The fourth release candidate of Linux Kernel 6.18 (6.18-rc4) has been announced by Linus Torvalds, signaling a period of stability in development as he gears up for conference travel. This release includes a moderate array of changes, primarily addressing driver issues in the realms of graphics, networking, and sound. While the updates also touch on other areas like core networking and filesystems, the majority consist of minor fixes aimed at trivial problems.
The detailed change log highlights a collaborative effort among developers, showcasing their contributions toward enhancing kernel functions and resolving specific subsystem issues. Key fixes include addressing memory leaks in networking drivers by Abdun Nihaal, safer memory access enhancements by Akash Goel, and improvements to the GMU firmware parser for certain drivers by Akhil P Oommen. Additional highlights from the changelog include compliance fixes for SPDX headers in the amdgpu files, a workaround for HDR in the AMD display subsystem, and refinements to memory mappings in VFIO self-tests.
Other notable contributions involve Andrii Melnychenko's addition of the seqadj extension for netfilter, Chuck Lever's creation of new time delegation actions in NFSD, and Paolo Abeni's updates to enhance the reliability of MultiPath TCP (MPTCP). These efforts collectively signify a strong commitment to improving kernel performance and robustness.
Looking ahead, Torvalds expresses confidence in maintaining the release schedule despite upcoming events like the kernel maintainer summit, ensuring that the development trajectory remains stable and promising as they prepare for the subsequent 6.19 release.
For those interested in the technical details, the full source code for Linux Kernel 6.18-rc4 is now available for download, alongside associated patches. Developers and users alike can stay updated on changes through the provided URLs for access to the full changelog and summary of modifications.
In summary, the release of Linux Kernel 6.18-rc4 reflects a dedicated collaborative effort among developers, focusing on stability and performance improvements across various subsystems, and sets a positive tone for the upcoming releases
The detailed change log highlights a collaborative effort among developers, showcasing their contributions toward enhancing kernel functions and resolving specific subsystem issues. Key fixes include addressing memory leaks in networking drivers by Abdun Nihaal, safer memory access enhancements by Akash Goel, and improvements to the GMU firmware parser for certain drivers by Akhil P Oommen. Additional highlights from the changelog include compliance fixes for SPDX headers in the amdgpu files, a workaround for HDR in the AMD display subsystem, and refinements to memory mappings in VFIO self-tests.
Other notable contributions involve Andrii Melnychenko's addition of the seqadj extension for netfilter, Chuck Lever's creation of new time delegation actions in NFSD, and Paolo Abeni's updates to enhance the reliability of MultiPath TCP (MPTCP). These efforts collectively signify a strong commitment to improving kernel performance and robustness.
Looking ahead, Torvalds expresses confidence in maintaining the release schedule despite upcoming events like the kernel maintainer summit, ensuring that the development trajectory remains stable and promising as they prepare for the subsequent 6.19 release.
For those interested in the technical details, the full source code for Linux Kernel 6.18-rc4 is now available for download, alongside associated patches. Developers and users alike can stay updated on changes through the provided URLs for access to the full changelog and summary of modifications.
In summary, the release of Linux Kernel 6.18-rc4 reflects a dedicated collaborative effort among developers, focusing on stability and performance improvements across various subsystems, and sets a positive tone for the upcoming releases
Linux Kernel 6.18-rc4 released
Linus Torvalds has released the fourth candidate version of Linux Kernel 6.18 (rc4), marking a period of relative calm in development before his upcoming conference travel. The release is characterized by moderate changes primarily focusing on driver issues within graphics, networking, and sound drivers, with minor fixes resolving trivial problems. A teamwork effort among developers is clear from the detailed change log that shows their contributions to improving kernel functions and fixing specific problems in different parts of the system.
