Fedora's QA team is hosting a "Kernel 7.3 Test Week" from November 1 to 7, 2026, inviting volunteers to install and stress-test the new kernel on Fedora 45 and 44 before the official release of Fedora 45 on November 3. Kernel 7.3 is notable for its record-breaking 18,765 commits from 3,021 developers and includes improvements such as better low-end GPU VRAM handling and enhanced storage performance for Btrfs and ext4. Testers are encouraged to use spare hardware to run the tests, report results, and document any bugs through Bugzilla, while being warned not to use production machines for testing. Additionally, Linux 7.3.1 was released with an urgent upgrade message, indicating that users should promptly update their systems

Fedora Kernel 7.3 Test Week Runs Before Fedora 45 Launch on November 3

Fedora's QA team is running a week-long "Kernel 7.3 Test Week" from November 1–7, 2026, inviting volunteers to install and stress-test the new kernel on Fedora 45 and Fedora 44. The event wraps the same day Fedora 45 ships, November 3, making it the final community checkpoint before one of the year's biggest releases. Kernel 7.3 itself is a record-breaker with 18,765 commits from 3,021 developers, and it lands on machines with better low-end GPU VRAM handling and faster Btrfs and ext4 storage. If you want to help, you'll need a Fedora Account, a spare machine, and the patience to file proper Bugzilla reports.

Fedora Kernel 7.3 Test Week Runs Before Fedora 45 Launch on November 3 @ Linux Compatible