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+******************
+Kernel Maintenance
+******************
+
+Tree Construction
+=================
+
+This section describes construction of the Yocto Project kernel source
+repositories as accomplished by the Yocto Project team to create Yocto
+Linux kernel repositories. These kernel repositories are found under the
+heading "Yocto Linux Kernel" at `YOCTO_GIT_URL <&YOCTO_GIT_URL;>`__ and
+are shipped as part of a Yocto Project release. The team creates these
+repositories by compiling and executing the set of feature descriptions
+for every BSP and feature in the product. Those feature descriptions
+list all necessary patches, configurations, branches, tags, and feature
+divisions found in a Yocto Linux kernel. Thus, the Yocto Project Linux
+kernel repository (or tree) and accompanying Metadata in the
+``yocto-kernel-cache`` are built.
+
+The existence of these repositories allow you to access and clone a
+particular Yocto Project Linux kernel repository and use it to build
+images based on their configurations and features.
+
+You can find the files used to describe all the valid features and BSPs
+in the Yocto Project Linux kernel in any clone of the Yocto Project
+Linux kernel source repository and ``yocto-kernel-cache`` Git trees. For
+example, the following commands clone the Yocto Project baseline Linux
+kernel that branches off ``linux.org`` version 4.12 and the
+``yocto-kernel-cache``, which contains stores of kernel Metadata: $ git
+clone git://git.yoctoproject.org/linux-yocto-4.12 $ git clone
+git://git.yoctoproject.org/linux-kernel-cache For more information on
+how to set up a local Git repository of the Yocto Project Linux kernel
+files, see the "`Preparing the Build Host to Work on the
+Kernel <#preparing-the-build-host-to-work-on-the-kernel>`__" section.
+
+Once you have cloned the kernel Git repository and the cache of Metadata
+on your local machine, you can discover the branches that are available
+in the repository using the following Git command: $ git branch -a
+Checking out a branch allows you to work with a particular Yocto Linux
+kernel. For example, the following commands check out the
+"standard/beagleboard" branch of the Yocto Linux kernel repository and
+the "yocto-4.12" branch of the ``yocto-kernel-cache`` repository: $ cd
+~/linux-yocto-4.12 $ git checkout -b my-kernel-4.12
+remotes/origin/standard/beagleboard $ cd ~/linux-kernel-cache $ git
+checkout -b my-4.12-metadata remotes/origin/yocto-4.12
+
+.. note::
+
+   Branches in the
+   yocto-kernel-cache
+   repository correspond to Yocto Linux kernel versions (e.g.
+   "yocto-4.12", "yocto-4.10", "yocto-4.9", and so forth).
+
+Once you have checked out and switched to appropriate branches, you can
+see a snapshot of all the kernel source files used to used to build that
+particular Yocto Linux kernel for a particular board.
+
+To see the features and configurations for a particular Yocto Linux
+kernel, you need to examine the ``yocto-kernel-cache`` Git repository.
+As mentioned, branches in the ``yocto-kernel-cache`` repository
+correspond to Yocto Linux kernel versions (e.g. ``yocto-4.12``).
+Branches contain descriptions in the form of ``.scc`` and ``.cfg``
+files.
+
+You should realize, however, that browsing your local
+``yocto-kernel-cache`` repository for feature descriptions and patches
+is not an effective way to determine what is in a particular kernel
+branch. Instead, you should use Git directly to discover the changes in
+a branch. Using Git is an efficient and flexible way to inspect changes
+to the kernel.
+
+.. note::
+
+   Ground up reconstruction of the complete kernel tree is an action
+   only taken by the Yocto Project team during an active development
+   cycle. When you create a clone of the kernel Git repository, you are
+   simply making it efficiently available for building and development.
+
+The following steps describe what happens when the Yocto Project Team
+constructs the Yocto Project kernel source Git repository (or tree)
+found at ` <&YOCTO_GIT_URL;>`__ given the introduction of a new
+top-level kernel feature or BSP. The following actions effectively
+provide the Metadata and create the tree that includes the new feature,
+patch, or BSP:
+
+1. *Pass Feature to the OpenEmbedded Build System:* A top-level kernel
+   feature is passed to the kernel build subsystem. Normally, this
+   feature is a BSP for a particular kernel type.
+
+2. *Locate Feature:* The file that describes the top-level feature is
+   located by searching these system directories:
+
+   -  The in-tree kernel-cache directories, which are located in the
+      ```yocto-kernel-cache`` <&YOCTO_GIT_URL;/cgit/cgit.cgi/yocto-kernel-cache/tree/bsp>`__
+      repository organized under the "Yocto Linux Kernel" heading in the
+      `Yocto Project Source
+      Repositories <http://git.yoctoproject.org/cgit/cgit.cgi>`__.
+
+   -  Areas pointed to by ``SRC_URI`` statements found in kernel recipes
+
+   For a typical build, the target of the search is a feature
+   description in an ``.scc`` file whose name follows this format (e.g.
+   ``beaglebone-standard.scc`` and ``beaglebone-preempt-rt.scc``):
+   bsp_root_name-kernel_type.scc
+
+3. *Expand Feature:* Once located, the feature description is either
+   expanded into a simple script of actions, or into an existing
+   equivalent script that is already part of the shipped kernel.
+
+4. *Append Extra Features:* Extra features are appended to the top-level
+   feature description. These features can come from the
+   ```KERNEL_FEATURES`` <&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-KERNEL_FEATURES>`__
+   variable in recipes.
+
+5. *Locate, Expand, and Append Each Feature:* Each extra feature is
+   located, expanded and appended to the script as described in step
+   three.
+
+6. *Execute the Script:* The script is executed to produce files
+   ``.scc`` and ``.cfg`` files in appropriate directories of the
+   ``yocto-kernel-cache`` repository. These files are descriptions of
+   all the branches, tags, patches and configurations that need to be
+   applied to the base Git repository to completely create the source
+   (build) branch for the new BSP or feature.
+
+7. *Clone Base Repository:* The base repository is cloned, and the
+   actions listed in the ``yocto-kernel-cache`` directories are applied
+   to the tree.
+
+8. *Perform Cleanup:* The Git repositories are left with the desired
+   branches checked out and any required branching, patching and tagging
+   has been performed.
+
+The kernel tree and cache are ready for developer consumption to be
+locally cloned, configured, and built into a Yocto Project kernel
+specific to some target hardware.
+
+.. note::
+
+   -  The generated ``yocto-kernel-cache`` repository adds to the kernel
+      as shipped with the Yocto Project release. Any add-ons and
+      configuration data are applied to the end of an existing branch.
+      The full repository generation that is found in the official Yocto
+      Project kernel repositories at
+      `http://git.yoctoproject.org <&YOCTO_GIT_URL;>`__ is the
+      combination of all supported boards and configurations.
+
+   -  The technique the Yocto Project team uses is flexible and allows
+      for seamless blending of an immutable history with additional
+      patches specific to a deployment. Any additions to the kernel
+      become an integrated part of the branches.
+
+   -  The full kernel tree that you see on ` <&YOCTO_GIT_URL;>`__ is
+      generated through repeating the above steps for all valid BSPs.
+      The end result is a branched, clean history tree that makes up the
+      kernel for a given release. You can see the script (``kgit-scc``)
+      responsible for this in the
+      ```yocto-kernel-tools`` <&YOCTO_GIT_URL;/cgit.cgi/yocto-kernel-tools/tree/tools>`__
+      repository.
+
+   -  The steps used to construct the full kernel tree are the same
+      steps that BitBake uses when it builds a kernel image.
+
+Build Strategy
+==============
+
+Once you have cloned a Yocto Linux kernel repository and the cache
+repository (``yocto-kernel-cache``) onto your development system, you
+can consider the compilation phase of kernel development, which is
+building a kernel image. Some prerequisites exist that are validated by
+the build process before compilation starts:
+
+-  The ```SRC_URI`` <&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-SRC_URI>`__ points to the
+   kernel Git repository.
+
+-  A BSP build branch with Metadata exists in the ``yocto-kernel-cache``
+   repository. The branch is based on the Yocto Linux kernel version and
+   has configurations and features grouped under the
+   ``yocto-kernel-cache/bsp`` directory. For example, features and
+   configurations for the BeagleBone Board assuming a
+   ``linux-yocto_4.12`` kernel reside in the following area of the
+   ``yocto-kernel-cache`` repository: yocto-kernel-cache/bsp/beaglebone
+
+   .. note::
+
+      In the previous example, the "yocto-4.12" branch is checked out in
+      the
+      yocto-kernel-cache
+      repository.
+
+The OpenEmbedded build system makes sure these conditions exist before
+attempting compilation. Other means, however, do exist, such as as
+bootstrapping a BSP.
+
+Before building a kernel, the build process verifies the tree and
+configures the kernel by processing all of the configuration "fragments"
+specified by feature descriptions in the ``.scc`` files. As the features
+are compiled, associated kernel configuration fragments are noted and
+recorded in the series of directories in their compilation order. The
+fragments are migrated, pre-processed and passed to the Linux Kernel
+Configuration subsystem (``lkc``) as raw input in the form of a
+``.config`` file. The ``lkc`` uses its own internal dependency
+constraints to do the final processing of that information and generates
+the final ``.config`` file that is used during compilation.
+
+Using the board's architecture and other relevant values from the
+board's template, kernel compilation is started and a kernel image is
+produced.
+
+The other thing that you notice once you configure a kernel is that the
+build process generates a build tree that is separate from your kernel's
+local Git source repository tree. This build tree has a name that uses
+the following form, where ``${MACHINE}`` is the metadata name of the
+machine (BSP) and "kernel_type" is one of the Yocto Project supported
+kernel types (e.g. "standard"): linux-${MACHINE}-kernel_type-build
+
+The existing support in the ``kernel.org`` tree achieves this default
+functionality.
+
+This behavior means that all the generated files for a particular
+machine or BSP are now in the build tree directory. The files include
+the final ``.config`` file, all the ``.o`` files, the ``.a`` files, and
+so forth. Since each machine or BSP has its own separate `Build
+Directory <&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#build-directory>`__ in its own separate
+branch of the Git repository, you can easily switch between different
+builds.