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diff --git a/Documentation/arch/riscv/patch-acceptance.rst b/Documentation/arch/riscv/patch-acceptance.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..634aa222b410 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/arch/riscv/patch-acceptance.rst @@ -0,0 +1,59 @@ +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 + +arch/riscv maintenance guidelines for developers +================================================ + +Overview +-------- +The RISC-V instruction set architecture is developed in the open: +in-progress drafts are available for all to review and to experiment +with implementations. New module or extension drafts can change +during the development process - sometimes in ways that are +incompatible with previous drafts. This flexibility can present a +challenge for RISC-V Linux maintenance. Linux maintainers disapprove +of churn, and the Linux development process prefers well-reviewed and +tested code over experimental code. We wish to extend these same +principles to the RISC-V-related code that will be accepted for +inclusion in the kernel. + +Patchwork +--------- + +RISC-V has a patchwork instance, where the status of patches can be checked: + + https://patchwork.kernel.org/project/linux-riscv/list/ + +If your patch does not appear in the default view, the RISC-V maintainers have +likely either requested changes, or expect it to be applied to another tree. + +Automation runs against this patchwork instance, building/testing patches as +they arrive. The automation applies patches against the current HEAD of the +RISC-V `for-next` and `fixes` branches, depending on whether the patch has been +detected as a fix. Failing those, it will use the RISC-V `master` branch. +The exact commit to which a series has been applied will be noted on patchwork. +Patches for which any of the checks fail are unlikely to be applied and in most +cases will need to be resubmitted. + +Submit Checklist Addendum +------------------------- +We'll only accept patches for new modules or extensions if the +specifications for those modules or extensions are listed as being +unlikely to be incompatibly changed in the future. For +specifications from the RISC-V foundation this means "Frozen" or +"Ratified", for the UEFI forum specifications this means a published +ECR. (Developers may, of course, maintain their own Linux kernel trees +that contain code for any draft extensions that they wish.) + +Additionally, the RISC-V specification allows implementers to create +their own custom extensions. These custom extensions aren't required +to go through any review or ratification process by the RISC-V +Foundation. To avoid the maintenance complexity and potential +performance impact of adding kernel code for implementor-specific +RISC-V extensions, we'll only consider patches for extensions that either: + +- Have been officially frozen or ratified by the RISC-V Foundation, or +- Have been implemented in hardware that is widely available, per standard + Linux practice. + +(Implementers, may, of course, maintain their own Linux kernel trees containing +code for any custom extensions that they wish.) |