blob: 70fa96975da8b30f786eb8fab1ec0a68e335226f [file] [log] [blame]
Patrick Williamsc124f4f2015-09-15 14:41:29 -05001<!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.2//EN"
2"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.2/docbookx.dtd"
3[<!ENTITY % poky SYSTEM "../poky.ent"> %poky; ] >
4
5<chapter id='dev-manual-newbie'>
6
7<title>The Yocto Project Open Source Development Environment</title>
8
9<para>
10 This chapter helps you understand the Yocto Project as an open source development project.
11 In general, working in an open source environment is very different from working in a
12 closed, proprietary environment.
13 Additionally, the Yocto Project uses specific tools and constructs as part of its development
14 environment.
15 This chapter specifically addresses open source philosophy, using the
16 Yocto Project in a team environment, source repositories, Yocto Project
17 terms, licensing, the open source distributed version control system Git,
18 workflows, bug tracking, and how to submit changes.
19</para>
20
21<section id='open-source-philosophy'>
22 <title>Open Source Philosophy</title>
23
24 <para>
25 Open source philosophy is characterized by software development directed by peer production
26 and collaboration through an active community of developers.
27 Contrast this to the more standard centralized development models used by commercial software
28 companies where a finite set of developers produces a product for sale using a defined set
29 of procedures that ultimately result in an end product whose architecture and source material
30 are closed to the public.
31 </para>
32
33 <para>
34 Open source projects conceptually have differing concurrent agendas, approaches, and production.
35 These facets of the development process can come from anyone in the public (community) that has a
36 stake in the software project.
37 The open source environment contains new copyright, licensing, domain, and consumer issues
38 that differ from the more traditional development environment.
39 In an open source environment, the end product, source material, and documentation are
40 all available to the public at no cost.
41 </para>
42
43 <para>
44 A benchmark example of an open source project is the Linux kernel, which was initially conceived
45 and created by Finnish computer science student Linus Torvalds in 1991.
46 Conversely, a good example of a non-open source project is the
47 <trademark class='registered'>Windows</trademark> family of operating
48 systems developed by <trademark class='registered'>Microsoft</trademark> Corporation.
49 </para>
50
51 <para>
52 Wikipedia has a good historical description of the Open Source Philosophy
53 <ulink url='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source'>here</ulink>.
54 You can also find helpful information on how to participate in the Linux Community
55 <ulink url='http://ldn.linuxfoundation.org/book/how-participate-linux-community'>here</ulink>.
56 </para>
57</section>
58
59<section id="usingpoky-changes-collaborate">
60 <title>Using the Yocto Project in a Team Environment</title>
61
62 <para>
63 It might not be immediately clear how you can use the Yocto
64 Project in a team environment, or scale it for a large team of
65 developers.
66 One of the strengths of the Yocto Project is that it is extremely
67 flexible.
68 Thus, you can adapt it to many different use cases and scenarios.
69 However, these characteristics can cause a struggle if you are trying
70 to create a working setup that scales across a large team.
71 </para>
72
73 <para>
74 To help with these types of situations, this section presents
75 some of the project's most successful experiences,
76 practices, solutions, and available technologies that work well.
77 Keep in mind, the information here is a starting point.
78 You can build off it and customize it to fit any
79 particular working environment and set of practices.
80 </para>
81
82 <section id='best-practices-system-configurations'>
83 <title>System Configurations</title>
84
85 <para>
86 Systems across a large team should meet the needs of
87 two types of developers: those working on the contents of the
88 operating system image itself and those developing applications.
89 Regardless of the type of developer, their workstations must
90 be both reasonably powerful and run Linux.
91 </para>
92
93 <section id='best-practices-application-development'>
94 <title>Application Development</title>
95
96 <para>
97 For developers who mainly do application level work
98 on top of an existing software stack,
99 here are some practices that work best:
100 <itemizedlist>
101 <listitem><para>Use a pre-built toolchain that
102 contains the software stack itself.
103 Then, develop the application code on top of the
104 stack.
105 This method works well for small numbers of relatively
106 isolated applications.</para></listitem>
107 <listitem><para>When possible, use the Yocto Project
108 plug-in for the <trademark class='trade'>Eclipse</trademark> IDE
109 and other pieces of Application Development
110 Technology (ADT).
111 For more information, see the
112 "<link linkend='application-development-workflow'>Application
113 Development Workflow</link>" section as well as the
114 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_ADT_URL;'>Yocto Project Application Developer's Guide</ulink>.
115 </para></listitem>
116 <listitem><para>Keep your cross-development toolchains
117 updated.
118 You can do this through provisioning either as new
119 toolchain downloads or as updates through a package
120 update mechanism using <filename>opkg</filename>
121 to provide updates to an existing toolchain.
122 The exact mechanics of how and when to do this are a
123 question for local policy.</para></listitem>
124 <listitem><para>Use multiple toolchains installed locally
125 into different locations to allow development across
126 versions.</para></listitem>
127 </itemizedlist>
128 </para>
129 </section>
130
131 <section id='best-practices-core-system-development'>
132 <title>Core System Development</title>
133
134 <para>
135 For core system development, it is often best to have the
136 build system itself available on the developer workstations
137 so developers can run their own builds and directly
138 rebuild the software stack.
139 You should keep the core system unchanged as much as
140 possible and do your work in layers on top of the core system.
141 Doing so gives you a greater level of portability when
142 upgrading to new versions of the core system or Board
143 Support Packages (BSPs).
144 You can share layers amongst the developers of a particular
145 project and contain the policy configuration that defines
146 the project.
147 </para>
148
149 <para>
150 Aside from the previous best practices, there exists a number
151 of tips and tricks that can help speed up core development
152 projects:
153 <itemizedlist>
154 <listitem><para>Use a
155 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#shared-state-cache'>Shared State Cache</ulink>
156 (sstate) among groups of developers who are on a
157 fast network.
158 The best way to share sstate is through a
159 Network File System (NFS) share.
160 The first user to build a given component for the
161 first time contributes that object to the sstate,
162 while subsequent builds from other developers then
163 reuse the object rather than rebuild it themselves.
164 </para>
165 <para>Although it is possible to use other protocols for the
166 sstate such as HTTP and FTP, you should avoid these.
167 Using HTTP limits the sstate to read-only and
168 FTP provides poor performance.
169 </para></listitem>
170 <listitem><para>Have autobuilders contribute to the sstate
171 pool similarly to how the developer workstations
172 contribute.
173 For information, see the
174 "<link linkend='best-practices-autobuilders'>Autobuilders</link>"
175 section.</para></listitem>
176 <listitem><para>Build stand-alone tarballs that contain
177 "missing" system requirements if for some reason
178 developer workstations do not meet minimum system
179 requirements such as latest Python versions,
180 <filename>chrpath</filename>, or other tools.
181 You can install and relocate the tarball exactly as you
182 would the usual cross-development toolchain so that
183 all developers can meet minimum version requirements
184 on most distributions.</para></listitem>
185 <listitem><para>Use a small number of shared,
186 high performance systems for testing purposes
187 (e.g. dual, six-core Xeons with 24 Gbytes of RAM
188 and plenty of disk space).
189 Developers can use these systems for wider, more
190 extensive testing while they continue to develop
191 locally using their primary development system.
192 </para></listitem>
193 <listitem><para>Enable the PR Service when package feeds
194 need to be incremental with continually increasing
195 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-PR'>PR</ulink>
196 values.
197 Typically, this situation occurs when you use or
198 publish package feeds and use a shared state.
199 You should enable the PR Service for all users who
200 use the shared state pool.
201 For more information on the PR Service, see the
202 "<link linkend='working-with-a-pr-service'>Working With a PR Service</link>".
203 </para></listitem>
204 </itemizedlist>
205 </para>
206 </section>
207 </section>
208
209 <section id='best-practices-source-control-management'>
210 <title>Source Control Management (SCM)</title>
211
212 <para>
213 Keeping your
214 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_DEV_URL;#metadata'>Metadata</ulink>
215 and any software you are developing under the
216 control of an SCM system that is compatible
217 with the OpenEmbedded build system is advisable.
218 Of the SCMs BitBake supports, the
219 Yocto Project team strongly recommends using
220 <link linkend='git'>Git</link>.
221 Git is a distributed system that is easy to backup,
222 allows you to work remotely, and then connects back to the
223 infrastructure.
224 <note>
225 For information about BitBake, see the
226 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_BB_URL;'>BitBake User Manual</ulink>.
227 </note>
228 </para>
229
230 <para>
231 It is relatively easy to set up Git services and create
232 infrastructure like
233 <ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;'>http://git.yoctoproject.org</ulink>,
234 which is based on server software called
235 <filename>gitolite</filename> with <filename>cgit</filename>
236 being used to generate the web interface that lets you view the
237 repositories.
238 The <filename>gitolite</filename> software identifies users
239 using SSH keys and allows branch-based
240 access controls to repositories that you can control as little
241 or as much as necessary.
242 </para>
243
244 <note>
245 The setup of these services is beyond the scope of this manual.
246 However, sites such as these exist that describe how to perform
247 setup:
248 <itemizedlist>
249 <listitem><para><ulink url='http://git-scm.com/book/ch4-8.html'>Git documentation</ulink>:
250 Describes how to install <filename>gitolite</filename>
251 on the server.</para></listitem>
252 <listitem><para><ulink url='http://sitaramc.github.com/gitolite/master-toc.html'>The <filename>gitolite</filename> master index</ulink>:
253 All topics for <filename>gitolite</filename>.
254 </para></listitem>
255 <listitem><para><ulink url='https://git.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Interfaces,_frontends,_and_tools'>Interfaces, frontends, and tools</ulink>:
256 Documentation on how to create interfaces and frontends
257 for Git.</para></listitem>
258 </itemizedlist>
259 </note>
260 </section>
261
262 <section id='best-practices-autobuilders'>
263 <title>Autobuilders</title>
264
265 <para>
266 Autobuilders are often the core of a development project.
267 It is here that changes from individual developers are brought
268 together and centrally tested and subsequent decisions about
269 releases can be made.
270 Autobuilders also allow for "continuous integration" style
271 testing of software components and regression identification
272 and tracking.
273 </para>
274
275 <para>
276 See "<ulink url='http://autobuilder.yoctoproject.org'>Yocto Project Autobuilder</ulink>"
277 for more information and links to buildbot.
278 The Yocto Project team has found this implementation
279 works well in this role.
280 A public example of this is the Yocto Project
281 Autobuilders, which we use to test the overall health of the
282 project.
283 </para>
284
285 <para>
286 The features of this system are:
287 <itemizedlist>
288 <listitem><para>Highlights when commits break the build.
289 </para></listitem>
290 <listitem><para>Populates an sstate cache from which
291 developers can pull rather than requiring local
292 builds.</para></listitem>
293 <listitem><para>Allows commit hook triggers,
294 which trigger builds when commits are made.
295 </para></listitem>
296 <listitem><para>Allows triggering of automated image booting
297 and testing under the QuickEMUlator (QEMU).
298 </para></listitem>
299 <listitem><para>Supports incremental build testing and
300 from-scratch builds.</para></listitem>
301 <listitem><para>Shares output that allows developer
302 testing and historical regression investigation.
303 </para></listitem>
304 <listitem><para>Creates output that can be used for releases.
305 </para></listitem>
306 <listitem><para>Allows scheduling of builds so that resources
307 can be used efficiently.</para></listitem>
308 </itemizedlist>
309 </para>
310 </section>
311
312 <section id='best-practices-policies-and-change-flow'>
313 <title>Policies and Change Flow</title>
314
315 <para>
316 The Yocto Project itself uses a hierarchical structure and a
317 pull model.
318 Scripts exist to create and send pull requests
319 (i.e. <filename>create-pull-request</filename> and
320 <filename>send-pull-request</filename>).
321 This model is in line with other open source projects where
322 maintainers are responsible for specific areas of the project
323 and a single maintainer handles the final "top-of-tree" merges.
324 </para>
325
326 <note>
327 You can also use a more collective push model.
328 The <filename>gitolite</filename> software supports both the
329 push and pull models quite easily.
330 </note>
331
332 <para>
333 As with any development environment, it is important
334 to document the policy used as well as any main project
335 guidelines so they are understood by everyone.
336 It is also a good idea to have well structured
337 commit messages, which are usually a part of a project's
338 guidelines.
339 Good commit messages are essential when looking back in time and
340 trying to understand why changes were made.
341 </para>
342
343 <para>
344 If you discover that changes are needed to the core layer of the
345 project, it is worth sharing those with the community as soon
346 as possible.
347 Chances are if you have discovered the need for changes, someone
348 else in the community needs them also.
349 </para>
350 </section>
351
352 <section id='best-practices-summary'>
353 <title>Summary</title>
354
355 <para>
356 This section summarizes the key recommendations described in the
357 previous sections:
358 <itemizedlist>
359 <listitem><para>Use <link linkend='git'>Git</link>
360 as the source control system.</para></listitem>
361 <listitem><para>Maintain your Metadata in layers that make sense
362 for your situation.
363 See the "<link linkend='understanding-and-creating-layers'>Understanding
364 and Creating Layers</link>" section for more information on
365 layers.</para></listitem>
366 <listitem><para>
367 Separate the project's Metadata and code by using
368 separate Git repositories.
369 See the
370 "<link linkend='yocto-project-repositories'>Yocto Project Source Repositories</link>"
371 section for information on these repositories.
372 See the
373 "<link linkend='getting-setup'>Getting Set Up</link>"
374 section for information on how to set up local Git
375 repositories for related upstream Yocto Project
376 Git repositories.
377 </para></listitem>
378 <listitem><para>Set up the directory for the shared state cache
379 (<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-SSTATE_DIR'><filename>SSTATE_DIR</filename></ulink>)
380 where it makes sense.
381 For example, set up the sstate cache on a system used
382 by developers in the same organization and share the
383 same source directories on their machines.
384 </para></listitem>
385 <listitem><para>Set up an Autobuilder and have it populate the
386 sstate cache and source directories.</para></listitem>
387 <listitem><para>The Yocto Project community encourages you
388 to send patches to the project to fix bugs or add features.
389 If you do submit patches, follow the project commit
390 guidelines for writing good commit messages.
391 See the "<link linkend='how-to-submit-a-change'>How to Submit a Change</link>"
392 section.</para></listitem>
393 <listitem><para>Send changes to the core sooner than later
394 as others are likely to run into the same issues.
395 For some guidance on mailing lists to use, see the list in the
396 "<link linkend='how-to-submit-a-change'>How to Submit a Change</link>"
397 section.
398 For a description of the available mailing lists, see the
399 "<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#resources-mailinglist'>Mailing Lists</ulink>"
400 section in the Yocto Project Reference Manual.
401 </para></listitem>
402 </itemizedlist>
403 </para>
404 </section>
405</section>
406
407<section id='yocto-project-repositories'>
408 <title>Yocto Project Source Repositories</title>
409
410 <para>
411 The Yocto Project team maintains complete source repositories for all
412 Yocto Project files at
413 <ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;/cgit/cgit.cgi'></ulink>.
414 This web-based source code browser is organized into categories by
415 function such as IDE Plugins, Matchbox, Poky, Yocto Linux Kernel, and
416 so forth.
417 From the interface, you can click on any particular item in the "Name"
418 column and see the URL at the bottom of the page that you need to clone
419 a Git repository for that particular item.
420 Having a local Git repository of the
421 <link linkend='source-directory'>Source Directory</link>, which is
422 usually named "poky", allows
423 you to make changes, contribute to the history, and ultimately enhance
424 the Yocto Project's tools, Board Support Packages, and so forth.
425 </para>
426
427 <para>
428 For any supported release of Yocto Project, you can also go to the
429 <ulink url='&YOCTO_HOME_URL;'>Yocto Project Website</ulink> and
430 select the "Downloads" tab and get a released tarball of the
431 <filename>poky</filename> repository or any supported BSP tarballs.
432 Unpacking these tarballs gives you a snapshot of the released
433 files.
434 <note><title>Notes</title>
435 <itemizedlist>
436 <listitem><para>
437 The recommended method for setting up the Yocto Project
438 <link linkend='source-directory'>Source Directory</link>
439 and the files for supported BSPs
440 (e.g., <filename>meta-intel</filename>) is to use
441 <link linkend='git'>Git</link> to create a local copy of
442 the upstream repositories.
443 </para></listitem>
444 <listitem><para>
445 Be sure to always work in matching branches for both
446 the selected BSP repository and the
447 <link linkend='source-directory'>Source Directory</link>
448 (i.e. <filename>poky</filename>) repository.
449 For example, if you have checked out the "master" branch
450 of <filename>poky</filename> and you are going to use
451 <filename>meta-intel</filename>, be sure to checkout the
452 "master" branch of <filename>meta-intel</filename>.
453 </para></listitem>
454 </itemizedlist>
455 </note>
456 </para>
457
458 <para>
459 In summary, here is where you can get the project files needed for development:
460 <itemizedlist>
461 <listitem><para id='source-repositories'><emphasis><ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;/cgit/cgit.cgi'>Source Repositories:</ulink></emphasis>
462 This area contains IDE Plugins, Matchbox, Poky, Poky Support, Tools, Yocto Linux Kernel, and Yocto
463 Metadata Layers.
464 You can create local copies of Git repositories for each of these areas.</para>
465 <para>
466 <imagedata fileref="figures/source-repos.png" align="center" width="6in" depth="4in" />
467 </para></listitem>
468 <listitem><para><anchor id='index-downloads' /><emphasis><ulink url='&YOCTO_DL_URL;/releases/'>Index of /releases:</ulink></emphasis>
469 This is an index of releases such as
470 the <trademark class='trade'>Eclipse</trademark>
471 Yocto Plug-in, miscellaneous support, Poky, Pseudo, installers for cross-development toolchains,
472 and all released versions of Yocto Project in the form of images or tarballs.
473 Downloading and extracting these files does not produce a local copy of the
474 Git repository but rather a snapshot of a particular release or image.</para>
475 <para>
476 <imagedata fileref="figures/index-downloads.png" align="center" width="6in" depth="3.5in" />
477 </para></listitem>
478 <listitem><para><emphasis>"Downloads" page for the
479 <ulink url='&YOCTO_HOME_URL;'>Yocto Project Website</ulink>:</emphasis>
480 Access this page by going to the website and then selecting
481 the "Downloads" tab.
482 This page allows you to download any Yocto Project
483 release or Board Support Package (BSP) in tarball form.
484 The tarballs are similar to those found in the
485 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DL_URL;/releases/'>Index of /releases:</ulink> area.</para>
486 <para>
487 <imagedata fileref="figures/yp-download.png" align="center" width="6in" depth="4in" />
488 </para></listitem>
489 </itemizedlist>
490 </para>
491</section>
492
493<section id='yocto-project-terms'>
494 <title>Yocto Project Terms</title>
495
496 <para>
497 Following is a list of terms and definitions users new to the Yocto Project development
498 environment might find helpful.
499 While some of these terms are universal, the list includes them just in case:
500 <itemizedlist>
501 <listitem><para><emphasis>Append Files:</emphasis> Files that append build information to
502 a recipe file.
503 Append files are known as BitBake append files and <filename>.bbappend</filename> files.
504 The OpenEmbedded build system expects every append file to have a corresponding
505 recipe (<filename>.bb</filename>) file.
506 Furthermore, the append file and corresponding recipe file
507 must use the same root filename.
508 The filenames can differ only in the file type suffix used (e.g.
509 <filename>formfactor_0.0.bb</filename> and <filename>formfactor_0.0.bbappend</filename>).
510 </para>
511 <para>Information in append files extends or overrides the
512 information in the similarly-named recipe file.
513 For an example of an append file in use, see the
514 "<link linkend='using-bbappend-files'>Using .bbappend Files</link>" section.
515 <note>
516 Append files can also use wildcard patterns in their version numbers
517 so they can be applied to more than one version of the underlying recipe file.
518 </note>
519 </para></listitem>
520 <listitem><para id='bitbake-term'><emphasis>BitBake:</emphasis>
521 The task executor and scheduler used by the OpenEmbedded build
522 system to build images.
523 For more information on BitBake, see the
524 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_BB_URL;'>BitBake User Manual</ulink>.
525 </para></listitem>
526 <listitem>
527 <para id='build-directory'><emphasis>Build Directory:</emphasis>
528 This term refers to the area used by the OpenEmbedded build
529 system for builds.
530 The area is created when you <filename>source</filename> the
531 setup environment script that is found in the Source Directory
532 (i.e. <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#structure-core-script'><filename>&OE_INIT_FILE;</filename></ulink>
533 or
534 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#structure-memres-core-script'><filename>oe-init-build-env-memres</filename></ulink>).
535 The <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-TOPDIR'><filename>TOPDIR</filename></ulink>
536 variable points to the Build Directory.</para>
537
538 <para>
539 You have a lot of flexibility when creating the Build
540 Directory.
541 Following are some examples that show how to create the
542 directory.
543 The examples assume your
544 <link linkend='source-directory'>Source Directory</link> is
545 named <filename>poky</filename>:
546 <itemizedlist>
547 <listitem><para>Create the Build Directory inside your
548 Source Directory and let the name of the Build
549 Directory default to <filename>build</filename>:
550 <literallayout class='monospaced'>
551 $ cd $HOME/poky
552 $ source &OE_INIT_FILE;
553 </literallayout></para></listitem>
554 <listitem><para>Create the Build Directory inside your
555 home directory and specifically name it
556 <filename>test-builds</filename>:
557 <literallayout class='monospaced'>
558 $ cd $HOME
559 $ source poky/&OE_INIT_FILE; test-builds
560 </literallayout></para></listitem>
561 <listitem><para>
562 Provide a directory path and
563 specifically name the Build Directory.
564 Any intermediate folders in the pathname must
565 exist.
566 This next example creates a Build Directory named
567 <filename>YP-&POKYVERSION;</filename>
568 in your home directory within the existing
569 directory <filename>mybuilds</filename>:
570 <literallayout class='monospaced'>
571 $cd $HOME
572 $ source $HOME/poky/&OE_INIT_FILE; $HOME/mybuilds/YP-&POKYVERSION;
573 </literallayout></para></listitem>
574 </itemizedlist>
575 <note>
576 By default, the Build Directory contains
577 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-TMPDIR'><filename>TMPDIR</filename></ulink>,
578 which is a temporary directory the build system uses for
579 its work.
580 <filename>TMPDIR</filename> cannot be under NFS.
581 Thus, by default, the Build Directory cannot be under NFS.
582 However, if you need the Build Directory to be under NFS,
583 you can set this up by setting <filename>TMPDIR</filename>
584 in your <filename>local.conf</filename> file
585 to use a local drive.
586 Doing so effectively separates <filename>TMPDIR</filename>
587 from <filename>TOPDIR</filename>, which is the Build
588 Directory.
589 </note>
590 </para></listitem>
591 <listitem><para><emphasis>Classes:</emphasis> Files that provide for logic encapsulation
592 and inheritance so that commonly used patterns can be defined once and then easily used
593 in multiple recipes.
594 For reference information on the Yocto Project classes, see the
595 "<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#ref-classes'>Classes</ulink>" chapter of the
596 Yocto Project Reference Manual.
597 Class files end with the <filename>.bbclass</filename> filename extension.
598 </para></listitem>
599 <listitem><para><emphasis>Configuration File:</emphasis>
600 Configuration information in various <filename>.conf</filename>
601 files provides global definitions of variables.
602 The <filename>conf/local.conf</filename> configuration file in
603 the
604 <link linkend='build-directory'>Build Directory</link>
605 contains user-defined variables that affect every build.
606 The <filename>meta-yocto/conf/distro/poky.conf</filename>
607 configuration file defines Yocto "distro" configuration
608 variables used only when building with this policy.
609 Machine configuration files, which
610 are located throughout the
611 <link linkend='source-directory'>Source Directory</link>, define
612 variables for specific hardware and are only used when building
613 for that target (e.g. the
614 <filename>machine/beaglebone.conf</filename> configuration
615 file defines variables for the Texas Instruments ARM Cortex-A8
616 development board).
617 Configuration files end with a <filename>.conf</filename>
618 filename extension.
619 </para></listitem>
620 <listitem><para id='cross-development-toolchain'>
621 <emphasis>Cross-Development Toolchain:</emphasis>
622 In general, a cross-development toolchain is a collection of
623 software development tools and utilities that run on one
624 architecture and allow you to develop software for a
625 different, or targeted, architecture.
626 These toolchains contain cross-compilers, linkers, and
627 debuggers that are specific to the target architecture.
628 </para>
629
630 <para>The Yocto Project supports two different cross-development
631 toolchains:
632 <itemizedlist>
633 <listitem><para>A toolchain only used by and within
634 BitBake when building an image for a target
635 architecture.</para></listitem>
636 <listitem><para>A relocatable toolchain used outside of
637 BitBake by developers when developing applications
638 that will run on a targeted device.
639 Sometimes this relocatable cross-development
640 toolchain is referred to as the meta-toolchain.
641 </para></listitem>
642 </itemizedlist>
643 </para>
644
645 <para>
646 Creation of these toolchains is simple and automated.
647 For information on toolchain concepts as they apply to the
648 Yocto Project, see the
649 "<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#cross-development-toolchain-generation'>Cross-Development Toolchain Generation</ulink>"
650 section in the Yocto Project Reference Manual.
651 You can also find more information on using the
652 relocatable toolchain in the
653 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_ADT_URL;'>Yocto Project
654 Application Developer's Guide</ulink>.
655 </para></listitem>
656 <listitem><para><emphasis>Image:</emphasis>
657 An image is an artifact of the BitBake build process given
658 a collection of recipes and related Metadata.
659 Images are the binary output that run on specific hardware or
660 QEMU and are used for specific use-cases.
661 For a list of the supported image types that the Yocto Project provides, see the
662 "<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#ref-images'>Images</ulink>"
663 chapter in the Yocto Project Reference Manual.</para></listitem>
664 <listitem><para id='layer'><emphasis>Layer:</emphasis> A collection of recipes representing the core,
665 a BSP, or an application stack.
666 For a discussion specifically on BSP Layers, see the
667 "<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_BSP_URL;#bsp-layers'>BSP Layers</ulink>"
668 section in the Yocto Project Board Support Packages (BSP)
669 Developer's Guide.</para></listitem>
670 <listitem><para id='meta-toolchain'><emphasis>Meta-Toolchain:</emphasis>
671 A term sometimes used for
672 <link linkend='cross-development-toolchain'>Cross-Development Toolchain</link>.
673 </para></listitem>
674 <listitem><para id='metadata'><emphasis>Metadata:</emphasis>
675 The files that BitBake parses when building an image.
676 In general, Metadata includes recipes, classes, and
677 configuration files.
678 In the context of the kernel ("kernel Metadata"),
679 it refers to Metadata in the <filename>meta</filename>
680 branches of the kernel source Git repositories.
681 </para></listitem>
682 <listitem><para id='oe-core'><emphasis>OE-Core:</emphasis> A core set of Metadata originating
683 with OpenEmbedded (OE) that is shared between OE and the Yocto Project.
684 This Metadata is found in the <filename>meta</filename> directory of the
685 <link linkend='source-directory'>Source Directory</link>.</para></listitem>
686 <listitem><para id='build-system-term'><emphasis>OpenEmbedded Build System:</emphasis>
687 The build system specific to the Yocto Project.
688 The OpenEmbedded build system is based on another project known
689 as "Poky", which uses
690 <link linkend='bitbake-term'>BitBake</link> as the task
691 executor.
692 Throughout the Yocto Project documentation set, the
693 OpenEmbedded build system is sometimes referred to simply
694 as "the build system".
695 If other build systems, such as a host or target build system
696 are referenced, the documentation clearly states the
697 difference.
698 <note>
699 For some historical information about Poky, see the
700 <link linkend='poky'>Poky</link> term.
701 </note>
702 </para></listitem>
703 <listitem><para><emphasis>Package:</emphasis>
704 In the context of the Yocto Project, this term refers to a
705 recipe's packaged output produced by BitBake (i.e. a
706 "baked recipe").
707 A package is generally the compiled binaries produced from the
708 recipe's sources.
709 You "bake" something by running it through BitBake.</para>
710 <para>It is worth noting that the term "package" can, in general, have subtle
711 meanings. For example, the packages referred to in the
712 "<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_QS_URL;#packages'>The Build Host Packages</ulink>" section are
713 compiled binaries that, when installed, add functionality to your Linux
714 distribution.</para>
715 <para>Another point worth noting is that historically within the Yocto Project,
716 recipes were referred to as packages - thus, the existence of several BitBake
717 variables that are seemingly mis-named,
718 (e.g. <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-PR'><filename>PR</filename></ulink>,
719 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-PV'><filename>PV</filename></ulink>, and
720 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-PE'><filename>PE</filename></ulink>).
721 </para></listitem>
722 <listitem><para><emphasis>Package Groups:</emphasis>
723 Arbitrary groups of software Recipes.
724 You use package groups to hold recipes that, when built,
725 usually accomplish a single task.
726 For example, a package group could contain the recipes for a
727 company’s proprietary or value-add software.
728 Or, the package group could contain the recipes that enable
729 graphics.
730 A package group is really just another recipe.
731 Because package group files are recipes, they end with the
732 <filename>.bb</filename> filename extension.</para></listitem>
733 <listitem><para id='poky'><emphasis>Poky:</emphasis>
734 The term "poky" can mean several things.
735 In its most general sense, it is an open-source
736 project that was initially developed by OpenedHand.
737 With OpenedHand, poky was developed off of the existing
738 OpenEmbedded build system becoming a commercially
739 supportable build system for embedded Linux.
740 After Intel Corporation acquired OpenedHand, the
741 project poky became the basis for the Yocto Project's
742 build system.</para>
743 <para>Within the Yocto Project source repositories,
744 <filename>poky</filename> exists as a separate Git
745 repository you can clone to yield a local copy on your
746 host system.
747 Thus, "poky" can refer to the local copy of the Source
748 Directory used for development within the Yocto
749 Project.</para>
750 <para>Finally, "poky" can refer to the default
751 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-DISTRO'><filename>DISTRO</filename></ulink>
752 (i.e. distribution) created when you use the Yocto
753 Project in conjunction with the
754 <filename>poky</filename> repository to build an image.
755 </para></listitem>
756 <listitem><para><emphasis>Recipe:</emphasis>
757 A set of instructions for building packages.
758 A recipe describes where you get source code, which patches
759 to apply, how to configure the source, how to compile it and so on.
760 Recipes also describe dependencies for libraries or for other
761 recipes.
762 Recipes represent the logical unit of execution, the software
763 to build, the images to build, and use the
764 <filename>.bb</filename> file extension.
765 </para></listitem>
766 <listitem>
767 <para id='source-directory'><emphasis>Source Directory:</emphasis>
768 This term refers to the directory structure created as a result
769 of creating a local copy of the <filename>poky</filename> Git
770 repository <filename>git://git.yoctoproject.org/poky</filename>
771 or expanding a released <filename>poky</filename> tarball.
772 <note>
773 Creating a local copy of the <filename>poky</filename>
774 Git repository is the recommended method for setting up
775 your Source Directory.
776 </note>
777 Sometimes you might hear the term "poky directory" used to refer
778 to this directory structure.
779 <note>
780 The OpenEmbedded build system does not support file or
781 directory names that contain spaces.
782 Be sure that the Source Directory you use does not contain
783 these types of names.
784 </note></para>
785
786 <para>The Source Directory contains BitBake, Documentation,
787 Metadata and other files that all support the Yocto Project.
788 Consequently, you must have the Source Directory in place on
789 your development system in order to do any development using
790 the Yocto Project.</para>
791
792 <para>When you create a local copy of the Git repository, you
793 can name the repository anything you like.
794 Throughout much of the documentation, "poky"
795 is used as the name of the top-level folder of the local copy of
796 the poky Git repository.
797 So, for example, cloning the <filename>poky</filename> Git
798 repository results in a local Git repository whose top-level
799 folder is also named "poky".</para>
800
801 <para>While it is not recommended that you use tarball expansion
802 to set up the Source Directory, if you do, the top-level
803 directory name of the Source Directory is derived from the
804 Yocto Project release tarball.
805 For example, downloading and unpacking
806 <filename>&YOCTO_POKY_TARBALL;</filename> results in a
807 Source Directory whose root folder is named
808 <filename>&YOCTO_POKY;</filename>.</para>
809
810 <para>It is important to understand the differences between the
811 Source Directory created by unpacking a released tarball as
812 compared to cloning
813 <filename>git://git.yoctoproject.org/poky</filename>.
814 When you unpack a tarball, you have an exact copy of the files
815 based on the time of release - a fixed release point.
816 Any changes you make to your local files in the Source Directory
817 are on top of the release and will remain local only.
818 On the other hand, when you clone the <filename>poky</filename>
819 Git repository, you have an active development repository with
820 access to the upstream repository's branches and tags.
821 In this case, any local changes you make to the local
822 Source Directory can be later applied to active development
823 branches of the upstream <filename>poky</filename> Git
824 repository.</para>
825
826 <para>For more information on concepts related to Git
827 repositories, branches, and tags, see the
828 "<link linkend='repositories-tags-and-branches'>Repositories, Tags, and Branches</link>"
829 section.</para></listitem>
830 <listitem><para><emphasis>Task:</emphasis>
831 A unit of execution for BitBake (e.g.
832 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#ref-tasks-compile'><filename>do_compile</filename></ulink>,
833 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#ref-tasks-fetch'><filename>do_fetch</filename></ulink>,
834 <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#ref-tasks-patch'><filename>do_patch</filename></ulink>,
835 and so forth).
836 </para></listitem>
837 <listitem><para><emphasis>Upstream:</emphasis> A reference to source code or repositories
838 that are not local to the development system but located in a master area that is controlled
839 by the maintainer of the source code.
840 For example, in order for a developer to work on a particular piece of code, they need to
841 first get a copy of it from an "upstream" source.</para></listitem>
842 </itemizedlist>
843 </para>
844</section>
845
846<section id='licensing'>
847 <title>Licensing</title>
848
849 <para>
850 Because open source projects are open to the public, they have different licensing structures in place.
851 License evolution for both Open Source and Free Software has an interesting history.
852 If you are interested in this history, you can find basic information here:
853 <itemizedlist>
854 <listitem><para><ulink url='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_license'>Open source license history</ulink>
855 </para></listitem>
856 <listitem><para><ulink url='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software_license'>Free software license
857 history</ulink></para></listitem>
858 </itemizedlist>
859 </para>
860
861 <para>
862 In general, the Yocto Project is broadly licensed under the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
863 (MIT) License.
864 MIT licensing permits the reuse of software within proprietary software as long as the
865 license is distributed with that software.
866 MIT is also compatible with the GNU General Public License (GPL).
867 Patches to the Yocto Project follow the upstream licensing scheme.
868 You can find information on the MIT license
869 <ulink url='http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php'>here</ulink>.
870 You can find information on the GNU GPL <ulink url='http://www.opensource.org/licenses/LGPL-3.0'>
871 here</ulink>.
872 </para>
873
874 <para>
875 When you build an image using the Yocto Project, the build process uses a
876 known list of licenses to ensure compliance.
877 You can find this list in the
878 <link linkend='source-directory'>Source Directory</link> at
879 <filename>meta/files/common-licenses</filename>.
880 Once the build completes, the list of all licenses found and used during that build are
881 kept in the
882 <link linkend='build-directory'>Build Directory</link> at
883 <filename>tmp/deploy/licenses</filename>.
884 </para>
885
886 <para>
887 If a module requires a license that is not in the base list, the build process
888 generates a warning during the build.
889 These tools make it easier for a developer to be certain of the licenses with which
890 their shipped products must comply.
891 However, even with these tools it is still up to the developer to resolve potential licensing issues.
892 </para>
893
894 <para>
895 The base list of licenses used by the build process is a combination of the Software Package
896 Data Exchange (SPDX) list and the Open Source Initiative (OSI) projects.
897 <ulink url='http://spdx.org'>SPDX Group</ulink> is a working group of the Linux Foundation
898 that maintains a specification
899 for a standard format for communicating the components, licenses, and copyrights
900 associated with a software package.
901 <ulink url='http://opensource.org'>OSI</ulink> is a corporation dedicated to the Open Source
902 Definition and the effort for reviewing and approving licenses that
903 conform to the Open Source Definition (OSD).
904 </para>
905
906 <para>
907 You can find a list of the combined SPDX and OSI licenses that the
908 Yocto Project uses in the
909 <filename>meta/files/common-licenses</filename> directory in your
910 <link linkend='source-directory'>Source Directory</link>.
911 </para>
912
913 <para>
914 For information that can help you maintain compliance with various
915 open source licensing during the lifecycle of a product created using
916 the Yocto Project, see the
917 "<link linkend='maintaining-open-source-license-compliance-during-your-products-lifecycle'>Maintaining Open Source License Compliance During Your Product's Lifecycle</link>"
918 section.
919 </para>
920</section>
921
922<section id='git'>
923 <title>Git</title>
924
925 <para>
926 The Yocto Project makes extensive use of Git,
927 which is a free, open source distributed version control system.
928 Git supports distributed development, non-linear development, and can handle large projects.
929 It is best that you have some fundamental understanding of how Git tracks projects and
930 how to work with Git if you are going to use the Yocto Project for development.
931 This section provides a quick overview of how Git works and provides you with a summary
932 of some essential Git commands.
933 </para>
934
935 <para>
936 For more information on Git, see
937 <ulink url='http://git-scm.com/documentation'></ulink>.
938 If you need to download Git, go to <ulink url='http://git-scm.com/download'></ulink>.
939 </para>
940
941 <section id='repositories-tags-and-branches'>
942 <title>Repositories, Tags, and Branches</title>
943
944 <para>
945 As mentioned earlier in the section
946 "<link linkend='yocto-project-repositories'>Yocto Project Source Repositories</link>",
947 the Yocto Project maintains source repositories at
948 <ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;/cgit.cgi'></ulink>.
949 If you look at this web-interface of the repositories, each item is a separate
950 Git repository.
951 </para>
952
953 <para>
954 Git repositories use branching techniques that track content change (not files)
955 within a project (e.g. a new feature or updated documentation).
956 Creating a tree-like structure based on project divergence allows for excellent historical
957 information over the life of a project.
958 This methodology also allows for an environment from which you can do lots of
959 local experimentation on projects as you develop changes or new features.
960 </para>
961
962 <para>
963 A Git repository represents all development efforts for a given project.
964 For example, the Git repository <filename>poky</filename> contains all changes
965 and developments for Poky over the course of its entire life.
966 That means that all changes that make up all releases are captured.
967 The repository maintains a complete history of changes.
968 </para>
969
970 <para>
971 You can create a local copy of any repository by "cloning" it with the Git
972 <filename>clone</filename> command.
973 When you clone a Git repository, you end up with an identical copy of the
974 repository on your development system.
975 Once you have a local copy of a repository, you can take steps to develop locally.
976 For examples on how to clone Git repositories, see the
977 "<link linkend='getting-setup'>Getting Set Up</link>" section.
978 </para>
979
980 <para>
981 It is important to understand that Git tracks content change and
982 not files.
983 Git uses "branches" to organize different development efforts.
984 For example, the <filename>poky</filename> repository has
985 several branches that include the current
986 <filename>&DISTRO_NAME;</filename> branch, the
987 <filename>master</filename> branch, and many branches for past
988 Yocto Project releases.
989 You can see all the branches by going to
990 <ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;/cgit.cgi/poky/'></ulink> and
991 clicking on the
992 <filename><ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;/cgit.cgi/poky/refs/heads'>[...]</ulink></filename>
993 link beneath the "Branch" heading.
994 </para>
995
996 <para>
997 Each of these branches represents a specific area of development.
998 The <filename>master</filename> branch represents the current or most recent
999 development.
1000 All other branches represent offshoots of the <filename>master</filename>
1001 branch.
1002 </para>
1003
1004 <para>
1005 When you create a local copy of a Git repository, the copy has the same set
1006 of branches as the original.
1007 This means you can use Git to create a local working area (also called a branch)
1008 that tracks a specific development branch from the source Git repository.
1009 in other words, you can define your local Git environment to work on any development
1010 branch in the repository.
1011 To help illustrate, here is a set of commands that creates a local copy of the
1012 <filename>poky</filename> Git repository and then creates and checks out a local
1013 Git branch that tracks the Yocto Project &DISTRO; Release (&DISTRO_NAME;) development:
1014 <literallayout class='monospaced'>
1015 $ cd ~
1016 $ git clone git://git.yoctoproject.org/poky
1017 $ cd poky
1018 $ git checkout -b &DISTRO_NAME; origin/&DISTRO_NAME;
1019 </literallayout>
1020 In this example, the name of the top-level directory of your local
1021 <link linkend='source-directory'>Source Directory</link>
1022 is "poky" and the name of that local working area (local branch)
1023 you just created and checked out is "&DISTRO_NAME;".
1024 The files in your local repository now reflect the same files that
1025 are in the "&DISTRO_NAME;" development branch of the
1026 Yocto Project's "poky" upstream repository.
1027 It is important to understand that when you create and checkout a
1028 local working branch based on a branch name,
1029 your local environment matches the "tip" of that development branch
1030 at the time you created your local branch, which could be
1031 different from the files at the time of a similarly named release.
1032 In other words, creating and checking out a local branch based on
1033 the "&DISTRO_NAME;" branch name is not the same as
1034 cloning and checking out the "master" branch.
1035 Keep reading to see how you create a local snapshot of a Yocto
1036 Project Release.
1037 </para>
1038
1039 <para>
1040 Git uses "tags" to mark specific changes in a repository.
1041 Typically, a tag is used to mark a special point such as the final
1042 change before a project is released.
1043 You can see the tags used with the <filename>poky</filename> Git
1044 repository by going to
1045 <ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;/cgit.cgi/poky/'></ulink> and
1046 clicking on the
1047 <filename><ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;/cgit.cgi/poky/refs/tags'>[...]</ulink></filename>
1048 link beneath the "Tag" heading.
1049 </para>
1050
1051 <para>
1052 Some key tags are <filename>dylan-9.0.4</filename>,
1053 <filename>dora-10.0.4</filename>, <filename>daisy-11.0.2</filename>,
1054 <filename>dizzy-12.0.0</filename>, and
1055 <filename>&DISTRO_NAME;-&POKYVERSION;</filename>.
1056 These tags represent Yocto Project releases.
1057 </para>
1058
1059 <para>
1060 When you create a local copy of the Git repository, you also have access to all the
1061 tags.
1062 Similar to branches, you can create and checkout a local working Git branch based
1063 on a tag name.
1064 When you do this, you get a snapshot of the Git repository that reflects
1065 the state of the files when the change was made associated with that tag.
1066 The most common use is to checkout a working branch that matches a specific
1067 Yocto Project release.
1068 Here is an example:
1069 <literallayout class='monospaced'>
1070 $ cd ~
1071 $ git clone git://git.yoctoproject.org/poky
1072 $ cd poky
1073 $ git checkout -b my-&DISTRO_NAME;-&POKYVERSION; &DISTRO_NAME;-&POKYVERSION;
1074 </literallayout>
1075 In this example, the name of the top-level directory of your local Yocto Project
1076 Files Git repository is <filename>poky</filename>.
1077 And, the name of the local branch you have created and checked out is
1078 <filename>my-&DISTRO_NAME;-&POKYVERSION;</filename>.
1079 The files in your repository now exactly match the Yocto Project &DISTRO;
1080 Release tag (<filename>&DISTRO_NAME;-&POKYVERSION;</filename>).
1081 It is important to understand that when you create and checkout a local
1082 working branch based on a tag, your environment matches a specific point
1083 in time and not the entire development branch.
1084 </para>
1085 </section>
1086
1087 <section id='basic-commands'>
1088 <title>Basic Commands</title>
1089
1090 <para>
1091 Git has an extensive set of commands that lets you manage changes and perform
1092 collaboration over the life of a project.
1093 Conveniently though, you can manage with a small set of basic operations and workflows
1094 once you understand the basic philosophy behind Git.
1095 You do not have to be an expert in Git to be functional.
1096 A good place to look for instruction on a minimal set of Git commands is
1097 <ulink url='http://git-scm.com/documentation'>here</ulink>.
1098 If you need to download Git, you can do so
1099 <ulink url='http://git-scm.com/download'>here</ulink>, although
1100 any reasonably current Linux distribution should already have an
1101 installable package for Git.
1102 </para>
1103
1104 <para>
1105 If you do not know much about Git, you should educate
1106 yourself by visiting the links previously mentioned.
1107 </para>
1108
1109 <para>
1110 The following list briefly describes some basic Git operations as a way to get started.
1111 As with any set of commands, this list (in most cases) simply shows the base command and
1112 omits the many arguments they support.
1113 See the Git documentation for complete descriptions and strategies on how to use these commands:
1114 <itemizedlist>
1115 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>git init</filename>:</emphasis> Initializes an empty Git repository.
1116 You cannot use Git commands unless you have a <filename>.git</filename> repository.</para></listitem>
1117 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>git clone</filename>:</emphasis>
1118 Creates a local clone of a Git repository.
1119 During collaboration, this command allows you to create a
1120 local Git repository that is on equal footing with a fellow
1121 developer’s Git repository.
1122 </para></listitem>
1123 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>git add</filename>:</emphasis> Stages updated file contents
1124 to the index that
1125 Git uses to track changes.
1126 You must stage all files that have changed before you can commit them.</para></listitem>
1127 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>git commit</filename>:</emphasis> Creates a "commit" that documents
1128 the changes you made.
1129 Commits are used for historical purposes, for determining if a maintainer of a project
1130 will allow the change, and for ultimately pushing the change from your local Git repository
1131 into the project’s upstream (or master) repository.</para></listitem>
1132 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>git status</filename>:</emphasis> Reports any modified files that
1133 possibly need to be staged and committed.</para></listitem>
1134 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>git checkout &lt;branch-name&gt;</filename>:</emphasis> Changes
1135 your working branch.
1136 This command is analogous to "cd".</para></listitem>
1137 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>git checkout –b &lt;working-branch&gt;</filename>:</emphasis> Creates
1138 a working branch on your local machine where you can isolate work.
1139 It is a good idea to use local branches when adding specific features or changes.
1140 This way if you do not like what you have done you can easily get rid of the work.</para></listitem>
1141 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>git branch</filename>:</emphasis> Reports
1142 existing local branches and
1143 tells you the branch in which you are currently working.</para></listitem>
1144 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>git branch -D &lt;branch-name&gt;</filename>:</emphasis>
1145 Deletes an existing local branch.
1146 You need to be in a local branch other than the one you are deleting
1147 in order to delete <filename>&lt;branch-name&gt;</filename>.</para></listitem>
1148 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>git pull</filename>:</emphasis> Retrieves information
1149 from an upstream Git
1150 repository and places it in your local Git repository.
1151 You use this command to make sure you are synchronized with the repository
1152 from which you are basing changes (.e.g. the master branch).</para></listitem>
1153 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>git push</filename>:</emphasis>
1154 Sends all your committed local changes to an upstream Git
1155 repository (e.g. a contribution repository).
1156 The maintainer of the project draws from these repositories
1157 when adding changes to the project’s master repository or
1158 other development branch.
1159 </para></listitem>
1160 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>git merge</filename>:</emphasis> Combines or adds changes from one
1161 local branch of your repository with another branch.
1162 When you create a local Git repository, the default branch is named "master".
1163 A typical workflow is to create a temporary branch for isolated work, make and commit your
1164 changes, switch to your local master branch, merge the changes from the temporary branch into the
1165 local master branch, and then delete the temporary branch.</para></listitem>
1166 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>git cherry-pick</filename>:</emphasis> Choose and apply specific
1167 commits from one branch into another branch.
1168 There are times when you might not be able to merge all the changes in one branch with
1169 another but need to pick out certain ones.</para></listitem>
1170 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>gitk</filename>:</emphasis> Provides a GUI view of the branches
1171 and changes in your local Git repository.
1172 This command is a good way to graphically see where things have diverged in your
1173 local repository.</para></listitem>
1174 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>git log</filename>:</emphasis> Reports a history of your changes to the
1175 repository.</para></listitem>
1176 <listitem><para><emphasis><filename>git diff</filename>:</emphasis> Displays line-by-line differences
1177 between your local working files and the same files in the upstream Git repository that your
1178 branch currently tracks.</para></listitem>
1179 </itemizedlist>
1180 </para>
1181 </section>
1182</section>
1183
1184<section id='workflows'>
1185 <title>Workflows</title>
1186
1187 <para>
1188 This section provides some overview on workflows using Git.
1189 In particular, the information covers basic practices that describe roles and actions in a
1190 collaborative development environment.
1191 Again, if you are familiar with this type of development environment, you might want to just
1192 skip this section.
1193 </para>
1194
1195 <para>
1196 The Yocto Project files are maintained using Git in a "master" branch whose Git history
1197 tracks every change and whose structure provides branches for all diverging functionality.
1198 Although there is no need to use Git, many open source projects do so.
1199 For the Yocto Project, a key individual called the "maintainer" is responsible for the "master"
1200 branch of a given Git repository.
1201 The "master" branch is the “upstream” repository where the final builds of the project occur.
1202 The maintainer is responsible for accepting changes from other developers and for
1203 organizing the underlying branch structure to reflect release strategies and so forth.
1204 <note>For information on finding out who is responsible for (maintains)
1205 a particular area of code, see the
1206 "<link linkend='how-to-submit-a-change'>How to Submit a Change</link>"
1207 section.
1208 </note>
1209 </para>
1210
1211 <para>
1212 The project also has an upstream contribution Git repository named
1213 <filename>poky-contrib</filename>.
1214 You can see all the branches in this repository using the web interface
1215 of the
1216 <ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;'>Source Repositories</ulink> organized
1217 within the "Poky Support" area.
1218 These branches temporarily hold changes to the project that have been
1219 submitted or committed by the Yocto Project development team and by
1220 community members who contribute to the project.
1221 The maintainer determines if the changes are qualified to be moved
1222 from the "contrib" branches into the "master" branch of the Git
1223 repository.
1224 </para>
1225
1226 <para>
1227 Developers (including contributing community members) create and maintain cloned repositories
1228 of the upstream "master" branch.
1229 These repositories are local to their development platforms and are used to develop changes.
1230 When a developer is satisfied with a particular feature or change, they "push" the changes
1231 to the appropriate "contrib" repository.
1232 </para>
1233
1234 <para>
1235 Developers are responsible for keeping their local repository up-to-date with "master".
1236 They are also responsible for straightening out any conflicts that might arise within files
1237 that are being worked on simultaneously by more than one person.
1238 All this work is done locally on the developer’s machines before anything is pushed to a
1239 "contrib" area and examined at the maintainer’s level.
1240 </para>
1241
1242 <para>
1243 A somewhat formal method exists by which developers commit changes and push them into the
1244 "contrib" area and subsequently request that the maintainer include them into "master"
1245 This process is called “submitting a patch” or "submitting a change."
1246 For information on submitting patches and changes, see the
1247 "<link linkend='how-to-submit-a-change'>How to Submit a Change</link>" section.
1248 </para>
1249
1250 <para>
1251 To summarize the environment: a single point of entry exists for
1252 changes into the project’s "master" branch of the Git repository,
1253 which is controlled by the project’s maintainer.
1254 And, a set of developers exist who independently develop, test, and
1255 submit changes to "contrib" areas for the maintainer to examine.
1256 The maintainer then chooses which changes are going to become a
1257 permanent part of the project.
1258 </para>
1259
1260 <para>
1261 <imagedata fileref="figures/git-workflow.png" width="6in" depth="3in" align="left" scalefit="1" />
1262 </para>
1263
1264 <para>
1265 While each development environment is unique, there are some best practices or methods
1266 that help development run smoothly.
1267 The following list describes some of these practices.
1268 For more information about Git workflows, see the workflow topics in the
1269 <ulink url='http://book.git-scm.com'>Git Community Book</ulink>.
1270 <itemizedlist>
1271 <listitem><para><emphasis>Make Small Changes:</emphasis> It is best to keep the changes you commit
1272 small as compared to bundling many disparate changes into a single commit.
1273 This practice not only keeps things manageable but also allows the maintainer
1274 to more easily include or refuse changes.</para>
1275 <para>It is also good practice to leave the repository in a state that allows you to
1276 still successfully build your project. In other words, do not commit half of a feature,
1277 then add the other half as a separate, later commit.
1278 Each commit should take you from one buildable project state to another
1279 buildable state.</para></listitem>
1280 <listitem><para><emphasis>Use Branches Liberally:</emphasis> It is very easy to create, use, and
1281 delete local branches in your working Git repository.
1282 You can name these branches anything you like.
1283 It is helpful to give them names associated with the particular feature or change
1284 on which you are working.
1285 Once you are done with a feature or change and have merged it
1286 into your local master branch, simply discard the temporary
1287 branch.</para></listitem>
1288 <listitem><para><emphasis>Merge Changes:</emphasis> The <filename>git merge</filename>
1289 command allows you to take the
1290 changes from one branch and fold them into another branch.
1291 This process is especially helpful when more than a single developer might be working
1292 on different parts of the same feature.
1293 Merging changes also automatically identifies any collisions or "conflicts"
1294 that might happen as a result of the same lines of code being altered by two different
1295 developers.</para></listitem>
1296 <listitem><para><emphasis>Manage Branches:</emphasis> Because branches are easy to use, you should
1297 use a system where branches indicate varying levels of code readiness.
1298 For example, you can have a "work" branch to develop in, a "test" branch where the code or
1299 change is tested, a "stage" branch where changes are ready to be committed, and so forth.
1300 As your project develops, you can merge code across the branches to reflect ever-increasing
1301 stable states of the development.</para></listitem>
1302 <listitem><para><emphasis>Use Push and Pull:</emphasis> The push-pull workflow is based on the
1303 concept of developers "pushing" local commits to a remote repository, which is
1304 usually a contribution repository.
1305 This workflow is also based on developers "pulling" known states of the project down into their
1306 local development repositories.
1307 The workflow easily allows you to pull changes submitted by other developers from the
1308 upstream repository into your work area ensuring that you have the most recent software
1309 on which to develop.
1310 The Yocto Project has two scripts named <filename>create-pull-request</filename> and
1311 <filename>send-pull-request</filename> that ship with the release to facilitate this
1312 workflow.
1313 You can find these scripts in the <filename>scripts</filename>
1314 folder of the
1315 <link linkend='source-directory'>Source Directory</link>.
1316 For information on how to use these scripts, see the
1317 "<link linkend='pushing-a-change-upstream'>Using Scripts to Push a Change Upstream and Request a Pull</link>" section.
1318 </para></listitem>
1319 <listitem><para><emphasis>Patch Workflow:</emphasis> This workflow allows you to notify the
1320 maintainer through an email that you have a change (or patch) you would like considered
1321 for the "master" branch of the Git repository.
1322 To send this type of change, you format the patch and then send the email using the Git commands
1323 <filename>git format-patch</filename> and <filename>git send-email</filename>.
1324 For information on how to use these scripts, see the
1325 "<link linkend='how-to-submit-a-change'>How to Submit a Change</link>"
1326 section.
1327 </para></listitem>
1328 </itemizedlist>
1329 </para>
1330</section>
1331
1332<section id='tracking-bugs'>
1333 <title>Tracking Bugs</title>
1334
1335 <para>
1336 The Yocto Project uses its own implementation of
1337 <ulink url='http://www.bugzilla.org/about/'>Bugzilla</ulink> to track bugs.
1338 Implementations of Bugzilla work well for group development because they track bugs and code
1339 changes, can be used to communicate changes and problems with developers, can be used to
1340 submit and review patches, and can be used to manage quality assurance.
1341 The home page for the Yocto Project implementation of Bugzilla is
1342 <ulink url='&YOCTO_BUGZILLA_URL;'>&YOCTO_BUGZILLA_URL;</ulink>.
1343 </para>
1344
1345 <para>
1346 Sometimes it is helpful to submit, investigate, or track a bug against the Yocto Project itself
1347 such as when discovering an issue with some component of the build system that acts contrary
1348 to the documentation or your expectations.
1349 Following is the general procedure for submitting a new bug using the Yocto Project
1350 Bugzilla.
1351 You can find more information on defect management, bug tracking, and feature request
1352 processes all accomplished through the Yocto Project Bugzilla on the
1353 <ulink url='&YOCTO_WIKI_URL;/wiki/Bugzilla_Configuration_and_Bug_Tracking'>wiki page</ulink>.
1354 <orderedlist>
1355 <listitem><para>Always use the Yocto Project implementation of Bugzilla to submit
1356 a bug.</para></listitem>
1357 <listitem><para>When submitting a new bug, be sure to choose the appropriate
1358 Classification, Product, and Component for which the issue was found.
1359 Defects for the Yocto Project fall into one of seven classifications:
1360 Yocto Project Components, Infrastructure, Build System &amp; Metadata,
1361 Documentation, QA/Testing, Runtime and Hardware.
1362 Each of these Classifications break down into multiple Products and, in some
1363 cases, multiple Components.</para></listitem>
1364 <listitem><para>Use the bug form to choose the correct Hardware and Architecture
1365 for which the bug applies.</para></listitem>
1366 <listitem><para>Indicate the Yocto Project version you were using when the issue
1367 occurred.</para></listitem>
1368 <listitem><para>Be sure to indicate the Severity of the bug.
1369 Severity communicates how the bug impacted your work.</para></listitem>
1370 <listitem><para>Select the appropriate "Documentation change" item
1371 for the bug.
1372 Fixing a bug may or may not affect the Yocto Project
1373 documentation.</para></listitem>
1374 <listitem><para>Provide a brief summary of the issue.
1375 Try to limit your summary to just a line or two and be sure to capture the
1376 essence of the issue.</para></listitem>
1377 <listitem><para>Provide a detailed description of the issue.
1378 You should provide as much detail as you can about the context, behavior, output,
1379 and so forth that surrounds the issue.
1380 You can even attach supporting files for output from logs by
1381 using the "Add an attachment" button.</para></listitem>
1382 <listitem><para>Be sure to copy the appropriate people in the
1383 "CC List" for the bug.
1384 See the "<link linkend='how-to-submit-a-change'>How to Submit a Change</link>"
1385 section for information about finding out who is responsible
1386 for code.</para></listitem>
1387 <listitem><para>Submit the bug by clicking the "Submit Bug" button.</para></listitem>
1388 </orderedlist>
1389 </para>
1390</section>
1391
1392<section id='how-to-submit-a-change'>
1393 <title>How to Submit a Change</title>
1394
1395 <para>
1396 Contributions to the Yocto Project and OpenEmbedded are very welcome.
1397 Because the system is extremely configurable and flexible, we recognize that developers
1398 will want to extend, configure or optimize it for their specific uses.
1399 You should send patches to the appropriate mailing list so that they
1400 can be reviewed and merged by the appropriate maintainer.
1401 </para>
1402
1403 <para>
1404 Before submitting any change, be sure to find out who you should be
1405 notifying.
1406 Several methods exist through which you find out who you should be copying
1407 or notifying:
1408 <itemizedlist>
1409 <listitem><para><emphasis>Maintenance File:</emphasis>
1410 Examine the <filename>maintainers.inc</filename> file, which is
1411 located in the
1412 <link linkend='source-directory'>Source Directory</link>
1413 at <filename>meta-yocto/conf/distro/include</filename>, to
1414 see who is responsible for code.
1415 </para></listitem>
1416 <listitem><para><emphasis>Board Support Package (BSP) README Files:</emphasis>
1417 For BSP maintainers of supported BSPs, you can examine
1418 individual BSP <filename>README</filename> files.
1419 In addition, some layers (such as the <filename>meta-intel</filename> layer),
1420 include a <filename>MAINTAINERS</filename> file which contains
1421 a list of all supported BSP maintainers for that layer.
1422 </para></listitem>
1423 <listitem><para><emphasis>Search by File:</emphasis>
1424 Using <link linkend='git'>Git</link>, you can enter the
1425 following command to bring up a short list of all commits
1426 against a specific file:
1427 <literallayout class='monospaced'>
1428 git shortlog -- <replaceable>filename</replaceable>
1429 </literallayout>
1430 Just provide the name of the file for which you are interested.
1431 The information returned is not ordered by history but does
1432 include a list of all committers grouped by name.
1433 From the list, you can see who is responsible for the bulk of
1434 the changes against the file.
1435 </para></listitem>
1436 </itemizedlist>
1437 </para>
1438
1439 <para>
1440 For a list of the Yocto Project and related mailing lists, see the
1441 "<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#resources-mailinglist'>Mailing lists</ulink>" section in
1442 the Yocto Project Reference Manual.
1443 </para>
1444
1445 <para>
1446 Here is some guidance on which mailing list to use for what type of change:
1447 <itemizedlist>
1448 <listitem><para>For changes to the core
1449 <link linkend='metadata'>Metadata</link>, send your patch to the
1450 <ulink url='&OE_LISTS_URL;/listinfo/openembedded-core'>openembedded-core</ulink> mailing list.
1451 For example, a change to anything under the <filename>meta</filename> or
1452 <filename>scripts</filename> directories
1453 should be sent to this mailing list.</para></listitem>
1454 <listitem><para>For changes to BitBake (anything under the <filename>bitbake</filename>
1455 directory), send your patch to the
1456 <ulink url='&OE_LISTS_URL;/listinfo/bitbake-devel'>bitbake-devel</ulink> mailing list.</para></listitem>
1457 <listitem><para>For changes to <filename>meta-yocto</filename>, send your patch to the
1458 <ulink url='&YOCTO_LISTS_URL;/listinfo/poky'>poky</ulink> mailing list.</para></listitem>
1459 <listitem><para>For changes to other layers hosted on
1460 <filename>yoctoproject.org</filename> (unless the
1461 layer's documentation specifies otherwise), tools, and Yocto Project
1462 documentation, use the
1463 <ulink url='&YOCTO_LISTS_URL;/listinfo/yocto'>yocto</ulink> mailing list.</para></listitem>
1464 <listitem><para>For additional recipes that do not fit into the core Metadata,
1465 you should determine which layer the recipe should go into and submit the
1466 change in the manner recommended by the documentation (e.g. README) supplied
1467 with the layer. If in doubt, please ask on the
1468 <ulink url='&YOCTO_LISTS_URL;/listinfo/yocto'>yocto</ulink> or
1469 <ulink url='&OE_LISTS_URL;/listinfo/openembedded-devel'>openembedded-devel</ulink>
1470 mailing lists.</para></listitem>
1471 </itemizedlist>
1472 </para>
1473
1474 <para>
1475 When you send a patch, be sure to include a "Signed-off-by:"
1476 line in the same style as required by the Linux kernel.
1477 Adding this line signifies that you, the submitter, have agreed to the Developer's Certificate of Origin 1.1
1478 as follows:
1479 <literallayout class='monospaced'>
1480 Developer's Certificate of Origin 1.1
1481
1482 By making a contribution to this project, I certify that:
1483
1484 (a) The contribution was created in whole or in part by me and I
1485 have the right to submit it under the open source license
1486 indicated in the file; or
1487
1488 (b) The contribution is based upon previous work that, to the best
1489 of my knowledge, is covered under an appropriate open source
1490 license and I have the right under that license to submit that
1491 work with modifications, whether created in whole or in part
1492 by me, under the same open source license (unless I am
1493 permitted to submit under a different license), as indicated
1494 in the file; or
1495
1496 (c) The contribution was provided directly to me by some other
1497 person who certified (a), (b) or (c) and I have not modified
1498 it.
1499
1500 (d) I understand and agree that this project and the contribution
1501 are public and that a record of the contribution (including all
1502 personal information I submit with it, including my sign-off) is
1503 maintained indefinitely and may be redistributed consistent with
1504 this project or the open source license(s) involved.
1505 </literallayout>
1506 </para>
1507
1508 <para>
1509 In a collaborative environment, it is necessary to have some sort of standard
1510 or method through which you submit changes.
1511 Otherwise, things could get quite chaotic.
1512 One general practice to follow is to make small, controlled changes.
1513 Keeping changes small and isolated aids review, makes merging/rebasing easier
1514 and keeps the change history clean when anyone needs to refer to it in future.
1515 </para>
1516
1517 <para>
1518 When you make a commit, you must follow certain standards established by the
1519 OpenEmbedded and Yocto Project development teams.
1520 For each commit, you must provide a single-line summary of the change and you
1521 should almost always provide a more detailed description of what you did (i.e.
1522 the body of the commit message).
1523 The only exceptions for not providing a detailed description would be if your
1524 change is a simple, self-explanatory change that needs no further description
1525 beyond the summary.
1526 Here are the guidelines for composing a commit message:
1527 <itemizedlist>
1528 <listitem><para>Provide a single-line, short summary of the change.
1529 This summary is typically viewable in the "shortlist" of changes.
1530 Thus, providing something short and descriptive that gives the reader
1531 a summary of the change is useful when viewing a list of many commits.
1532 This short description should be prefixed by the recipe name (if changing a recipe), or
1533 else the short form path to the file being changed.
1534 </para></listitem>
1535 <listitem><para>For the body of the commit message, provide detailed information
1536 that describes what you changed, why you made the change, and the approach
1537 you used. It may also be helpful if you mention how you tested the change.
1538 Provide as much detail as you can in the body of the commit message.
1539 </para></listitem>
1540 <listitem><para>
1541 If the change addresses a specific bug or issue that is
1542 associated with a bug-tracking ID, include a reference to that
1543 ID in your detailed description.
1544 For example, the Yocto Project uses a specific convention for
1545 bug references - any commit that addresses a specific bug should
1546 use the following form for the detailed description:
1547 <literallayout class='monospaced'>
1548 Fixes [YOCTO #<replaceable>bug-id</replaceable>]
1549
1550 <replaceable>detailed description of change</replaceable>
1551 </literallayout></para></listitem>
1552 Where <replaceable>bug-id</replaceable> is replaced with the
1553 specific bug ID from the Yocto Project Bugzilla instance.
1554 </itemizedlist>
1555 </para>
1556
1557 <para>
1558 You can find more guidance on creating well-formed commit messages at this OpenEmbedded
1559 wiki page:
1560 <ulink url='&OE_HOME_URL;/wiki/Commit_Patch_Message_Guidelines'></ulink>.
1561 </para>
1562
1563 <para>
1564 The next two sections describe general instructions for both pushing
1565 changes upstream and for submitting changes as patches.
1566 </para>
1567
1568 <section id='pushing-a-change-upstream'>
1569 <title>Using Scripts to Push a Change Upstream and Request a Pull</title>
1570
1571 <para>
1572 The basic flow for pushing a change to an upstream "contrib" Git repository is as follows:
1573 <itemizedlist>
1574 <listitem><para>Make your changes in your local Git repository.</para></listitem>
1575 <listitem><para>Stage your changes by using the <filename>git add</filename>
1576 command on each file you changed.</para></listitem>
1577 <listitem><para>
1578 Commit the change by using the
1579 <filename>git commit</filename> command.
1580 Be sure to provide a commit message that follows the
1581 project’s commit message standards as described earlier.
1582 </para></listitem>
1583 <listitem><para>
1584 Push the change to the upstream "contrib" repository by
1585 using the <filename>git push</filename> command.
1586 </para></listitem>
1587 <listitem><para>Notify the maintainer that you have pushed a change by making a pull
1588 request.
1589 The Yocto Project provides two scripts that conveniently let you generate and send
1590 pull requests to the Yocto Project.
1591 These scripts are <filename>create-pull-request</filename> and
1592 <filename>send-pull-request</filename>.
1593 You can find these scripts in the <filename>scripts</filename> directory
1594 within the <link linkend='source-directory'>Source Directory</link>.</para>
1595 <para>Using these scripts correctly formats the requests without introducing any
1596 whitespace or HTML formatting.
1597 The maintainer that receives your patches needs to be able to save and apply them
1598 directly from your emails.
1599 Using these scripts is the preferred method for sending patches.</para>
1600 <para>For help on using these scripts, simply provide the
1601 <filename>-h</filename> argument as follows:
1602 <literallayout class='monospaced'>
1603 $ poky/scripts/create-pull-request -h
1604 $ poky/scripts/send-pull-request -h
1605 </literallayout></para></listitem>
1606 </itemizedlist>
1607 </para>
1608
1609 <para>
1610 You can find general Git information on how to push a change upstream in the
1611 <ulink url='http://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Distributed-Git-Distributed-Workflows'>Git Community Book</ulink>.
1612 </para>
1613 </section>
1614
1615 <section id='submitting-a-patch'>
1616 <title>Using Email to Submit a Patch</title>
1617
1618 <para>
1619 You can submit patches without using the <filename>create-pull-request</filename> and
1620 <filename>send-pull-request</filename> scripts described in the previous section.
1621 However, keep in mind, the preferred method is to use the scripts.
1622 </para>
1623
1624 <para>
1625 Depending on the components changed, you need to submit the email to a specific
1626 mailing list.
1627 For some guidance on which mailing list to use, see the list in the
1628 "<link linkend='how-to-submit-a-change'>How to Submit a Change</link>"
1629 section.
1630 For a description of the available mailing lists, see the
1631 "<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#resources-mailinglist'>Mailing Lists</ulink>"
1632 section in the Yocto Project Reference Manual.
1633 </para>
1634
1635 <para>
1636 Here is the general procedure on how to submit a patch through email without using the
1637 scripts:
1638 <itemizedlist>
1639 <listitem><para>Make your changes in your local Git repository.</para></listitem>
1640 <listitem><para>Stage your changes by using the <filename>git add</filename>
1641 command on each file you changed.</para></listitem>
1642 <listitem><para>Commit the change by using the
1643 <filename>git commit --signoff</filename> command.
1644 Using the <filename>--signoff</filename> option identifies you as the person
1645 making the change and also satisfies the Developer's Certificate of
1646 Origin (DCO) shown earlier.</para>
1647 <para>When you form a commit, you must follow certain standards established by the
1648 Yocto Project development team.
1649 See the earlier section
1650 "<link linkend='how-to-submit-a-change'>How to Submit a Change</link>"
1651 for Yocto Project commit message standards.</para></listitem>
1652 <listitem><para>Format the commit into an email message.
1653 To format commits, use the <filename>git format-patch</filename> command.
1654 When you provide the command, you must include a revision list or a number of patches
1655 as part of the command.
1656 For example, either of these two commands takes your most
1657 recent single commit and formats it as an email message in
1658 the current directory:
1659 <literallayout class='monospaced'>
1660 $ git format-patch -1
1661 </literallayout>
1662 or
1663 <literallayout class='monospaced'>
1664 $ git format-patch HEAD~
1665 </literallayout></para>
1666 <para>After the command is run, the current directory contains a
1667 numbered <filename>.patch</filename> file for the commit.</para>
1668 <para>If you provide several commits as part of the command,
1669 the <filename>git format-patch</filename> command produces a
1670 series of numbered files in the current directory – one for each commit.
1671 If you have more than one patch, you should also use the
1672 <filename>--cover</filename> option with the command, which generates a
1673 cover letter as the first "patch" in the series.
1674 You can then edit the cover letter to provide a description for
1675 the series of patches.
1676 For information on the <filename>git format-patch</filename> command,
1677 see <filename>GIT_FORMAT_PATCH(1)</filename> displayed using the
1678 <filename>man git-format-patch</filename> command.</para>
1679 <note>If you are or will be a frequent contributor to the Yocto Project
1680 or to OpenEmbedded, you might consider requesting a contrib area and the
1681 necessary associated rights.</note></listitem>
1682 <listitem><para>Import the files into your mail client by using the
1683 <filename>git send-email</filename> command.
1684 <note>In order to use <filename>git send-email</filename>, you must have the
1685 the proper Git packages installed.
1686 For Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora the package is <filename>git-email</filename>.</note></para>
1687 <para>The <filename>git send-email</filename> command sends email by using a local
1688 or remote Mail Transport Agent (MTA) such as
1689 <filename>msmtp</filename>, <filename>sendmail</filename>, or through a direct
1690 <filename>smtp</filename> configuration in your Git <filename>config</filename>
1691 file.
1692 If you are submitting patches through email only, it is very important
1693 that you submit them without any whitespace or HTML formatting that
1694 either you or your mailer introduces.
1695 The maintainer that receives your patches needs to be able to save and
1696 apply them directly from your emails.
1697 A good way to verify that what you are sending will be applicable by the
1698 maintainer is to do a dry run and send them to yourself and then
1699 save and apply them as the maintainer would.</para>
1700 <para>The <filename>git send-email</filename> command is the preferred method
1701 for sending your patches since there is no risk of compromising whitespace
1702 in the body of the message, which can occur when you use your own mail client.
1703 The command also has several options that let you
1704 specify recipients and perform further editing of the email message.
1705 For information on how to use the <filename>git send-email</filename> command,
1706 see <filename>GIT-SEND-EMAIL(1)</filename> displayed using
1707 the <filename>man git-send-email</filename> command.
1708 </para></listitem>
1709 </itemizedlist>
1710 </para>
1711 </section>
1712</section>
1713</chapter>
1714<!--
1715vim: expandtab tw=80 ts=4
1716-->