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| title: Documentation |
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| The Linux kernel backports project aims at backporting Linux '''upstream''' device drivers for usage on older kernels. Support is provided for using backports in '''package''' form, where a tarball is provided with subsystems/drivers from future kernels, and also with direct kernel integration support, where you can use backports to directly '''integrate''' subsystems/drivers from future kernels on older kernel trees. The point of the project is to provide a central mechanism for backporting device drivers for ''any'' subsystem and enable ''both'' users '''and''' developers to always focus on upstream Linux kernel development. The backports project shall '''never''' include proprietary drivers and by design does not allow usage of itself with proprietary drivers. Every backports release has been test compiled ''for usage'' against all supported kernels, the oldest one is (currently) 3.0. Note that Linux kernel releases can become deprecated. You are encouraged to use supported stable kernels as listed on [http://kernel.org kernel.org]. |
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| <h2>Backport uses</h2> |
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| * [[Documentation/packaging|Backports package releases]] |
| * [[Documentation/integration|Backports kernel integration]] |
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| <h2>Currently backported subsystems</h2> |
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| Device drivers are available for the following subsystems: |
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| * Ethernet |
| * Wireless |
| * Bluetooth |
| * NFC |
| * ieee802154 |
| * Media |
| * Regulator |
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| Whether or not a device driver is available from a subsytem will depend on whether or not a developer decided to backport it '''and''' if the device driver is backported down to the kernel you are on. If you see the driver on '''make menuconfig''' it means you can use it. An alternative is to look at the git tree [https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/mcgrof/backports.git/tree/dependencies dependencies] file. Note that the [https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/mcgrof/backports.git/tree/dependencies dependencies] '''does not''' exist on a final release, it only exists on the development git tree and the one linked here is the one on the master branch -- you should look at the [https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/mcgrof/backports.git/refs/ release branches] for their respective dependencies file if using an older release. Someone is welcome to come up with a fancy page that provides the device driver <--> kernel dependency map page. If a device driver is available on '''make menuconfig''' but is not listed on the [https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/mcgrof/backports.git/tree/dependencies dependencies] file it means it is available for usage on all supported kernel. |
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| Users should just install what they ''know'' they need, if not sure don't enable a driver. Typically Linux distributions would use the backports project and build modules for you and you'd have a backports package available for your distribution. |
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| [[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]. |
