Re: [PATCH v2 1/1] docs: submitting-patches: Emphasise the requirement to Cc: stable when using Fixes: tag

On Wed, 13 Jan 2021, Jani Nikula wrote:

On Wed, 13 Jan 2021, Lee Jones [off-list ref] wrote:

quoted

On Wed, 13 Jan 2021, Jani Nikula wrote:

quoted

On Wed, 13 Jan 2021, Lee Jones [off-list ref] wrote:

quoted

Clear-up any confusion surrounding the Fixes: tag with regards to the
need to Cc: the stable mailing list when submitting stable patch
candidates.

Cc: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org>
Cc: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>
Cc: linux-doc@vger.kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Lee Jones <redacted>
---
v2:
 - Link to the 'stable-kernel-rules' document as per Greg's request

 Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst | 5 +++++
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+)

diff --git a/Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst b/Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst
index 7c97ad580e7d0..7f48cccc75cdf 100644
--- a/Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst
+++ b/Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst

@@ -556,6 +556,11 @@ which stable kernel versions should receive your fix. This is the preferred
 method for indicating a bug fixed by the patch. See :ref:`describe_changes`
 for more details.
 
+Note: Attaching a Fixes: tag does not subvert the stable kernel rules
+process nor the requirement to Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org on all stable 
+patch candidates. For more information, please read
+:ref:`Documentation/process/stable-kernel-rules.rst <stable_kernel_rules>`

Has there been a process change, or should I take it that a Fixes: tag
without Cc: stable *may* still end up being backported to stable?

The 'process' has not changed.  Cc:ing the stable mailing list has
been a requirement for years.  This patch clears up the misconception
that you (and I ... and many others by all accounts) hold that the
Fixes: tag is enough.

Fixes: only works when/if Greg and/or Sasha run their magical scripts
to scan for them.  By them doing so has "perpetuated a myth that this
was the proper thing to do".  It's not.

I held no misconception here, and we've scripted adding appropriate Cc:
stable for years along with the Fixes: tag.

There's been debate in the past whether commits with *only* Fixes:
should be automatically backported with the magic scripts at all. I
don't mean to reopen that question now, but that was what I was
referring to with the process change.

There's an on-going effort to pull in as many stable-worthy patches
as possible from across a plethora of varying sources.  Patches with
Fixes: tags which "forgot" to Cc: the stable mailing list is just one
of those sources.

In answer to the question you didn't ask; there is still a requirement
this scenario to be catered for, IMHO.

-- 
Lee Jones [李琼斯]
Senior Technical Lead - Developer Services
Linaro.org │ Open source software for Arm SoCs
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