datapath: Check for backported netdev_features_t.

[ovs.git] / SubmittingPatches

How to Submit Patches for Open vSwitch
======================================

Send changes to Open vSwitch as patches to dev@openvswitch.org.
One patch per email, please.  More details are included below.

If you are using Git, then "git format-patch" takes care of most of
the mechanics described below for you.

Before You Start
----------------

Before you send patches at all, make sure that each patch makes sense.
In particular:

        - A given patch should not break anything, even if later
          patches fix the problems that it causes.  The source tree
          should still build and work after each patch is applied.
          (This enables "git bisect" to work best.)

        - A patch should make one logical change.  Don't make
          multiple, logically unconnected changes to disparate
          subsystems in a single patch.

        - A patch that adds or removes user-visible features should
          also update the appropriate user documentation or manpages.

Testing is also important:

        - A patch that adds or deletes files should be tested with
          "make distcheck" before submission.

        - A patch that modifies Linux kernel code should be at least
          build-tested on various Linux kernel versions before
          submission.  I suggest versions 2.6.32 and whatever
          the current latest release version is at the time.

        - A patch that modifies the ofproto or vswitchd code should be
          tested in at least simple cases before submission.

        - A patch that modifies xenserver code should be tested on
          XenServer before submission.

Email Subject
-------------

The subject line of your email should be in the following format:
[PATCH <n>/<m>] <area>: <summary>

        - [PATCH <n>/<m>] indicates that this is the nth of a series
          of m patches.  It helps reviewers to read patches in the
          correct order.  You may omit this prefix if you are sending
          only one patch.

        - <area>: indicates the area of the Open vSwitch to which the
          change applies (often the name of a source file or a
          directory).  You may omit it if the change crosses multiple
          distinct pieces of code.

        - <summary> briefly describes the change.

The subject, minus the [PATCH <n>/<m>] prefix, becomes the first line
of the commit's change log message.

Description
-----------

The body of the email should start with a more thorough description of
the change.  This becomes the body of the commit message, following
the subject.  There is no need to duplicate the summary given in the
subject.

Please limit lines in the description to 79 characters in width.

The description should include:

        - The rationale for the change.

        - Design description and rationale (but this might be better
          added as code comments).

        - Testing that you performed (or testing that should be done
          but you could not for whatever reason).

There is no need to describe what the patch actually changed, if the
reader can see it for himself.

If the patch refers to a commit already in the Open vSwitch
repository, please include both the commit number and the subject of
the patch, e.g. 'commit 632d136c (vswitch: Remove restriction on
datapath names.)'.

If you, the person sending the patch, did not write the patch
yourself, then the very first line of the body should take the form
"From: <author name> <author email>", followed by a blank line.  This
will automatically cause the named author to be credited with
authorship in the repository.  If others contributed to the patch, but
are not the main authors, then please credit them as part of the
description (e.g. "Thanks to Bob J. User for reporting this bug.").

Please sign off on the patch as a submitter, and be sure to have the
author(s) sign off for patches that you did not author.

Simply include your name and email address as the last line of the commit
message before any comments (and author too, if that is not you):

Signed-off-by: Author Name <author.name@email.address...>
Signed-off-by: Submitter Name <submitter.name@email.address...>

By doing this, you are agreeing to the Developer's Certificate of Origin
(see below for more details).

Developer's Certificate of Origin
---------------------------------

To help track the author of a patch as well as the submission chain,
and be clear that the developer has authority to submit a patch for
inclusion in openvswitch please sign off your work.  The sign off
certifies the following:

    Developer's Certificate of Origin 1.1

    By making a contribution to this project, I certify that:

    (a) The contribution was created in whole or in part by me and I
        have the right to submit it under the open source license
        indicated in the file; or

    (b) The contribution is based upon previous work that, to the best
        of my knowledge, is covered under an appropriate open source
        license and I have the right under that license to submit that
        work with modifications, whether created in whole or in part
        by me, under the same open source license (unless I am
        permitted to submit under a different license), as indicated
        in the file; or

    (c) The contribution was provided directly to me by some other
        person who certified (a), (b) or (c) and I have not modified
        it.

    (d) I understand and agree that this project and the contribution
        are public and that a record of the contribution (including all
        personal information I submit with it, including my sign-off) is
        maintained indefinitely and may be redistributed consistent with
        this project or the open source license(s) involved.

Comments
--------

If you want to include any comments in your email that should not be
part of the commit's change log message, put them after the
description, separated by a line that contains just "---".  It may be
helpful to include a diffstat here for changes that touch multiple
files.

Patch
-----

The patch should be in the body of the email following the descrition,
separated by a blank line.

Patches should be in "diff -up" format.  We recommend that you use Git
to produce your patches, in which case you should use the -M -C
options to "git diff" (or other Git tools) if your patch renames or
copies files.  Quilt (http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/quilt) might
be useful if you do not want to use Git.

Patches should be inline in the email message.  Some email clients
corrupt white space or wrap lines in patches.  There are hints on how
to configure many email clients to avoid this problem at:
        http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=blob_plain;f=Documentation/email-clients.txt
If you cannot convince your email client not to mangle patches, then
sending the patch as an attachment is a second choice.

Please follow the style used in the code that you are modifying.  The
CodingStyle file describes the coding style used in most of Open
vSwitch.  Use Linux kernel coding style for Linux kernel code.

Example
-------

From fa29a1c2c17682879e79a21bb0cdd5bbe67fa7c0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Jesse Gross <jesse@nicira.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2011 13:17:24 -0800
Subject: [PATCH] datapath: Alphabetize include/net/ipv6.h compat header.

Signed-off-by: Jesse Gross <jesse@nicira.com>
---
 datapath/linux/Modules.mk |    2 +-
 1 files changed, 1 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)

diff --git a/datapath/linux/Modules.mk b/datapath/linux/Modules.mk
index fdd952e..f6cb88e 100644
--- a/datapath/linux/Modules.mk
+++ b/datapath/linux/Modules.mk
@@ -56,11 +56,11 @@ openvswitch_headers += \
 	linux/compat/include/net/dst.h \
 	linux/compat/include/net/genetlink.h \
 	linux/compat/include/net/ip.h \
+	linux/compat/include/net/ipv6.h \
 	linux/compat/include/net/net_namespace.h \
 	linux/compat/include/net/netlink.h \
 	linux/compat/include/net/protocol.h \
 	linux/compat/include/net/route.h \
-	linux/compat/include/net/ipv6.h \
 	linux/compat/genetlink.inc
 
 both_modules += brcompat
-- 
1.7.7.3