Kernel: Latest LWN Articles and Patch From Intel
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A kernel without buffer heads
No data structures found in the Linux kernel — at least, in any version that escaped from Linus Torvalds's development machine — are older than the buffer head. Like many other legacies from the early days of Linux, buffer heads have been targeted for removal for years. They persist, though, despite the problems they present. Now, Christoph Hellwig has posted a patch series that enables the building of a kernel without buffer heads — but the cost of doing so at this point will be more than most want to pay.
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6.4 Merge window, part 1
As of this writing, nearly 7,500 non-merge changesets have been pulled into the mainline repository for the 6.4 kernel release. The 6.4 merge window is thus clearly off and running, with a number of significant changes merged already. Read on for a summary of the most significant pulled so far.
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Unprivileged BPF and authoritative security hooks
When the developers of the Linux security module (LSM) subsystem find themselves disagreeing with other kernel developers, it tends to be because those other developers don't think to — or don't want to — add security hooks to their shiny new subsystems. Sometimes, though, the addition of new hooks by non-LSM developers can also create some friction. Andrii Nakryiko's posting of a pair of BPF-related security hooks raised a couple of interesting questions, one of which spurred a fair amount of discussion, and one that did not.
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Linux Patch Adds Support for Intel Meteor Lake Desktop CPUs
Intel's 14th generation Meteor Lake CPUs are inching closer to reality. If you recall, a little while ago, it was unclear whether the company would cancel it or just offer it as a mobile-only part. Those rumors were followed by information indicating there would indeed be a desktop part, but it might only be midrange and budget CPUs. Now we have confirmation that desktop Meteor Lake exists, though its specs are still unknown. Proof has arrived via an unlikely source: Linux patch notes.