Bug Triage

Bug Triage is focused on getting a bug progressed to the point that an area expert can take that bug and start working on it. This involves setting the bug status appropriately (see Kernel/BugTriage/BugStates), collecting additional information (see Kernel/BugTriage/CollectingInformation) and confirming that we know where the problem exists and where it does not, what triggers the problem, and what if any work arounds exists. Often it involves pointing the reporter at self-help information for specific bugs (see Kernel/Debugging for examples).

Triaging of kernel bugs is a day-to-day effort, and can be very time consuming. Luckily, we have a lot of community members willing and able to help with this effort. The kernel team will also begin using a set of Kernel Arsenal scripts to help with the day-to-day triaging efforts (see KernelTeam/UsingArsenal). In order to make sure everyone working on kernel bugs follows the same policy, this document will describe how to handle the kernel bug workflow. This will also provide bug reporters with an idea of the life cycle their bug will follow.

Note that beginning with the Karmic development cycle an emphasis is being made to ensure bugs are tested and reported upstream. In relation to this, the Ubuntu kernel team will be transitioning their focus to fixing bugs which have been confirmed to exist upstream or are fixed upstream but exist in the Ubuntu kernel.

Also note that, as of the Maverick cycle, we will be breaking out our bugs into specific subsystems based on tags. For a list of current tags, please see the Tagging page. For specific information concerning the Bug Review process as it currently stands, please visit the Bug Review page.

Triage Levels

There are a number of levels of triage applied to the kernel bugs. Each has an increasingly technical component. Bugs typically pass through all three levels of triage before they are ready to be looked at by a developer. The responsibilities of each level of triage are detailed in Kernel/TriageLevels.

Caveats

Sometimes kernel bugs are opened to track security vulnerabilities. These bugs usually contain the word "CVE" either in the title or bug description and will most likely have the ubuntu-security team subscribed to the bug. We should try to avoid spamming these bugs with comments to test the latest kernel to verify if the issue still exists. Whether manually posting to a bug or using python-launchpad-bugs to script comments, please take extra care to not cause more unnecessary traffic for the security team to deal with.