) [1.] One line summary of the problem:
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 116) [2.] Full description of the problem/report:
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 117) [3.] Keywords (i.e., modules, networking, kernel):
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 118) [4.] Kernel information
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 119) [4.1.] Kernel version (from /proc/version):
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 120) [4.2.] Kernel .config file:
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 121) [5.] Most recent kernel version which did not have the bug:
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 122) [6.] Output of Oops.. message (if applicable) with symbolic information
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 123) resolved (see Documentation/admin-guide/bug-hunting.rst)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 124) [7.] A small shell script or example program which triggers the
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 125) problem (if possible)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 126) [8.] Environment
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 127) [8.1.] Software (add the output of the ver_linux script here)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 128) [8.2.] Processor information (from /proc/cpuinfo):
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 129) [8.3.] Module information (from /proc/modules):
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 130) [8.4.] Loaded driver and hardware information (/proc/ioports, /proc/iomem)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 131) [8.5.] PCI information ('lspci -vvv' as root)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 132) [8.6.] SCSI information (from /proc/scsi/scsi)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 133) [8.7.] Other information that might be relevant to the problem
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 134) (please look in /proc and include all information that you
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 135) think to be relevant):
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 136) [X.] Other notes, patches, fixes, workarounds:
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 137)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 138)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 139) Follow up
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 140) =========
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 141)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 142) Expectations for bug reporters
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 143) ------------------------------
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 144)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 145) Linux kernel maintainers expect bug reporters to be able to follow up on
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 146) bug reports. That may include running new tests, applying patches,
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 147) recompiling your kernel, and/or re-triggering your bug. The most
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 148) frustrating thing for maintainers is for someone to report a bug, and then
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 149) never follow up on a request to try out a fix.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 150)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 151) That said, it's still useful for a kernel maintainer to know a bug exists
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 152) on a supported kernel, even if you can't follow up with retests. Follow
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 153) up reports, such as replying to the email thread with "I tried the latest
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 154) kernel and I can't reproduce my bug anymore" are also helpful, because
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 155) maintainers have to assume silence means things are still broken.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 156)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 157) Expectations for kernel maintainers
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 158) -----------------------------------
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 159)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 160) Linux kernel maintainers are busy, overworked human beings. Some times
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 161) they may not be able to address your bug in a day, a week, or two weeks.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 162) If they don't answer your email, they may be on vacation, or at a Linux
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 163) conference. Check the conference schedule at https://LWN.net for more info:
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 164)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 165) https://lwn.net/Calendar/
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 166)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 167) In general, kernel maintainers take 1 to 5 business days to respond to
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 168) bugs. The majority of kernel maintainers are employed to work on the
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 169) kernel, and they may not work on the weekends. Maintainers are scattered
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 170) around the world, and they may not work in your time zone. Unless you
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 171) have a high priority bug, please wait at least a week after the first bug
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 172) report before sending the maintainer a reminder email.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 173)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 174) The exceptions to this rule are regressions, kernel crashes, security holes,
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 175) or userspace breakage caused by new kernel behavior. Those bugs should be
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 176) addressed by the maintainers ASAP. If you suspect a maintainer is not
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 177) responding to these types of bugs in a timely manner (especially during a
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 178) merge window), escalate the bug to LKML and Linus Torvalds.
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 179)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 180) Thank you!
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 181)
^8f3ce5b39 (kx 2023-10-28 12:00:06 +0300 182) [Some of this is taken from Frohwalt Egerer's original linux-kernel FAQ]
Orange Pi5 kernel
Deprecated Linux kernel 5.10.110 for OrangePi 5/5B/5+ boards
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