poky/scripts/patchtest.README

# Patchtest

## Introduction

Patchtest is a test framework for community patches based on the standard
unittest python module. As input, it needs three elements to work properly:

- a patch in mbox format (either created with `git format-patch` or fetched
from 'patchwork')
- a test suite
- a target repository

The first test suite intended to be used with patchtest is found in the
openembedded-core repository [1], targeted for patches that get into the
openembedded-core mailing list [2]. This suite is also intended as a
baseline for development of similar suites for other layers as needed.

Patchtest can either run on a host or a guest machine, depending on
which environment you prefer. If you plan to test your own patches (a
good practice before these are sent to the mailing list), the easiest
way is to install and execute on your local host; in the other hand, if
automatic testing is intended, the guest method is strongly recommended.
The guest method requires the use of the patchtest layer, in addition to
the tools available in oe-core: https://git.yoctoproject.org/patchtest/

## Installation

As a tool for use with the Yocto Project, the [quick start
guide](https://docs.yoctoproject.org/brief-yoctoprojectqs/index.html)
contains the necessary prerequisites. In addition, patchtest relies on
several Python modules for parsing and analysis, which can be installed
by running `pip install -r meta/lib/patchtest/requirements.txt`. Note
that git-pw is not automatically added to the user's PATH; by default,
it is installed at ~/.local/bin/git-pw.

For git-pw (and therefore scripts such as patchtest-get--series) to work, you need
to provide a Patchwork instance in your user's .gitconfig, like so (the project
can be specified using the --project argument):

    git config --global pw.server "https://patchwork.yoctoproject.org/api/1.2/"

To work with patchtest, you should have the following repositories cloned:

1. https://git.openembedded.org/openembedded-core/ (or https://git.yoctoproject.org/poky/)
2. https://git.openembedded.org/bitbake/ (if not using poky)
3. https://git.yoctoproject.org/patchtest (if using guest mode)

## Usage

### Obtaining Patches

Patch files can be obtained directly from cloned repositories using `git
format-patch -N` (where N is the number of patches starting from HEAD to
generate). git-pw can also be used with filters for users, patch/series IDs,
and timeboxes if specific patches are desired. For more information, see the
git-pw [documentation](https://patchwork.readthedocs.io/projects/git-pw/en/latest/).

Alternatively, `scripts/patchtest-get-series` can be used to pull mbox files from
the Patchwork instance configured previously in .gitconfig. It uses a log file
called ".series_test.log" to store and compare series IDs so that the same
versions of a patch are not tested multiple times unintentionally. By default,
it will pull up to five patch series from the last 30 minutes using oe-core as
the target project, but these parameters can be configured using the `--limit`,
`--interval`, and `--project` arguments respectively. For more information, run
`patchtest-get-series -h`.

### Host Mode

To run patchtest on the host, do the following:

1. In openembedded-core/poky, do `source oe-init-build-env`
2. Generate patch files from the target repository by doing `git format-patch -N`,
   where N is the number of patches starting at HEAD, or by using git-pw
   or patchtest-get-series
3. Run patchtest on a patch file by doing the following:

        patchtest --patch /path/to/patch/file

    or, if you have stored the patch files in a directory, do:

        patchtest --directory /path/to/patch/directory

    For example, to test `master-gcc-Fix--fstack-protector-issue-on-aarch64.patch` against the oe-core test suite:
        
        patchtest --patch master-gcc-Fix--fstack-protector-issue-on-aarch64.patch

    If you want to use a different test suite or target repository, you can use the --testdir and --repodir flags:
    
        patchtest --patch /path/to/patch/file --repodir /path/to/repo --testdir /path/to/test/dir

### Guest Mode

Patchtest's guest mode has been refactored to more closely mirror the
typical Yocto Project image build workflow, but there are still some key
differences to keep in mind. The primary objective is to provide a level
of isolation from the host when testing patches pulled automatically
from the mailing lists. When executed this way, the test process is
essentially running random code from the internet and could be
catastrophic if malicious bits or even poorly-handled edge cases aren't
protected against. In order to use this mode, the
https://git.yoctoproject.org/patchtest/ repository must be cloned and
the meta-patchtest layer added to bblayers.conf.

The general flow of guest mode is:

1. Run patchtest-setup-sharedir --directory <dirname> to create a
   directory for mounting
2. Collect patches via patchtest-get-series (or other manual step) into the
   <dirname>/mboxes path
3. Ensure that a user with ID 1200 has appropriate read/write
   permissions to <dirname> and <dirname>/mboxes, so that the
   "patchtest" user in the core-image-patchtest image can function
4. Build the core-image-patchtest image
5. Run the core-image-patchtest image with the mounted sharedir, like
   so:
   `runqemu kvm nographic qemuparams="-snapshot -fsdev
   local,id=test_mount,path=/workspace/yocto/poky/build/patchtestdir,security_model=mapped
   -device virtio-9p-pci,fsdev=test_mount,mount_tag=test_mount -smp 4 -m
   2048"`

Patchtest is run by an initscript for the core-image-patchtest image and
shuts down after completion, so there is no input required from a user
during operation. Unlike in host mode, the guest is designed to
automatically generate test result files, in the same directory as the
targeted patch files but with .testresult as an extension. These contain
the entire output of the patchtest run for each respective pass,
including the PASS, FAIL, and SKIP indicators for each test run.

### Running Patchtest Selftests

Patchtest also includes selftests, which are currently in the form of
several contrived patch files and a runner script found in
`meta/lib/patchtest/selftest/`. In order to run these, the
`meta-selftest` layer must be added to bblayers.conf. It is also
recommended to set BB_SERVER_TIMEOUT (and thus enable memory-resident
bitbake) in local.conf to reduce runtime, as the bitbake startup process
will otherwise add to it significantly when restarted for each test
patch.

## Contributing

The yocto mailing list (openembedded-core@lists.openembedded.org) is used for questions,
comments and patch review.  It is subscriber only, so please register before
posting.

When sending single patches, please use something like:

    git send-email -M -1 --to=openembedded-core@lists.openembedded.org --subject-prefix=OE-core][PATCH

## Maintenance
-----------

Maintainers:
    Trevor Gamblin <tgamblin@baylibre.com>

## Links
-----
[1] https://git.openembedded.org/openembedded-core/
[2] https://www.yoctoproject.org/community/mailing-lists/