| Frequently asked questions |
| ========================== |
| |
| :slug: faq |
| :category: FAQ |
| |
| If you have questions, comments or concerns about the F.A.Q. please |
| contact us at webmaster@kernel.org. |
| |
| Is Linux Kernel Free Software? |
| ------------------------------ |
| Linux kernel is released under GNU GPL version 2 and is therefore Free |
| Software as defined by the `Free Software Foundation`_. You may read the |
| entire copy of the license in the COPYING_ file distributed with each |
| release of the Linux kernel. |
| |
| .. _`Free Software Foundation`: https://www.fsf.org/ |
| .. _COPYING: /pub/linux/kernel/COPYING |
| |
| What does "stable/EOL" and "longterm" mean? |
| ------------------------------------------- |
| As kernels move from the "mainline" into the "stable" category, two |
| things can happen: |
| |
| 1. They can reach "End of Life" after a few bugfix revisions, which |
| means that kernel maintainers will release no more bugfixes for this |
| kernel version, or |
| 2. They can be put into "longterm" maintenance, which means that |
| maintainers will provide bugfixes for this kernel revision for a |
| much longer period of time. |
| |
| If the kernel version you are using is marked "EOL," you should consider |
| upgrading to the next major version as there will be no more bugfixes |
| provided for the kernel version you are using. |
| |
| Please check the Releases_ page for more info. |
| |
| .. _Releases: |filename|releases.rst |
| |
| Is there an RSS feed for the latest kernel version? |
| --------------------------------------------------- |
| Yes, and you can find it at https://www.kernel.org/feeds/kdist.xml. |
| |
| We also publish a .json file with the latest release information, which |
| you can pull from here: https://www.kernel.org/releases.json. |
| |
| Why are there files that are dated tomorrow? |
| -------------------------------------------- |
| All timestamps on kernel.org are in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). If |
| you live in the western hemisphere your local time lags behind UTC. |
| Under Linux/Unix, type ``date -u`` to get the current time in UTC. |
| |
| Can I get an account on kernel.org? |
| ----------------------------------- |
| Kernel.org accounts are not given away very often, usually you need to |
| be making some reasonable amount of contributions to the Linux kernel |
| and have a good reason for wanting / needing an account. If you really |
| feel that you should have an account please e-mail the following to |
| helpdesk@kernel.org: |
| |
| - full name |
| - desired username |
| - email address where to forward your username@kernel.org mail |
| - reason for requiring a kernel.org account |
| - reference to kernel work you've done |
| - PGP/GPG public key fingerprint (NOT your ssh key) |
| |
| * Key should be signed by as many kernel developers as you know |
| * Accounts will not be issued until key carries enough signatures |
| * Key and signatures must be available on public key servers |
| |
| The Kernel.org admin team will then review your request and let you know |
| the decision. |
| |
| Please note that The Linux Kernel Organization, Inc. reserves the right |
| to refuse service to anyone, for any reason. |
| |
| I have cool project X, can you guys mirror it for me? |
| ----------------------------------------------------- |
| Probably not. Kernel.org deals with the Linux kernel, various |
| distributions of the kernel and larger repositories of packages. We do |
| not mirror individual projects, software, etc as we feel there are |
| better places providing mirrors for those kinds of repositories. If you |
| feel that kernel.org should mirror your project, please contact |
| ftpadmin@kernel.org with the following information: |
| |
| - name |
| - project name |
| - project website |
| - detailed project description |
| - reason for wanting us to mirror |
| |
| The Kernel.org admin team will then review your request and talk to you |
| about it. As with any kind of account on kernel.org it's up to the |
| discretion of the admin team. |
| |
| How does kernel.org provide its users access to the git trees? |
| -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| We are using an access control system called gitolite_, originally |
| written and maintained by Sitaram Chamarty. We chose gitolite for a |
| number of reasons: |
| |
| - Limiting of ssh access to the system |
| - Fine grained control over repository access |
| - Well maintained and supported code base |
| - Responsive development |
| - Broad and diverse install base |
| |
| As well at the time of deployment the code had undergone an external |
| code review. |
| |
| .. _gitolite: https://github.com/sitaramc/gitolite/wiki |
| |
| How do I create an -rc kernel? I get "Reversed patch detected!" |
| --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| -rc kernel patches are generated from the base stable release. |
| |
| For example: to create the 2.6.14-rc5 kernel, you must: |
| |
| - download 2.6.13 (not 2.6.13.4) |
| - and then apply the 2.6.14-rc5 patch. |
| |
| Yes, you want 2.6.13, not 2.6.14. Remember, that's an -rc kernel, as in, 2.6.14 doesn't exist yet. :) |
| |
| Where can I find kernel 2.4.20-3.16? |
| ------------------------------------ |
| Kernel version numbers of this form are distribution kernels, meaning |
| they are modified kernels produced by distributions. Please contact the |
| relevant distributor; or check out https://mirrors.kernel.org/. |
| |
| See the Releases_ page for more info on distribution kernels. |
| |
| .. _Releases: |filename|releases.rst |
| |
| I need help building/patching/fixing Linux kernel/modules/drivers! |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Please see the `Kernel Newbies`_ website. |
| |
| There is also a wealth of knowledge on many topics involving Linux at |
| The Linux Documentation Project (http://www.tldp.org) |
| |
| For finding or reporting bugs, look through the archives for the various |
| Linux mailing lists, and if no specific list seems appropriate, try the |
| browsing the Linux Kernel Mailing List. |
| |
| .. _`Kernel Newbies`: http://kernelnewbies.org/ |
| |
| What happened to ftp.kernel.org? |
| -------------------------------- |
| FTP service was terminated on March 1, 2017. All content that used to be |
| available via ftp.kernel.org can be accessed by browsing |
| https://www.kernel.org/pub/. If you would like to use a command-line |
| tool for accessing these files, you can do so with lftp: |
| |
| lftp https://www.kernel.org/pub |
| |
| When will the next kernel be released? |
| -------------------------------------- |
| The next kernel will be released when it is ready. There is no strict |
| timeline for making releases, but if you really need an educated guess, |
| visit the Linux kernel `PHB Crystal Ball`_ -- it tries to provide a |
| ballpark guess based on previous kernel release schedule. |
| |
| .. _`PHB Crystal Ball`: http://phb-crystal-ball.org/ |
| |
| What will go into the next release? |
| ----------------------------------- |
| It is hard to predict with certainty, but you can either take a peek at |
| `linux-next`_ or read the `Linux Weather Forecast`_, where Jonathan |
| Corbet provides a broad forecast of what will likely be included into |
| the next mainline release. |
| |
| .. _`linux-next`: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/next/linux-next.git/ |
| .. _`Linux Weather Forecast`: http://www.linuxfoundation.org/news-media/lwf |