git bisect start
git bisect bad # Current version is bad
git bisect good v2.6.13-rc2 # v2.6.13-rc2 was the last version
# tested that was good
git-bisect-script - Find the change that introduced a bug
git bisect start git bisect bad <rev> git bisect good <rev> git bisect reset [<branch>] git bisect visualize
This command uses git-rev-list --bisect option to help drive the binary search process to find which change introduced a bug, given an old "good" commit object name and a later "bad" commit object name.
The way you use it is:
git bisect start
git bisect bad # Current version is bad
git bisect good v2.6.13-rc2 # v2.6.13-rc2 was the last version
# tested that was good
When you give at least one bad and one good versions, it will bisect the revision tree and say something like:
Bisecting: 675 revisions left to test after this
and check out the state in the middle. Now, compile that kernel, and boot it. Now, let's say that this booted kernel works fine, then just do
git bisect good # this one is good
which will now say
Bisecting: 337 revisions left to test after this
and you continue along, compiling that one, testing it, and depending on whether it is good or bad, you say "git bisect good" or "git bisect bad", and ask for the next bisection.
Until you have no more left, and you'll have been left with the first bad kernel rev in "refs/bisect/bad".
Oh, and then after you want to reset to the original head, do a
git bisect reset
to get back to the master branch, instead of being in one of the bisection branches ("git bisect start" will do that for you too, actually: it will reset the bisection state, and before it does that it checks that you're not using some old bisection branch).
During the bisection process, you can say
git bisect visualize
to see the currently remaining suspects in gitk.
Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>
Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
Part of the git suite