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diff --git a/Documentation/SubmittingDrivers b/Documentation/SubmittingDrivers new file mode 100644 index 000000000..29c597385 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/SubmittingDrivers @@ -0,0 +1,112 @@ +Submitting Drivers For The Linux Kernel +--------------------------------------- + +This document is intended to explain how to submit device drivers to the +Linux 2.2 and 2.4test kernel trees. Note that if you are interested in video +card drivers you should probably talk to XFree86 (http://wwww.xfree86.org) +instead. + +Allocating Device Numbers +------------------------- + +Major and minor numbers for devices are allocated by the Linux assigned name +and number authority (currently better known as H Peter Anvin). The +site is http://www.lanana.org/. This also deals with allocating numbers for +devices that are not going to be submitted to the mainstream kernel. + +If you don't use assigned numbers then when you device is submitted it will +get given an assigned number even if that is different from values you may +have shipped to customers before. + +Who To Submit Drivers To +------------------------ + +Linux 2.0: + No new drivers are accepted for this kernel tree + +Linux 2.2: + If the code area has a general maintainer then please submit it to + the maintainer listed in MAINTAINERS in the kernel file. If the + maintainer does not respond or you cannot find the appropriate + maintainer then please contact Alan Cox <alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk> + +Linux 2.4test: + This kernel tree is under active development. The same rules apply + as 2.2 but you may wish to submit your driver via linux-kernel (see + resources) and follow that list to track changes in API's. These + should no longer be occuring as we are now in a code freeze. + The final contact point for Linux 2.4 submissions is + <torvalds@transmeta.com>. + +What Criteria Determine Acceptance +---------------------------------- + +Licensing: The code must be released to us under the GNU public license. + We don't insist on any kind of exclusively GPL licensing, + and if you wish the driver to be useful to other communities + such as BSD you may well wish to release under multiple + licenses. + +Interfaces: If your driver uses existing interfaces and behaves like + other drivers in the same class it will be much more likely + to be accepted than if it invents gratuitous new ones. + If you need to implement a common API over Linux and NT + drivers do it in userspace. + +Code: Please use the Linux style of code formatting as documented + in Documentation/CodingStyle. If you have sections of code + that need to be in other formats, for example because they + are shared with a windows driver kit and you want to + maintain them just once seperate them out nicely and note + this fact. + +Portability: Pointers are not always 32bits, people do not all have + floating point and you shouldn't use inline x86 assembler in + your driver without careful thought. Pure x86 drivers + generally are not popular. If you only have x86 hardware it + is hard to test portability but it is easy to make sure the + code can easily be made portable. + +Clarity: It helps if anyone can see how to fix the driver. It helps + you because you get patches not bug reports. If you submit a + driver that intentionally obfuscates how the hardware works + it will go in the bitbucket. + +Control: In general if there is active maintainance of a driver by + the author then patches will be redirected to them unless + they are totally obvious and without need of checking. + If you want to be the contact and update point for the + driver it is a good idea to state this in the comments. + +What Criteria Do Not Determine Acceptance +----------------------------------------- + +Vendor: Being the hardware vendor and maintaining the driver is + often a good thing. If there is a stable working driver from + other people already in the tree don't expect 'we are the + vendor' to get your driver chosen. Ideally work with the + existing driver author to build a single perfect driver. + +Author: It doesn't matter if a large Linux company wrote the driver, + or you did. Nobody has any special access to the kernel + tree. Anyone who tells you otherwise isn't telling the + whole story. + + +Resources +--------- + +Linux kernel master tree: + ftp.kernel.org:/pub/linux/kernel/... + +Linux kernel mailing list: + linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org + [mail majordomo@vger.kernel.org to subscribe] + +Kernel traffic: + Weekly summary of kernel list activity (much easier to read) + [http://kt.linuxcare.com/kernel-traffic] + +Linux USB project: + http://sourceforge.net/projects/linux-usb/ + |