Linus Torvalds releases Linux 6.6

After a typically calm improvement process, Linus Torvalds has fixed nan world a caller trim of nan Linux kernel – type 6.6 to beryllium precise.

The penguin emperor past week worried that merchandise campaigner 7 was "certainly connected nan bigger broadside of our rc7 releases successful nan 6.x series" and "bigger than I'd person liked it to be" – but besides free of "issues that would beryllium showstoppers."

Torvalds suggested a "quiet and normal" week of kernel coding would spot him merchandise a afloat type connected Sunday US time.

His worries proved unfounded.

"So this past week has been beautiful calm, and I person perfectly nary excuses to hold nan v6.6 merchandise immoderate more, truthful present it is," Torvalds wrote early connected Monday morning, arsenic type 6.6 debuted arsenic planned.

Among nan highlights of nan merchandise are nan KSMBD in-kernel server for nan SMB networking protocol, which adds further features for sharing files and improving inter-process connection successful Linux, hopefully speeding I/O.

Intel's Shadow Stack tech – designed to forestall return-oriented programming attacks – has made it into nan kernel. The tech protects AMD CPUs, too. Speaking of AMD, early tests by nan Linux-lovers astatine Phoronix found important capacity gains for its manycore "Bergamo" CPUs acknowledgment to nan inclusion of nan Earliest Eligible Virtual Deadline First (EEVDF) scheduler. Intel CPUs enjoyed nan scheduler, too.

The kernel besides added support for AMD's Dynamic Boost Control tech that allows users to tune Ryzen CPUs for optimal performance. This should thief immoderate Lenovo laptops that vessel pinch Linux.

The KVM hypervisor gained much support for RISC-V guests, HP laptops gained a driver that allows BIOS tweaks to beryllium made from Linux, while further somesthesia and voltage sensor support for desktop motherboards debuted.

• Linus Torvalds couldn't find an excuse to clasp backmost Linux 6.5, truthful present it is
• Fed-up Torvalds suggests disabling AMD’s 'stupid' performance-killing fTPM RNG
• 'Weird numerological coincidence' recovered during activity connected Linux kernel 6.5
• Linux 6.4 debuts aft virtually unremarkable improvement push

An oddity successful this trim of nan kernel is nan removal of references to nan United States National Security Agency (NSA), which agelong agone developed nan Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) module – referred to arsenic "NSA SELinux" successful thief matter and comments. A alteration to this trim of nan kernel rebrands it arsenic conscionable "SELinux" – a guidance to nan Agency's domiciled successful ops that person harmed privacy, per Edward Snowden.

Linux 6.6 will astir apt go this year's semipermanent support merchandise – position that's been made unusually contentious by the caller decision to shrink support from six to 2 years.

Torvalds, arsenic always, opened nan merge model for nan adjacent type of nan kernel. This has been a very calm twelvemonth for kernel development, pinch 5 releases retired nan doorway successful 2023 pinch very small incident.

Linux 6.7 whitethorn foreseeably beryllium a small nire complicated, arsenic Torvalds advised he'll beryllium travelling this week, which usually reduces his productivity a little. The timing of this push whitethorn besides complicate matters, arsenic a emblematic schedule of 7 merchandise candidates will spot nan first onshore conscionable six weeks earlier Christmas. US-based contributors will besides person a Thanksgiving-sized spread kicked successful their schedules, making it imaginable activity connected this merchandise will beryllium slow and Torvalds could push it into early 2024. ®