From nobody Tue Dec 2 01:06:25 2025 Received: from smtp.kernel.org (aws-us-west-2-korg-mail-1.web.codeaurora.org [10.30.226.201]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by smtp.subspace.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id E722630FC3D; Fri, 21 Nov 2025 18:00:16 +0000 (UTC) Authentication-Results: smtp.subspace.kernel.org; arc=none smtp.client-ip=10.30.226.201 ARC-Seal: i=1; a=rsa-sha256; d=subspace.kernel.org; s=arc-20240116; t=1763748018; cv=none; b=V/9Ky4411PbMaWWsWJPlNiExX/+pRbe6Gfb5RY7i7dumVtbBn4kbdRkdGwVnqSTG/bkpEoD/ccNIG4/y8OZeHcTPHhR+ZTvp8QRkH6ppDNgMNr3T52g4SMoXzBjWnwK646YRqxMcF5J9BXppWgGMRrILUtL6t8PluUI1K0wy4PI= ARC-Message-Signature: i=1; a=rsa-sha256; d=subspace.kernel.org; s=arc-20240116; t=1763748018; c=relaxed/simple; bh=GdauC9OFpCx6tvfs4DZKSskH9oCjExl0y2tmgGnRvng=; h=From:To:Cc:Subject:Date:Message-ID:MIME-Version; b=FaA0/G8g0+0IxNunyYvV322Hat9tIRkwtpE6PmonUKnDnt8b2DNi0iYM4MnwMkzVuMHo1E2yR2MZgJ4O5W1+PJY8cV8eRf4hYb3rcZjKijnFmfWbFEDvUf7IJ9s9vAFytei001l4SrpJyUwffOwSyfY3iBQ60t+b88vHeygN/XQ= ARC-Authentication-Results: i=1; smtp.subspace.kernel.org; dkim=pass (2048-bit key) header.d=kernel.org header.i=@kernel.org header.b=a+5wFXGO; arc=none smtp.client-ip=10.30.226.201 Authentication-Results: smtp.subspace.kernel.org; dkim=pass (2048-bit key) header.d=kernel.org header.i=@kernel.org header.b="a+5wFXGO" Received: by smtp.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id 41AE5C116C6; Fri, 21 Nov 2025 18:00:15 +0000 (UTC) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/simple; d=kernel.org; s=k20201202; t=1763748016; bh=GdauC9OFpCx6tvfs4DZKSskH9oCjExl0y2tmgGnRvng=; h=From:To:Cc:Subject:Date:From; b=a+5wFXGOyK7v3rJVuHx6SE1DGtmlmMPfEuvLaEtyKl4WN4qu7rcPZ6iiMrYQCDs32 m/nkvw5wdXIAEhx+Hqvywq365ke5NT6qivxVhtAdNrh7D95jD7pSHPCCJ+Tmc6vuE+ Z805DLQ+SgPntcTX5xA3NsqriMh3v8bPalL02zQb8xdMtyT7Y2tvAMse+XYKw8OOUb 4YbtFOo0PiKCVCrcW/9eEY8/F0110pAzRBgXflhpWSUvKpy+MBApoFBGM4O24EbIE5 Imt86qN5uCmTlZSkPAH5h2Z2cDIjcudzBbHhcG2v64+8hAeJb0FW9jcHRtvRMJ/kWx 7NuJAZAzGYo3A== From: Sasha Levin To: corbet@lwn.net, linux-doc@vger.kernel.org Cc: josh@joshtriplett.org, kees@kernel.org, konstantin@linuxfoundation.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, rostedt@goodmis.org, workflows@vger.kernel.org, joe@perches.com, rdunlap@infradead.org, Sasha Levin , Mauro Carvalho Chehab Subject: [PATCH v5] README: restructure with role-based documentation and guidelines Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2025 13:00:09 -0500 Message-ID: <20251121180009.2634393-1-sashal@kernel.org> X-Mailer: git-send-email 2.51.0 Precedence: bulk X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org List-Id: List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Reorganize README to provide targeted documentation paths for different user roles including developers, researchers, security experts, and maintainers. Add quick start section and essential docs links. Signed-off-by: Sasha Levin Reviewed-by: Randy Dunlap Reviewed-by: Mauro Carvalho Chehab Reviewed-by: Kees Cook Reviewed-by: Bagas Sanjaya Reviewed-by: SeongJae Park --- Changes since v4: - Remove explicit reference to GPLv2 - Fix up the commit message to drop AI blurb README | 160 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---- 1 file changed, 149 insertions(+), 11 deletions(-) diff --git a/README b/README index fd903645e6de0..1fc993d7cf07e 100644 --- a/README +++ b/README @@ -1,18 +1,156 @@ Linux kernel =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =20 -There are several guides for kernel developers and users. These guides can -be rendered in a number of formats, like HTML and PDF. Please read -Documentation/admin-guide/README.rst first. +The Linux kernel is the core of any Linux operating system. It manages har= dware, +system resources, and provides the fundamental services for all other soft= ware. =20 -In order to build the documentation, use ``make htmldocs`` or -``make pdfdocs``. The formatted documentation can also be read online at: +Quick Start +----------- =20 - https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/ +* Report a bug: See Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-issues.rst +* Get the latest kernel: https://kernel.org +* Build the kernel: See Documentation/admin-guide/quickly-build-trimmed-li= nux.rst +* Join the community: https://lore.kernel.org/ =20 -There are various text files in the Documentation/ subdirectory, -several of them using the reStructuredText markup notation. +Essential Documentation +----------------------- =20 -Please read the Documentation/process/changes.rst file, as it contains the -requirements for building and running the kernel, and information about -the problems which may result by upgrading your kernel. +All users should be familiar with: + +* Building requirements: Documentation/process/changes.rst +* Code of Conduct: Documentation/process/code-of-conduct.rst +* License: See COPYING + +Documentation can be built with make htmldocs or viewed online at: +https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/ + + +Who Are You? +=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D + +Find your role below: + +* New Kernel Developer - Getting started with kernel development +* Academic Researcher - Studying kernel internals and architecture +* Security Expert - Hardening and vulnerability analysis +* Backport/Maintenance Engineer - Maintaining stable kernels +* System Administrator - Configuring and troubleshooting +* Maintainer - Leading subsystems and reviewing patches +* Hardware Vendor - Writing drivers for new hardware +* Distribution Maintainer - Packaging kernels for distros + + +For Specific Users +=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D + +New Kernel Developer +-------------------- + +Welcome! Start your kernel development journey here: + +* Getting Started: Documentation/process/development-process.rst +* Your First Patch: Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst +* Coding Style: Documentation/process/coding-style.rst +* Build System: Documentation/kbuild/index.rst +* Development Tools: Documentation/dev-tools/index.rst +* Kernel Hacking Guide: Documentation/kernel-hacking/hacking.rst +* Core APIs: Documentation/core-api/index.rst + +Academic Researcher +------------------- + +Explore the kernel's architecture and internals: + +* Researcher Guidelines: Documentation/process/researcher-guidelines.rst +* Memory Management: Documentation/mm/index.rst +* Scheduler: Documentation/scheduler/index.rst +* Networking Stack: Documentation/networking/index.rst +* Filesystems: Documentation/filesystems/index.rst +* RCU (Read-Copy Update): Documentation/RCU/index.rst +* Locking Primitives: Documentation/locking/index.rst +* Power Management: Documentation/power/index.rst + +Security Expert +--------------- + +Security documentation and hardening guides: + +* Security Documentation: Documentation/security/index.rst +* LSM Development: Documentation/security/lsm-development.rst +* Self Protection: Documentation/security/self-protection.rst +* Reporting Vulnerabilities: Documentation/process/security-bugs.rst +* CVE Procedures: Documentation/process/cve.rst +* Embargoed Hardware Issues: Documentation/process/embargoed-hardware-issu= es.rst +* Security Features: Documentation/userspace-api/seccomp_filter.rst + +Backport/Maintenance Engineer +----------------------------- + +Maintain and stabilize kernel versions: + +* Stable Kernel Rules: Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst +* Backporting Guide: Documentation/process/backporting.rst +* Applying Patches: Documentation/process/applying-patches.rst +* Subsystem Profile: Documentation/maintainer/maintainer-entry-profile.rst +* Git for Maintainers: Documentation/maintainer/configure-git.rst + +System Administrator +-------------------- + +Configure, tune, and troubleshoot Linux systems: + +* Admin Guide: Documentation/admin-guide/index.rst +* Kernel Parameters: Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst +* Sysctl Tuning: Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/index.rst +* Tracing/Debugging: Documentation/trace/index.rst +* Performance Security: Documentation/admin-guide/perf-security.rst +* Hardware Monitoring: Documentation/hwmon/index.rst + +Maintainer +---------- + +Lead kernel subsystems and manage contributions: + +* Maintainer Handbook: Documentation/maintainer/index.rst +* Pull Requests: Documentation/maintainer/pull-requests.rst +* Managing Patches: Documentation/maintainer/modifying-patches.rst +* Rebasing and Merging: Documentation/maintainer/rebasing-and-merging.rst +* Development Process: Documentation/process/maintainer-handbooks.rst +* Maintainer Entry Profile: Documentation/maintainer/maintainer-entry-prof= ile.rst +* Git Configuration: Documentation/maintainer/configure-git.rst + +Hardware Vendor +--------------- + +Write drivers and support new hardware: + +* Driver API Guide: Documentation/driver-api/index.rst +* Driver Model: Documentation/driver-api/driver-model/driver.rst +* Device Drivers: Documentation/driver-api/infrastructure.rst +* Bus Types: Documentation/driver-api/driver-model/bus.rst +* Device Tree Bindings: Documentation/devicetree/bindings/ +* Power Management: Documentation/driver-api/pm/index.rst +* DMA API: Documentation/core-api/dma-api.rst + +Distribution Maintainer +----------------------- + +Package and distribute the kernel: + +* Stable Kernel Rules: Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst +* ABI Documentation: Documentation/ABI/README +* Kernel Configuration: Documentation/kbuild/kconfig.rst +* Module Signing: Documentation/admin-guide/module-signing.rst +* Kernel Parameters: Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst +* Tainted Kernels: Documentation/admin-guide/tainted-kernels.rst + + + +Communication and Support +=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D + +* Mailing Lists: https://lore.kernel.org/ +* IRC: #kernelnewbies on irc.oftc.net +* Bugzilla: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/ +* MAINTAINERS file: Lists subsystem maintainers and mailing lists +* Email Clients: Documentation/process/email-clients.rst --=20 2.51.0