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The ''Backports Project'' enables old kernels to run the latest drivers.
"''Backporting''" is the process of making new software run on something old. A version of something new that's been modified to run on something old may be called a "''backport''".
The Backports Project develops tools to automate the backporting process. These tools form the ''backports'' suite.
= About backports =
Backports provide drivers released on ''newer'' kernels backported for usage on ''older kernels''. Always use the latest stable release! The project started since 2007 and was originally known as '''compat-wireless''', evolved to '''compat-drivers''' and was recently renamed simply to '''backports'''. Both daily snapshots based on [http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/next/linux-next.git linux-next], and stable releases based [http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-stable.git Linux's stable releases] are provided. As of the v3.10 based release over 830 device drivers are backported.
Current versions of backports support all mainline kernels starting with version 3.0, for kernel versions older than 3.0 please use backports-3.14, which supports all kernel versions back to 2.6.26.
= Download =
* [http://drvbp1.linux-foundation.org/~mcgrof/rel-html/backports/ Temporary backports release page]
= Documentation =
* [[license|Linux kernel backports license]]
* [[documentation|Backports user documentation]] - you have two options: [[Documentation/packaging|backports package releases]] and [[Documentation/integration|backports kernel integration]]
* [http://coccinelle.lip6.fr/papers/backport_edcc15.pdf Increasing Automation in the Backporting of Linux Drivers Using Coccinelle paper]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXATzae7eng Video of October 2014 SUSE Labs Conference in České Budějovice - Automatically backporting Linux]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buZrNd6XkEw Video of October 2014 SUSE Labs Conference in České Budějovice - An Introduction to Coccinelle Bug Finding and Code Evolution for the Linux Kernel]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvFXQ6zyHCg Video of October 2013 Linux Plumbers backports session]
* [[Documentation/reporting-bugs|reporting bugs]]
** [[bugzilla|backports bugzilla]]
** [[reporting-vulnerabilities|reporting security vulnerabilities]]
= Resources =
* [https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/backports/backports.git git repository]
* [https://bugzilla.kernel.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=Backports%20project Bugzilla bug tracker] [[Bugzilla|(notes)]]
= Community =
* [[Mailing list]]: [http://marc.info/?l=linux-backports (archives)] [[Mailing list|(subscribe)]] [mailto:backports@vger.kernel.org (send)]
* [[IRC]]: server "irc.freenode.net", channel "#kernel-backports"
* [[Social media|Twitter]]: @LinuxBackports
* [[Social media|identi.ca]]: @LinuxBackports
* [[Meetings]]
* [[Documentation/backports/hacking|Contributing]]
[[File:88x31.png‎]] - This text is licensed under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License].