Messages in this thread Patch in this message | | | Subject | [RFC PATCH 2/3] MAINTAINERS, Handbook: Subsystem Profile | From | Dan Williams <> | Date | Wed, 14 Nov 2018 20:53:25 -0800 |
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As presented at the 2018 Linux Plumbers conference [1], the Subsystem Profile is proposed as a way to reduce friction between committers and maintainers and perhaps encourage conversations amongst maintainers about best practice policies.
The profile contains short answers to some of the common policy questions a contributor might have, or that a maintainer might consider formalizing. The current list of maintenance policies is:
Overview: General introduction to maintaining the subsystem Core: List of source files considered core Leaf: List of source files that consume core functionality Patches or Pull requests: Simple statement of expected submission format Last -rc for new feature submissions: Expected lead time for submissions Last -rc to merge features: Deadline for merge decisions Non-author Ack / Review Tags Required: Patch review economics Test Suite: Pass this suite before requesting inclusion Resubmit Cadence: When to ping the maintainer Trusted Reviewers: Help for triaging patches Time Zone / Office Hours: When might a maintainer be available Checkpatch / Style Cleanups: Policy on pure cleanup patches Off-list review: Request for review gates TODO: Potential development tasks up for grabs, or active focus areas
The goal of the Subsystem Profile is to set expectations for contributors and interim or replacement maintainers for a subsystem.
See Documentation/maintainer/subsystem-profile.rst for more details, and a follow-on example profile for the libnvdimm subsystem.
[1]: https://linuxplumbersconf.org/event/2/contributions/59/
Cc: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net> Cc: Thomas Gleixner <tglx@linutronix.de> Cc: Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab@kernel.org> Cc: Steve French <stfrench@microsoft.com> Cc: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org> Cc: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org> Cc: Tobin C. Harding <me@tobin.cc> Cc: Olof Johansson <olof@lixom.net> Cc: Martin K. Petersen <martin.petersen@oracle.com> Cc: Daniel Vetter <daniel.vetter@ffwll.ch> Cc: Joe Perches <joe@perches.com> Cc: Dmitry Vyukov <dvyukov@google.com> Signed-off-by: Dan Williams <dan.j.williams@intel.com> --- Documentation/maintainer/index.rst | 1 Documentation/maintainer/subsystem-profile.rst | 145 ++++++++++++++++++++++++ MAINTAINERS | 4 + 3 files changed, 150 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Documentation/maintainer/subsystem-profile.rst
diff --git a/Documentation/maintainer/index.rst b/Documentation/maintainer/index.rst index 2a14916930cb..1e6b1aaa6024 100644 --- a/Documentation/maintainer/index.rst +++ b/Documentation/maintainer/index.rst @@ -11,4 +11,5 @@ additions to this manual. configure-git pull-requests + subsystem-profile diff --git a/Documentation/maintainer/subsystem-profile.rst b/Documentation/maintainer/subsystem-profile.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..a74b624e0972 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/maintainer/subsystem-profile.rst @@ -0,0 +1,145 @@ +.. _subsystemprofile: + +Subsystem Profile +================= + +The Subsystem Profile is a collection of policy positions that a +maintainer or maintainer team establishes for the their subsystem. While +there is a wide range of technical nuance on maintaining disparate +sections of the kernel, the Subsystem Profile documents a known set of +major process policies that vary between subsystems. What follows is a +list of policy questions a maintainer can answer and include a document +in the kernel, or on an external website. It advertises to other +maintainers and contributors the local policy of the subsystem. Some +sections are optional like "Overview", "Off-list review", and "TODO". +The others are recommended for all subsystems to address, but no section +is mandatory. In addition there are no wrong answers, just document how +a subsystem typically operates. Note that the profile follows the +subsystem not the maintainer, i.e. there is no expectation that a +maintainer of multiple subsystems deploys the same policy across those +subsystems. + + +Overview +-------- +In this optional section of the profile provide a free form overview of +the subsystem written as a hand-off document. In other words write a +note to someone that would receive the “keys to the castle” in the event +of extended or unexpected absence. “So, you have recently become the +maintainer of the XYZ subsystem, condolences, it is a thankless job, +here is the lay of the land.” Details to consider are the extended +details that are not included in MAINTAINERS, and not addressed by the +other profile questions below. For example details like, who has access +to the git tree, branches that are pulled into -next, relevant +specifications, issue trackers, and sensitive code areas. If available +the Overview should link to other subsystem documentation that may +clarify, re-iterate, emphasize / de-emphasize portions of the global +process documentation for contributors (CodingStyle, SubmittingPatches, +etc...). + + +Core +---- +A list of F: tags (as described by MAINTAINERS) listing what the +maintainer considers to be core files. The review and lead time +constraints for 'core' code may be stricter given the increased +sensitivity and risk of change. + + +Patches or Pull requests +------------------------ +Some subsystems allow contributors to send pull requests, most require +mailed patches. State “Patches only”, or “Pull requests accepted”. + + +Last -rc for new feature submissions +------------------------------------ +New feature submissions targeting the next merge window should have +their first posting for consideration before this point. Patches that +are submitted after this point should be clear that they are targeting +the NEXT+1 merge window, or should come with sufficient justification +why they should be considered on an expedited schedule. A general +guideline is to set expectation with contributors that new feature +submissions should appear before -rc5. The answer may be different for +'Core:' files, include a second entry prefixed with 'Core:' if so. + + +Last -rc to merge features +-------------------------- +Indicate to contributors the point at which an as yet un-applied patch +set will need to wait for the NEXT+1 merge window. Of course there is no +obligation to ever except any given patchset, but if the review has not +concluded by this point the expectation the contributor should wait and +resubmit for the following merge window. The answer may be different for +'Core:' files, include a second entry prefixed with 'Core:' if so. + + +Non-author Ack / Review Tags Required +------------------------------------- +Let contributors and other maintainers know whether they can expect to +see the maintainer self-commit patches without 3rd-party review. Some +subsystem developer communities are so small as to make this requirement +impractical. Others may have been bootstrapped by a submission of +self-reviewed code at the outset, but have since moved to a +non-author review-required stance. This section sets expectations on the +code-review economics in the subsystem. For example, can a contributor +trade review of a maintainer's, or other contributor's patches in +exchange for consideration of their own. + + +Test Suite +---------- +Indicate the test suite all patches are expected to pass before being +submitted for inclusion consideration. + + +Resubmit Cadence +---------------- +Define a rate at which a contributor should wait to resubmit a patchset +that has not yet received comments. A general guideline is to try to +meet a deadline of 1 - 2 weeks to acknowledge starting consideration for +a patch set. + + +Trusted Reviewers +----------------- +While a maintainer / maintainer-team is expected to be reviewer of last +resort the review load is less onerous when distributed amongst +contributors and or a trusted set of individuals. This section is +distinct from the R: tag (Designated Reviewer). Whereas R: identifies +reviewers that should always be copied on a patch submission, the +trusted reviewers here are individuals contributors can reach out to if +a few 'Resubmit Cadence' intervals have gone by without maintainer +action, or to otherwise consult for advice. + + +Time Zone / Office Hours +------------------------ +Let contributors know the time of day when one or more maintainers are +usually actively monitoring the mailing list. + + +Checkpatch / Style Cleanups +--------------------------- +For subsystems with long standing code bases it is reasonable to decline +to accept pure coding-style fixup patches. This is where you can let +contributors know “Standalone style-cleanups are welcome”, +“Style-cleanups to existing code only welcome with other feature +changes”, or “Standalone style-cleanups to existing code are not +welcome”. + + +Off-list review +--------------- +A maintainer may optionally require that contributors seek prior review +of patches before initial submission for upstream. For example, +“Developers from organization X, please seek internal review before +requesting upstream review”. This policy identifies occasions where a +maintainer wants to reflect some of the review load back to an +organization. + + +TODO +---- +In this optional section include a list of work items that might be +suitable for onboarding a new developer to the subsystem. diff --git a/MAINTAINERS b/MAINTAINERS index 83b7b3943a12..bb4a83a7684d 100644 --- a/MAINTAINERS +++ b/MAINTAINERS @@ -99,6 +99,10 @@ Descriptions of section entries: Obsolete: Old code. Something tagged obsolete generally means it has been replaced by a better system and you should be using that. + P: Subsystem Profile document for the maintainer entry. This + is either an in-tree file or a URI to a document. The + contents of a Subsystem Profile are described in + Documentation/maintainer/subsystem-profile.rst. F: Files and directories with wildcard patterns. A trailing slash includes all files and subdirectory files. F: drivers/net/ all files in and below drivers/net
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