From an Idea to a Patch in the Linux Mainline

In the tutorial we're going to cover the basics of Linux kernel development, from the idea (or a bug found!) to the change integrated into the Linux mainline.We'll start from setting up the environmen …

In the tutorial we’re going to cover the basics of Linux kernel development, from the idea (or a bug found!) to the change integrated into the Linux mainline.We’ll start from setting up the environment: the Linux kernel source, the compiler and debugger. Options like embedded debugger and using virtual machines in case of kernel crashes will be taken into account too.Then we’ll cover the implementation of the patch, showing where to look for the information about APIs, how to correctly use the Linux coding style and write patch descriptions. The audience will also learn about the unit test mechanism and testing in the kernel in general.Then we’re going to move to the process of getting the patch to the mainline: starting from where and how to send it. One of the scary points for new developers is the review process and we’re going to demystify it.Pre-requirements: C coding, usage of Makefiles. No previous Linux kernel development experience necessary.