linux/Documentation/ABI
Linus Torvalds 77fa2fbe87 vhost,virtio,vdpa: features, fixes, cleanups
vdpa/mlx5:
 	VHOST_BACKEND_F_ENABLE_AFTER_DRIVER_OK
 	new maintainer
 vdpa:
 	support for vq descriptor mappings
 	decouple reset of iotlb mapping from device reset
 
 fixes, cleanups all over the place
 
 Signed-off-by: Michael S. Tsirkin <mst@redhat.com>
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Merge tag 'for_linus' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/mst/vhost

Pull virtio updates from Michael Tsirkin:
 "vhost,virtio,vdpa: features, fixes, cleanups.

  vdpa/mlx5:
   - VHOST_BACKEND_F_ENABLE_AFTER_DRIVER_OK
   - new maintainer

  vdpa:
   - support for vq descriptor mappings
   - decouple reset of iotlb mapping from device reset

  and fixes, cleanups all over the place"

* tag 'for_linus' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/mst/vhost: (34 commits)
  vdpa_sim: implement .reset_map support
  vdpa/mlx5: implement .reset_map driver op
  vhost-vdpa: clean iotlb map during reset for older userspace
  vdpa: introduce .compat_reset operation callback
  vhost-vdpa: introduce IOTLB_PERSIST backend feature bit
  vhost-vdpa: reset vendor specific mapping to initial state in .release
  vdpa: introduce .reset_map operation callback
  virtio_pci: add check for common cfg size
  virtio-blk: fix implicit overflow on virtio_max_dma_size
  virtio_pci: add build offset check for the new common cfg items
  virtio: add definition of VIRTIO_F_NOTIF_CONFIG_DATA feature bit
  vduse: make vduse_class constant
  vhost-scsi: Spelling s/preceeding/preceding/g
  virtio: kdoc for struct virtio_pci_modern_device
  vdpa: Update sysfs ABI documentation
  MAINTAINERS: Add myself as mlx5_vdpa driver
  virtio-balloon: correct the comment of virtballoon_migratepage()
  mlx5_vdpa: offer VHOST_BACKEND_F_ENABLE_AFTER_DRIVER_OK
  vdpa/mlx5: Update cvq iotlb mapping on ASID change
  vdpa/mlx5: Make iotlb helper functions more generic
  ...
2023-11-05 09:02:32 -10:00
..
obsolete docs: update ocfs2-devel mailing list address 2023-07-08 09:29:29 -07:00
removed docs: update ocfs2-devel mailing list address 2023-07-08 09:29:29 -07:00
stable dmaengine: idxd: add wq driver name support for accel-config user tool 2023-10-04 13:00:34 +05:30
testing vhost,virtio,vdpa: features, fixes, cleanups 2023-11-05 09:02:32 -10:00
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.


Note:
   The fields should be use a simple notation, compatible with ReST markup.
   Also, the file **should not** have a top-level index, like::

	===
	foo
	===

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.


Notable bits of non-ABI, which should not under any circumstances be considered
stable:

- Kconfig.  Userspace should not rely on the presence or absence of any
  particular Kconfig symbol, in /proc/config.gz, in the copy of .config
  commonly installed to /boot, or in any invocation of the kernel build
  process.

- Kernel-internal symbols.  Do not rely on the presence, absence, location, or
  type of any kernel symbol, either in System.map files or the kernel binary
  itself.  See Documentation/process/stable-api-nonsense.rst.