Linux Kernel 6.9 Officially Released, This Is What’s New
Highlights of Linux kernel 6.9 include Rust support on AArch64 (ARM64) architectures, support for the Intel FRED (Flexible Return and Event Delivery) mechanism for improved low-level event delivery, support for AMD SNP (Secure Nested Paging) guests, and a new dm-vdo (virtual data optimizer) target in device mapper for inline deduplication, compression, zero-block elimination, and thin provisioning.
Linux kernel 6.9 also supports the Named Address Spaces feature in GCC (GNU Compiler Collection) that allows the compiler to better optimize per-CPU data access, adds initial support for FUSE passthrough to allow the kernel to serve files from a user-space FUSE server directly, adds support for the Energy Model to be updated dynamically at run time, and introduces a new LPA2 mode for ARM 64-bit processors.
Update (by Roy)
Known bugs already:
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Linux 6.9
So Thorsten is still reporting a few regression fixes that haven't made it to me yet, but none of them look big or worrisome enough to delay the release for another week. We'll have to backport them when they get resolved and hit upstream.
So 6.9 is now out, and last week has looked quite stable (and the whole release has felt pretty normal). Below is the shortlog for the last week, with the changes mostly being dominated by some driver updates (gpu and networking being the big ones, but "big" is still pretty small, and there's various other driver noise in there too).
Outside of drivers, it's some filesystem fixes (bcachefs still stands out, but ksmbd shows up too), some late selftest fixes, and some core networking fixes.
And I now have a more powerful arm64 machine (thanks to Ampere), so the last week I've been doing almost as many arm64 builds as I have x86-64, and that should obviously continue during the upcoming merge window too. The M2 laptop I have has been more of a "test builds weekly" rather than "continuously".
Not that I really expect that to really show any issues - the laptop builds never did - but I feel happier having a bit more coverage.
Anyway, please keep testing, and obviously this means that tomorrow the merge window for 6.10 opens. I already have a few dozen pull requests pending, I appreciate the early birds,
Linus
BetaNews:
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Linux Daddy Linus Torvalds releases kernel 6.9
Linus Torvalds, the pioneer behind the Linux kernel, has released version 6.9, opting not to delay despite a few unresolved regression fixes. According to Torvalds, the remaining issues are minor and will be addressed via backports in subsequent updates. This version is characterized by its stability, with Torvalds noting that the release process appeared “pretty normal.”
This iteration brings notable updates, particularly to GPU and networking drivers, which dominate the change log, although Torvalds mentioned that these are relatively small in scope. The release also includes several critical filesystem fixes, with enhancements to bcachefs and adjustments in ksmbd, alongside late-stage selftest fixes and core networking amendments.
CNX Software:
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Linux 6.9 release - Main changes, Arm, RISC-V, and MIPS architectures - CNX Software
Released about two months ago, Linux 6.8 brought us a new experimental Intel Xe drm driver that aims to replace the legacy i915 driver for new Intel GPUs, the ability for the zswap subsystem to force cold pages out to (real) swap when memory gets tight, rust support for the creation of network PHY drivers, better cache efficiency for networking thanks to the reorganization of data structures, and many more changes. Linux 6.8 also happens to be the default kernel in the just-released Ubuntu 24.04 OS.
LWN:
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The 6.9 kernel is out
Linus has released the 6.9 kernel.
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So 6.9 is now out, and last week has looked quite stable (and the whole release has felt pretty normal).
"
OMG Ubuntu:
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Linux Kernel 6.9 Released — And It's Packed with Improvements - OMG! Ubuntu
Linux founder Linus Torvalds announced the final release on the Linux Kernel Mailing List in his usual relaxed, laissez faire style.
He notes that while kernel contributors have reported “a few regression fixes that haven’t made it to me yet […] none of them look big or worrisome enough to delay the release for another week. We’ll have to backport them when they get resolved and hit upstream.”
“So 6.9 is now out.”
Nice — if you get it, you get it — but what’s new?
It's FOSS News:
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Linux Kernel 6.9 Release is All About Fixing Things
This is good news for users of the ARM64 architecture; a better machine ought to improve how Linus optimizes the kernel for it. That being said, let's see what Linux kernel 6.9 has to offer.
Bootlin:
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Linux 6.9 released, Bootlin contributions inside!
Linux 6.9 was released last Sunday, and as usual we refer our readers to the excellent LWN.net coverage of the GNU/Linux 6.9 merge window (part 1 and part 2) to get a good overall picture of the improvements and new features brought by this release. On our side, we contributed a total of 119 commits … Continue reading "Linux 6.9 released, Bootlin contributions inside!"
LinuxSecurity:
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Linux Kernel 6.9 Released with Critical Fixes & Upgrades
The recently released GNU/Linux Kernel 6.9 brings forth a blend of crucial upgrades and enhancements, catering to the ever-evolving needs of the GNU/Linux ecosystem. Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, underscores this by stating, "a more powerful arm64 machine (thanks to Ampere)," signaling promising optimizations for ARM64 architecture in this new release.
LWN:
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LKML: Linus Torvalds: Linux 6.9
And I now have a more powerful arm64 machine (thanks to Ampere), so the last week I've been doing almost as many arm64 builds as I have x86-64, and that should obviously continue during the upcoming merge window too. The M2 laptop I have has been more of a "test builds weekly" rather than "continuously".
One more:
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Linux Kernel 6.9 Released. This is What’s New
A new mainline GNU/Linux Kernel 6.9 is now available. Find out what are the best new features of this version. Following almost two months of development effort, Linus Torvalds released GNU/Linux Kernel 6.9. This release brings the usual CPU, GPU updates across upcoming product line-ups, performance and security upgrades, networking, filesystem and more.
Collabora:
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Kernel 6.9: Enable, test, repeat
Collabora's engineers continue to be involved in the hardware enablement for a few different system-on-chips (SoCs) and platforms, and have also contributed significant improvements to kernel testing.
ZDNet:
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The top three GNU/Linux 6.9 kernel upgrades
The recently released GNU/Linux 6.9 kernel brings several significant updates and improvements. Here are the most important ones.
Slashdot relays Larabel:
Also here, late:
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Exploring Linux Kernel 6.9: New Features and Improvements
The latest stable version of the Linux kernel, 6.9, was released on May 12, 2024. This exciting update brings several new features and improved hardware support to the table, making it a significant upgrade for many users. However, it is important to remember that Linux kernel 6.9 is a short-lived branch that will be supported for only a few months.