linux-kernel - [RFC PATCH v1 13/26] docs: reporting-bugs: point out the environment might be causing issue

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Message-Id: <6dab906efb915c6cd6733df525b1f3da3753c4b4.1601541165.git.linux@leemhuis.info>
Date:   Thu,  1 Oct 2020 10:39:34 +0200
From:   Thorsten Leemhuis <linux@...mhuis.info>
To:     Jonathan Corbet <corbet@....net>
Cc:     linux-doc@...r.kernel.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: [RFC PATCH v1 13/26] docs: reporting-bugs: point out the environment might be causing issue

Help users to avoid a few pitfalls, as they might be the real reason why
the kernel is acting up somehow.

Signed-off-by: Thorsten Leemhuis <linux@...mhuis.info>
---
 Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst | 34 ++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 34 insertions(+)

diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst
index d96b21512c03..2292b79cf462 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-bugs.rst
@@ -583,6 +583,40 @@ not part of the Linux kernel. Your package manager might thus force you to
 remove those, too.
 
 
+Ensure a healthy environment
+----------------------------
+
+    *Make sure it's not the kernels surroundings that are causing the issue you
+    face.*
+
+Problems that look a lot like a kernel issue are sometimes caused by build
+or runtime environment. It's hard to rule out that problem completely, but you
+should minimize it:
+
+ * Use proven tools when building your kernel, as bugs in the compiler or the
+   binutils can cause the resulting kernel to misbehave.
+
+ * Ensure your computer components runs within their design specifications;
+   that's especially important for the main processor, the main memory, and the
+   motherboard. Therefore, stop overclocking when facing a potential kernel
+   issue.
+
+ * Try to make sure it's not faulty hardware that is causing your issue. Bad
+   main memory for example can result in a multitude of issues that will
+   manifest itself in problems looking like kernel issues.
+
+ * If you're dealing with a filesystem issue, you might want to check the file
+   system in question with ``fsck`` before trying to reproduce it again.
+
+ * When dealing with a regression, make sure it's not something else that
+   changed in parallel to updating the kernel. The problem for example might be
+   caused by another software that was updated at the same time. It can also
+   happen that a hardware component coincidentally just broke when you rebooted
+   into a new kernel for the first time. Updating the systems BIOS or changing
+   something in the BIOS Setup can also lead to problems that on the first sight
+   look like a regression.
+
+
 .. ############################################################################
 .. Temporary marker added while this document is rewritten. Sections above
 .. are new and dual-licensed under GPLv2+ and CC-BY 4.0, those below are old.
-- 
2.26.2