Linux Kernel 6.8 Officially Released, Here’s What’s New
Highlights of Linux kernel 6.8 include LAM (Linear Address Masking) virtualization and guest-first memory support for KVM, a basic online filesystem check and repair mechanism for the Bcachefs file system introduced in Linux kernel 6.7, support for the Broadcom BCM2712 processor in Raspberry Pi 5, AMD ACPI-based Wi-Fi band RFI mitigation feature (WBRF), zswap writeback disabling, fscrypt support for CephFS, and a multi-size THP (Transparent Huge Pages) sysfs interface.
Also new is initial Rust support for the LoongArch architecture, a UFFDIO_MOVE uABI operation to allow pages to be moved within a virtual address space while avoiding page allocation and memcpy done by UFFDIO_COPY, the KSM advisor feature to automatically manage the kernel samepage merging subsystem, support for the SMB file system to create block and character special files, and Rust support for creating network PHY drivers.
Update (by Roy)
LWN:
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The 6.8 kernel has been released
Significant changes in this release include the deadline servers scheduling feature, support for memory-management auto-tuning in DAMON, the large anonymous folios feature, the kernel samepage merging advisor, the ability to prevent writes to block devices containing mounted filesystems, the listmount() and statmount() system calls, the first device driver written in Rust, the removal of the (never finished) bpfilter packet-filtering system, three new system calls for managing Linux security modules, the BPF token mechanism for fine-grained control over BPF permissions, support for data-type profiling in the perf tool, guest-first memory for KVM virtualization, the Intel Xe graphics driver, and a lot more. See the LWN merge-window summaries (part 1, part 2) for more information.
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Linux 6.8
So it took a bit longer for the commit counts to come down this release than I tend to prefer, but a lot of that seemed to be about various selftest updates (networking in particular) rather than any actual real sign of problems. And the last two weeks have been pretty quiet, so I feel there's no real reason to delay 6.8. We always have some straggling work, and we'll end up having some of it pushed to stable rather than hold up the new code. Nothing worrisome enough to keep the regular release schedule from happening.
As usual, the shortlog below is just for the last week since rc7, the overall changes in 6.8 are obviously much much bigger. This is not the historically big release that 6.7 was - we seem to be back to a fairly average release size for the last few years. You can see it in the overall diffstats too - this looks like an average release in pretty much all respects, and we don't have (for example) any obvious big new filesystems or architectures. I think the biggest single new thing in 6.8 is probably the new Xe drm driver, but honestly, the big bulk of changes are just various random updates and fixes all over.
Just as it should be.
In a sea of normality, one thing that stands out is a bit of random git numerology. This is the last mainline kernel to have less than ten million git objects. In fact, we're at 9.996 million objects, so we got really close to crossing that not-milestone if it hadn't been for the nice calming down in the last couple of weeks. Other trees - notably linux-next - obviously are already comfortably over that limit.
Of course, there is absolutely nothing special about it apart from a nice round number. Git doesn't care.
Anyway, this all obviously means that tomorrow the merge window for 6.9 opens, and I already have several pull requests pending. Thanks to everybody who sent in early pull requests, you know who you are. But before that excitement commences, please do spend a bit of time with the now boring old status quo and give 6.8 a good test, ok?
Linus
Original:
OMG Joey:
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Linux Kernel 6.8 Released, This is What’s New
After several solid months of development the Linux 6.8 kernel has been officially released.
This kernel is of particular note to Ubuntu users as it’s the version chosen to ship in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS – i.e., as the GA kernel and thereby supported for the duration of the release.
Announcing the release of Linux kernel 6.8 on the official Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML) Linux founder Linus Torvalds says:
“This is not the historically big release that 6.7 was – we seem to be back to a fairly average release size for the last few year.”
Adding: “You can see it in the overall diffstats too – this looks like an average release in pretty much all respects, and we don’t have (for example) any obvious big new filesystems or architectures. I think the biggest single new thing in 6.8 is probably the new Xe drm driver, but honestly, the big bulk of changes are just various random updates and fixes all over.”
The Register:
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Linux 6.9 will be the first to top ten million Git objects
Torvalds found time to note what he described as “a bit of random git numerology” as when work ended on this version of the kernel the git repository used to track it contained 9.996 million objects.”
“This is the last mainline kernel to have less than ten million git objects,” Torvalds wrote. “Of course, there is absolutely nothing special about it apart from a nice round number. Git doesn't care,” he added.
BetaNews:
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Linus Torvalds announces Linux 6.8
In a recent announcement, Linus Torvalds revealed the release of Linux 6.8. The latest version of the kernel took a bit longer to finalize due to a higher-than-preferred commit count, primarily attributed to updates in various self-tests, particularly in networking. However, the past two weeks have seen a calming of activities, allowing for the release to proceed without further delay.
Linux 6.8 does not boast the same level of groundbreaking changes as its predecessor but maintains a consistent pace with an average release size, reminiscent of the past few years. The most notable addition in this version is the new Xe DRM driver, although the bulk of the changes are scattered updates and fixes across the board.
It's FOSS News:
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Linux Kernel 6.8 Released! Goes Big On Hardware Support
With every Linux kernel release, we have numerous refinements and features. And, Linux kernel 6.8 is particularly interesting for all the hardware support it brings in.
Not to forget, Linux kernel 6.8 is planned to be included with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, so you should get all the benefits with Ubuntu's next big release.
CNX Software:
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Linux 6.8 release – Notable changes, Arm, RISC-V, and MIPS architectures
Released a little over two months ago, Linux 6.7 introduced the bcachefs filesystem, implemented performance improvement to the fair queuing packet scheduler for faster networking, added various new features and enhancements to the perf profile tool, the LoongArch architecture gained KVM support, and support for the Intel’s Itanium (ia64) architecture was removed, among many other changes.
Liam Dawe:
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Linux kernel 6.8 is out now with lots of new features
Linux kernel 6.8 has been released now by Linus Torvalds and as usual, there's absolutely tons of changes and new features.
How-To Geek:
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Linux Kernel 6.8 Arrives with Future-Forward Features
Today marks the release of Linux kernel 6.8. This is a relatively "normal" release when compared to last year's Linux kernel 6.7, though it includes several future-forward improvements and bug fixes. Naturally, the merge window for Linux kernel 6.9 will open shortly after this 6.8 release.
Linux creator Linus Torvalds announced the 6.8 release in a Linux Kernel Mailing List message. As Linus notes, the "biggest single new thing" in Linux kernel 6.8 is probably the new Intel Xe DRM driver. This driver is currently disabled by default but provides support for the Intel Xe GPU architecture. It should deliver improved graphics performance on PCs that use Intel Core 11th, 12th and 13th Gen processors or Intel Arc GPUs.
Ubuntu Handbook:
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Linux Kernel 6.8 Released with New Laptops & Game Controllers Support
Linus Torvalds announced GNU/Linux 6.8 stable as the latest Kernel series this Sunday. For Intel, the new kernel now includes the IAA (Intel Analytics Accelerators) crypto compression kernel driver, Qualcomm WCD939X USB subsystem Altmode Mux driver. It added support for QAT 420xx devices, and Thunderbold support for next 16th gen CPUs, QAT 420xx devices.
Company-specific:
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Kernel 6.8: MediaTek community flourishes
The latest GNU/Linux Kernel 6.8 release brings thousands of new lines of code, improving the core kernel, architecture support, networking, file systems, and more.
ZDNet:
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Linux kernel 6.8 offers some exciting new features and 'fixes all over'
Although it's not a historically big kernel, Linux 6.8 still has plenty to offer and will ship with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. Here's what else to know.
Reposted:
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The Linux Kernel version 6.8 just released
This kernel is of particular note to Ubuntu users as it’s the version chosen to ship in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS – i.e., as the GA kernel and thereby supported for the duration of the release.
Size of it:
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Linux Kernel closes in on 10M git objects
Linus Torvalds has announced version 6.8 of the Linux Kernel, inching ever closer to a major milestone in the project’s codebase. In his announcement on Sunday, Torvalds noted that the git repository tracking the kernel’s development now contains 9.996 million objects.
“This is the last mainline kernel to have less than ten million git objects,” Torvalds wrote, though he was quick to add, “Of course, there is absolutely nothing special about it apart from a nice round number. Git doesn’t care.”
The latest kernel release came after a slightly protracted development cycle. “It took a bit longer for the commit counts to come down this release than I tend to prefer,” Torvalds admitted, attributing the high commit volume to “various selftest updates (networking in particular) rather than any actual real sign of problems.”
Similar coverage:
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Linux 6.9 will be the first kernel version with ten million Git objects
Linus Torvalds has released version 6.8 of the Linux kernel and noted “random Git numerology” – when work on this version of the kernel was finished, the Git repository used to track it contained 9.996 million objects, The Register reports.
Late coverage:
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Ubuntu To Feature Linux Kernel 6.8 With A Blend Of Stability And Innovation
Ubuntu users are in for a treat as Linus Torvalds has officially announced the Linux kernel 6.8 on the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML). This version is set to be the General Availability (GA) kernel for the upcoming Ubuntu 24.04 LTS release, meaning it will be supported for the entire lifespan of the distribution. This release as fairly average in size compared to the previous one, it doesn’t skimp on new features and improvements. One of the highlights is the experimental Intel Xe DRM driver, which is part of a range of hardware support updates that include AMD Zen 5, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and more.
For Raspberry Pi enthusiasts, Linux 6.8 introduces support for the Raspberry Pi 5 in the V3D DRM driver, promising a solid graphics experience out of the box when paired with Mesa 23.3. This is a significant development for other Linux distributions that can now benefit from this mainline addition. The zswap subsystem has been enhanced to manage memory pressure more effectively, and a new feature prevents direct writes to block devices with mounted filesystems, reducing the risk of filesystem corruption. Intel ‘Meteor Lake’ CPUs will now reach their advertised boost speeds, thanks to an adjustment in the Intel P-State CPU frequency scaling driver.
LWN again (after paywall):
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Development statistics for 6.8
The 6.8 kernel was released on March 10 after a typical, nine-week development cycle. Over this time, 1,938 developers contributed 14,405 non-merge changesets, making 6.8 into a slower cycle than 6.7 (but busier than 6.6), with the lowest number of developers participating since the 6.5 release. Still, there was a lot going on during this cycle; read on for some of the details.