Linux kernel API changes/additions

5
votes

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but I'm trying to find a webpage or docs or XYZ that will allow me to see all the API changes/additions/removals between two kernel versions.

I found http://kernelnewbies.org/LinuxChanges , but I'm not sure it lists everything as I know that Netlink API changed somewhere between 3.5 and 3.6 but it doesn't appear on that page.

Regards

2
linuxapilinux-kernel
The question asks meta information about Linux, that's not programming related. - Johannes Weiss
Probably unix.stackexchange.com . Its description is "Unix & Linux Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for users of Linux, FreeBSD and other Un*x-like operating systems.." - Johannes Weiss
@JohannesWeiß API changes definitely are programming related. - CL.
@CL. thanks for enlightening me, I misunderstood the question. I retracted my close vote. - Johannes Weiss

2 Answers

4
votes

See kernel API/ABI tracker here: http://abi-laboratory.pro/tracker/timeline/linux/

The analysis was done by the abi-compliance-checker and abi-dumper tools.

Analysis reports show added/removed symbols, detailed changes in parameters and data types in the vmlinux binary and basic modules. I maintain this page, so feel free to ask me to check any particular kernel versions.

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1
votes

There is no concentrated effort to collect the details of all API changes.

The LinuxChanges page lists the following change:

packet: nlmon: virtual netlink monitoring device for packet sockets (commit)

LWN.net has overviews for all import changes in a merge window:
3.6 merge window part 1
3.6 merge window part 2
The conclusion of the 3.6 merge window

For 3.6, it has:

  • The NLMSG_NEW() and NLMSG_PUT() macros have been removed from the netlink interface.