Abusing GitHub Actions for Building and Testing Kernels

Explore how to leverage GitHub Actions for building and testing Linux kernels in this 29-minute conference talk from linux.conf.au 2022. Dive into the technical aspects of GitHub Actions, including available platforms, workarounds, and using ccache for significant speedups. Learn about implementing problem matchers for context-aware warnings and errors, smart diffs for regression detection, and real-world applications in CI for arch/powerpc. Discover undocumented restrictions and hear an amusing anecdote about receiving 250,000 emails from GitHub in just one hour. Gain insights into automating workflows, utilizing free compute resources, and optimizing kernel development processes through this informative presentation.

Intro
(Ab)using GitHub Actions for building & testing kernels
Automate your workflow from idea to production
unlimited free compute
let's build a kernel we need
what's a workflow file?
kernel build, pat2
enter the matrix
ccache
problem matchers • Teach GitHub Actions what your output looks like "problematcher"
booting in qemu
Patchwork
potential use cases
that's all folks