linux.git/Documentation/process/maintainer-netdev.rst, branch v7.3-rc2

docs: netdev: clarify expected interactions with LLMs

2026-07-28T01:03:26+00:00

The official documentation has not captured yet the current impact of
AI-generated reviews on the patch process.

Explicitly state the status quo and expectations.

Signed-off-by: Paolo Abeni 
Reviewed-by: Nicolai Buchwitz 
Reviewed-by: Matthieu Baerts (NGI0) 
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/83360de7addb13a3b5f4d5e722148f248fdb2ae0.1784884817.git.pabeni@redhat.com
Signed-off-by: Jakub Kicinski

docs: netdev: clarify handling of idle patches

2026-07-28T01:03:25+00:00

Off-list pings are very bad, but unfortunately too common. Explicitly
state that, so that at least LLMs could learn it.

Signed-off-by: Paolo Abeni 
Reviewed-by: Nicolai Buchwitz 
Reviewed-by: Matthieu Baerts (NGI0) 
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/38b75373f813354ad0ee8bfde12ae5a42e9a11b6.1784884817.git.pabeni@redhat.com
Signed-off-by: Jakub Kicinski

docs: maintainer-netdev: fix typo in "targeting"

2026-04-23T03:16:58+00:00

Fix spelling mistake "targgeting" -> "targeting" in
maintainer-netdev.rst

No functional change.

Signed-off-by: Ariful Islam Shoikot 
Reviewed-by: Breno Leitao 
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20260420114554.1026-1-islamarifulshoikat@gmail.com
Signed-off-by: Jakub Kicinski

docs: netdev: improve wording of reviewer guidance

2026-04-09T02:03:00+00:00

Reword the reviewer guidance based on behavior we see on the list.
Steer folks:
 - towards sending tags
 - away from process issues.

Reviewed-by: Joe Damato 
Reviewed-by: Nicolai Buchwitz 
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20260406175334.3153451-1-kuba@kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Jakub Kicinski

docs: netdev: refine netdevsim testing guidance

2026-03-06T21:18:04+00:00

The library to create tests for both NIC HW and netdevsim has existed
for almost a year. netdevsim-only tests we get increasingly feel like
a waste, we should try to write tests that work both on netdevsim and
real HW. Refine the guidance accordingly.

Reviewed-by: Simon Horman 
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20260304151647.2770466-1-kuba@kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Jakub Kicinski

docs: netdev: refine 15-patch limit

2026-01-17T23:59:25+00:00

The 15 patch limit is intended by the maintainers to cover
all outstanding patches on the mailing list on a per-tree basis.
Not just those in a single patchset. Document this practice accordingly.

Signed-off-by: Simon Horman 
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20260115-15-minutes-of-fame-v2-1-70cbf0883aff@kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Jakub Kicinski

docs: netdev: refine the clean-up patch examples

2025-08-19T00:39:32+00:00

We discourage sending trivial patches to clean up checkpatch warnings.
There are other tools which lead to patches of similarly low value
like some coccicheck warnings. The warnings are useful for new code
but fixing them in the existing code base is a waste of review time.

Broaden the example given in the doc a little bit.

Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20250815165242.124240-1-kuba@kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Jakub Kicinski

docs: netdev: correct the heading level for co-posting selftests

2025-06-27T22:31:24+00:00

"Co-posting selftests" belongs in the "netdev patch review" section,
same as "co-posting changes to user space components". It was
erroneously added as its own section.

Reviewed-by: Bagas Sanjaya 
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20250626182055.4161905-1-kuba@kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Jakub Kicinski

docs: netdev: add a note on selftest posting

2025-03-11T12:31:26+00:00

We haven't had much discussion on the list about this, but
a handful of people have been confused about rules on
posting selftests for fixes, lately. I tend to post fixes
with their respective selftests in the same series.
There are tradeoffs around size of the net tree and conflicts
but so far it hasn't been a major issue.

Signed-off-by: Jakub Kicinski 
Acked-by: Cong Wang 
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20250306180533.1864075-1-kuba@kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Paolo Abeni

docs: netdev: document requirements for Supported status

2025-01-14T22:28:37+00:00

As announced back in April, require running upstream tests
to maintain Supported status for NIC drivers:

  https://lore.kernel.org/20240425114200.3effe773@kernel.org

Multiple vendors have been "working on it" for months.
Let's make it official.

Reviewed-by: Simon Horman 
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/20250111024359.3678956-1-kuba@kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Jakub Kicinski