1*10260640SDan Williams.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 2*10260640SDan Williams 3*10260640SDan WilliamsLinux kernel project continuity 4*10260640SDan Williams=============================== 5*10260640SDan Williams 6*10260640SDan WilliamsThe Linux kernel development project is widely distributed, with over 7*10260640SDan Williams100 maintainers each working to keep changes moving through their own 8*10260640SDan Williamsrepositories. The final step, though, is a centralized one where changes 9*10260640SDan Williamsare pulled into the mainline repository. That is normally done by Linus 10*10260640SDan WilliamsTorvalds but, as was demonstrated by the 4.19 release in 2018, there are 11*10260640SDan Williamsothers who can do that work when the need arises. 12*10260640SDan Williams 13*10260640SDan WilliamsShould the maintainers of that repository become unwilling or unable to 14*10260640SDan Williamsdo that work going forward (including facilitating a transition), the 15*10260640SDan Williamsproject will need to find one or more replacements without delay. The 16*10260640SDan Williamsprocess by which that will be done is listed below. $ORGANIZER is the 17*10260640SDan Williamslast Maintainer Summit organizer or the current Linux Foundation (LF) 18*10260640SDan WilliamsTechnical Advisory Board (TAB) Chair as a backup. 19*10260640SDan Williams 20*10260640SDan Williams- Within 72 hours, $ORGANIZER will open a discussion with the invitees 21*10260640SDan Williams of the most recently concluded Maintainers Summit. A meeting of those 22*10260640SDan Williams invitees and the TAB, either online or in-person, will be set as soon 23*10260640SDan Williams as possible in a way that maximizes the number of people who can 24*10260640SDan Williams participate. 25*10260640SDan Williams 26*10260640SDan Williams- If there has been no Maintainers Summit in the last 15 months, the set of 27*10260640SDan Williams invitees for this meeting will be determined by the TAB. 28*10260640SDan Williams 29*10260640SDan Williams- The invitees to this meeting may bring in other maintainers as needed. 30*10260640SDan Williams 31*10260640SDan Williams- This meeting, chaired by $ORGANIZER, will consider options for the 32*10260640SDan Williams ongoing management of the top-level kernel repository consistent with 33*10260640SDan Williams the expectation that it maximizes the long term health of the project 34*10260640SDan Williams and its community. 35*10260640SDan Williams 36*10260640SDan Williams- Within two weeks, a representative of this group will communicate to the 37*10260640SDan Williams broader community, using the ksummit@lists.linux.dev mailing list, what 38*10260640SDan Williams the next steps will be. 39*10260640SDan Williams 40*10260640SDan WilliamsThe Linux Foundation, as guided by the TAB, will take the steps 41*10260640SDan Williamsnecessary to support and implement this plan. 42