tools-only Submitting Patches
Patch Format
Patches follow the Linux kernel patch submission guidelines: https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/process/submitting-patches.html
Subject Line
Use the appropriate prefix based on the target tree:
Subject: [PATCH iproute2] component: brief description
Subject: [PATCH iproute2-next] component: brief description
Examples:
Subject: [PATCH iproute2-next] ip: fix syntax for rules
Subject: [PATCH iproute2] tc: fix memory leak in filter parsing
Commit Message
- First line: brief summary (50 chars or less)
- Blank line
- Detailed description wrapped at 72 characters
- Signed-off-by line
ip: add support for new feature
Detailed explanation of what this patch does and why.
Reference any relevant kernel commits if this adds support
for new kernel features.
Signed-off-by: Your Name <your.email@example.org>
Signed-off-by and Developer Certificate of Origin
The Signed-off-by: line certifies that you wrote the code or have the right
to submit it, following the Developer's Certificate of Origin (DCO):
https://developercertificate.org/
By adding your Signed-off-by, you certify:
- The contribution was created by you, or
- It is based on previous work with a compatible license, or
- It was provided to you by someone who certified the above
Use git commit -s to automatically add your Signed-off-by line.
Sending Patches
Send patches to the netdev mailing list:
git send-email --to=netdev@vger.kernel.org your-patch.patch
Testing
- Test both JSON and non-JSON output modes
- Test with various kernel versions (features may not be available on older kernels)
- Verify error handling with invalid inputs
- Check for memory leaks with valgrind