What is this?
This is Raspberry Pi's own Linux kernel source tree: the code its official Pi kernels are built from, with Pi-specific drivers and patches carried on top of the mainline Linux kernel.
This is Raspberry Pi's own Linux kernel source tree: the code its official Pi kernels are built from, with Pi-specific drivers and patches carried on top of the mainline Linux kernel.Is this the same Linux kernel everyone else uses, or a Raspberry Pi version?It's a downstream fork of the mainline kernel. Raspberry Pi takes upstream release branches and carries its own board support and patches on top of them.
It's a downstream fork of the mainline kernel. Raspberry Pi takes upstream release branches and carries its own board support and patches on top of them.How do I build a kernel from this source?The standard kernel flow: start from Documentation/admin-guide/README.rst in the tree, configure for your board, then build with make. The repo README mostly points you into that documentation.
The standard kernel flow: start from Documentation/admin-guide/README.rst in the tree, configure for your board, then build with make. The repo README mostly points you into that documentation.What do I need installed to build it?A Linux host with the usual kernel build toolchain. The README defers to Documentation/process/changes.rst, which lists the tool requirements for building and running the kernel.
A Linux host with the usual kernel build toolchain. The README defers to Documentation/process/changes.rst, which lists the tool requirements for building and running the kernel.Anything I should watch out for before running a kernel built from here?Yes — kernel upgrades can cause problems, and the README points to Documentation/process/changes.rst for those caveats. Also, the issue tracker here is only for kernel issues; general Pi problems belong elsewhere.
Yes — kernel upgrades can cause problems, and the README points to Documentation/process/changes.rst for those caveats. Also, the issue tracker here is only for kernel issues; general Pi problems belong elsewhere.Is this meant for me, or only for kernel developers?Mostly developers building or customizing kernels for Raspberry Pi boards. If you just use a Pi, non-kernel problems should go to the community forum at forums.raspberrypi.com, not this tracker.
Mostly developers building or customizing kernels for Raspberry Pi boards. If you just use a Pi, non-kernel problems should go to the community forum at forums.raspberrypi.com, not this tracker.Which kernel versions does the tree track right now?The README shows build-status badges for two active branches, rpi-6.12.y and rpi-6.18.y, so both release lines are currently being built for Raspberry Pi hardware.
The README shows build-status badges for two active branches, rpi-6.12.y and rpi-6.18.y, so both release lines are currently being built for Raspberry Pi hardware.Is the code tested automatically?Yes — the repo ships CI workflows that build the kernel, run kunit tests, run checkpatch style checks and validate device-tree overlays (kernel-build.yml, kunit.yml, checkpatch.yml, dtoverlaycheck.yml).
Yes — the repo ships CI workflows that build the kernel, run kunit tests, run checkpatch style checks and validate device-tree overlays (kernel-build.yml, kunit.yml, checkpatch.yml, dtoverlaycheck.yml).Can I read the kernel documentation without building anything?Yes: the docs live in the Documentation/ subdirectory written in Restructured Text, formatted versions are readable online, and you can render your own with make htmldocs or make pdfdocs.
Yes: the docs live in the Documentation/ subdirectory written in Restructured Text, formatted versions are readable online, and you can render your own with make htmldocs or make pdfdocs.What are similar projects?mu300-linux, linux, raspberry-pi-os, open-gpu-kernel-modules, darwin-xnu, rt-thread, openwrt, PCILeechGen
mu300-linux, linux, raspberry-pi-os, open-gpu-kernel-modules, darwin-xnu, rt-thread, openwrt, PCILeechGenWhich topics is it in?build, linux-kernel, makefile, toolchain, driver, arm, embedded-systems, operating-system, arm64, kernel, configuration, low-level
build, linux-kernel, makefile, toolchain, driver, arm, embedded-systems, operating-system, arm64, kernel, configuration, low-level