linux/Documentation/ABI
Linus Torvalds d4c90b1b9f Merge branch 'for-3.11/drivers' of git://git.kernel.dk/linux-block
Pull block IO driver bits from Jens Axboe:
 "As I mentioned in the core block pull request, due to real life
  circumstances the driver pull request would be late.  Now it looks
  like -rc2 late...  On the plus side, apart form the rsxx update, these
  are all things that I could argue could go in later in the cycle as
  they are fixes and not features.  So even though things are late, it's
  not ALL bad.

  The pull request contains:

   - Updates to bcache, all bug fixes, from Kent.

   - A pile of drbd bug fixes (no big features this time!).

   - xen blk front/back fixes.

   - rsxx driver updates, some of them deferred form 3.10.  So should be
     well cooked by now"

* 'for-3.11/drivers' of git://git.kernel.dk/linux-block: (63 commits)
  bcache: Allocation kthread fixes
  bcache: Fix GC_SECTORS_USED() calculation
  bcache: Journal replay fix
  bcache: Shutdown fix
  bcache: Fix a sysfs splat on shutdown
  bcache: Advertise that flushes are supported
  bcache: check for allocation failures
  bcache: Fix a dumb race
  bcache: Use standard utility code
  bcache: Update email address
  bcache: Delete fuzz tester
  bcache: Document shrinker reserve better
  bcache: FUA fixes
  drbd: Allow online change of al-stripes and al-stripe-size
  drbd: Constants should be UPPERCASE
  drbd: Ignore the exit code of a fence-peer handler if it returns too late
  drbd: Fix rcu_read_lock balance on error path
  drbd: fix error return code in drbd_init()
  drbd: Do not sleep inside rcu
  bcache: Refresh usage docs
  ...
2013-07-22 19:02:52 -07:00
..
obsolete Merge branches 'for-3.7/upstream-fixes', 'for-3.8/hidraw', 'for-3.8/i2c-hid', 'for-3.8/multitouch', 'for-3.8/roccat', 'for-3.8/sensors' and 'for-3.8/upstream' into for-linus 2012-12-12 21:41:55 +01:00
removed netfilter: remove ip_queue support 2012-05-08 20:25:42 +02:00
stable Main batch of InfiniBand/RDMA changes for 3.11 merge window: 2013-07-13 12:57:21 -07:00
testing Merge branch 'for-3.11/drivers' of git://git.kernel.dk/linux-block 2013-07-22 19:02:52 -07:00
README Documentation: remove reference to feature-removal-schedule.txt 2012-12-17 17:15:12 -08:00

README

This directory attempts to document the ABI between the Linux kernel and
userspace, and the relative stability of these interfaces.  Due to the
everchanging nature of Linux, and the differing maturity levels, these
interfaces should be used by userspace programs in different ways.

We have four different levels of ABI stability, as shown by the four
different subdirectories in this location.  Interfaces may change levels
of stability according to the rules described below.

The different levels of stability are:

  stable/
	This directory documents the interfaces that the developer has
	defined to be stable.  Userspace programs are free to use these
	interfaces with no restrictions, and backward compatibility for
	them will be guaranteed for at least 2 years.  Most interfaces
	(like syscalls) are expected to never change and always be
	available.

  testing/
	This directory documents interfaces that are felt to be stable,
	as the main development of this interface has been completed.
	The interface can be changed to add new features, but the
	current interface will not break by doing this, unless grave
	errors or security problems are found in them.  Userspace
	programs can start to rely on these interfaces, but they must be
	aware of changes that can occur before these interfaces move to
	be marked stable.  Programs that use these interfaces are
	strongly encouraged to add their name to the description of
	these interfaces, so that the kernel developers can easily
	notify them if any changes occur (see the description of the
	layout of the files below for details on how to do this.)

  obsolete/
  	This directory documents interfaces that are still remaining in
	the kernel, but are marked to be removed at some later point in
	time.  The description of the interface will document the reason
	why it is obsolete and when it can be expected to be removed.

  removed/
	This directory contains a list of the old interfaces that have
	been removed from the kernel.

Every file in these directories will contain the following information:

What:		Short description of the interface
Date:		Date created
KernelVersion:	Kernel version this feature first showed up in.
Contact:	Primary contact for this interface (may be a mailing list)
Description:	Long description of the interface and how to use it.
Users:		All users of this interface who wish to be notified when
		it changes.  This is very important for interfaces in
		the "testing" stage, so that kernel developers can work
		with userspace developers to ensure that things do not
		break in ways that are unacceptable.  It is also
		important to get feedback for these interfaces to make
		sure they are working in a proper way and do not need to
		be changed further.


How things move between levels:

Interfaces in stable may move to obsolete, as long as the proper
notification is given.

Interfaces may be removed from obsolete and the kernel as long as the
documented amount of time has gone by.

Interfaces in the testing state can move to the stable state when the
developers feel they are finished.  They cannot be removed from the
kernel tree without going through the obsolete state first.

It's up to the developer to place their interfaces in the category they
wish for it to start out in.