Learn how to make your first kernel contribution, and what you should know before getting started.
One of the biggest—and the fastest moving—open source projects, the Linux kernel, is composed of about 53,600 files and nearly 20-million lines of code. With more than 15,600 programmers contributing to the project worldwide, the Linux kernel follows a maintainer model for collaboration. In this article, I'll provide a quick checklist of steps involved with making your first kernel contribution, and look at what you should know before submitting a patch. For a more in-depth look at the submission process for contributing your first patch, read the KernelNewbies First Kernel Patch tutorial. Contributing to the kernel Step 1: Prepare your system. Steps in this article