Help users to avoid a few pitfalls, as they might be the real reason why the kernel is acting up somehow. Signed-off-by: Thorsten Leemhuis <linux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> --- Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst | 35 ++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 35 insertions(+) diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst index 5f6d3b2b55f9..234731cd0c78 100644 --- a/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst @@ -624,6 +624,41 @@ module not part of the Linux kernel. That why your might need to uninstall the packages with such software to get rid of any 3rd party kernel module. +Ensure a healthy environment +---------------------------- + + *Make sure it's not the kernel's surroundings that are causing the issue + you face.* + +Problems that look a lot like a kernel issue are sometimes caused by build or +runtime environment. It's hard to rule out that problem completely, but you +should minimize it: + + * Use proven tools when building your kernel, as bugs in the compiler or the + binutils can cause the resulting kernel to misbehave. + + * Ensure your computer components run within their design specifications; + that's especially important for the main processor, the main memory, and the + motherboard. Therefore, stop undervolting or overclocking when facing a + potential kernel issue. + + * Try to make sure it's not faulty hardware that is causing your issue. Bad + main memory for example can result in a multitude of issues that will + manifest itself in problems looking like kernel issues. + + * If you're dealing with a filesystem issue, you might want to check the file + system in question with ``fsck``, as it might be damaged in a way that leads + to unexpected kernel behavior. + + * When dealing with a regression, make sure it's not something else that + changed in parallel to updating the kernel. The problem for example might be + caused by other software that was updated at the same time. It can also + happen that a hardware component coincidentally just broke when you rebooted + into a new kernel for the first time. Updating the systems BIOS or changing + something in the BIOS Setup can also lead to problems that on look a lot + like a kernel regression. + + .. ############################################################################ .. Temporary marker added while this document is rewritten. Sections above .. are new and dual-licensed under GPLv2+ and CC-BY 4.0, those below are old. -- 2.28.0
