This file documents how the `mkpatch' program works. ------------------------------------------------------------ QUICKSTART ---------- mkpatch/mkpatch.pl . /usr/src/linux > /tmp/patch cd /usr/src/linux patch -p1 < /tmp/patch USAGE ----- mkpatch compares the newest lm_sensors sources with what is found in a kernel, and generates a set of diffs. These diffs can be applied to that kernel, after which the kernel is synchronized with the current lm_sensors sources. You should generally run mkpatch against a kernel tree that has been patched with the newest I2C sources. Check the lm_sensors "Download" page for information on dependencies between lm_sensors and i2c versions. mkpatch needs two arguments. The first is the root of the lm_sensors package, the second is the root of Linux kernel tree. For example: cd /tmp/lm_sensors-2.4.0 mkpatch/mkpatch . /usr/src/linux The patch file is written to stdout; any errors are written to stderr. So you will want to capture the output: mkpatch/mkpatch . /usr/src/linux > /tmp/lm_sensors-diffs Later on, you will want to apply the diffs: cd /usr/src/linux patch -p1 -E < /tmp/lm_sensors-diffs Of course, this can be combined: mkpatch/mkpatch . /usr/src/linux | patch -d /usr/src/linux -p1 -E IMPLEMENTATION DETAILS ---------------------- mkpatch uses several files in the mkpatch subdirectory. The location of these files is hardcoded in the program, but all other files used are specified in these files, and can easily be changed. Used files are: FILES A list of files that will be considered by mkpatch. Each line contains two filenames, separated by whitespace. The first is the name and location (relative to the lm_sensors package root) of the lm_sensors file, the second is the name and location (relative to the kernel root) of the kernel file. A diff will be created between these two files. INCLUDES A list of include file changes. Each line contains two strings that can be found after a `#include' statement. All occurences of the first string will be changed to the second, for all lm_sensors files in FILES, before the normal diff is generated. This allow us to use `#include "sensors.h"' when compiling in the package tree, and `#include ' in the kernel tree. Makefile, Config.in These files are new and will be copied to the appropriate place as specified in FILES. mkpatch does several things: * For each file pair as specified in FILES, it creates a diff between them, but before that is done, it changes `#include' lines in the lm_sensors file as specified in INCLUDES * It handles several special files, that have to be scanned explicitly to generate diffs to for them The generated diffs have specific headers. It will seem as if the old kernel was contained in the `linux-old' directory, and the new patched kernel in the `linux' directory, regardless of where the kernel was actually located. Most intricate are the special files that are handled. These special files were already present in the kernel, but had to be patched. Because they can change between kernel versions, I had to scan them by hand to find where the new code should be inserted. Each file has documented what actually happens. ------------ This file is Copyright (c) 1999 by Frodo Looijaard