Linux Kernel 6.12 Officially Released, This Is What’s New
Highlights of Linux 6.12 include real-time “PREEMPT_RT” support, a new scheduler called sched_ext, DRM panic messages as QR codes, Clang support (including LTO) for nolibc, an updated cpuidle tool that now displays the residency value of cpuidle states for a clearer and more detailed view of idle state information when using cpuidle-info, and support for NVIDIA‘s virtual command queue implementation for SMMUv3.
Linux kernel 6.12 also introduces SWIG bindings for libcpupower to make it easier for developers to write scripts that use and extend the functionality of libcpupower, support for translating normalized error addresses reported by an AMD memory controller into system physical addresses using a UEFI mechanism called platform runtime mechanism (PRM), as well as simplified loading of microcode patches on AMD Zen and newer CPUs by using the family, model, and stepping encoded in the patch revision number.
Update
LWN and original message:
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The 6.12 kernel has been released [LWN.net]
Headline features in this release include: support for the Arm permission overlay extension, better compile-time control over which Spectre mitigations to employ, the last pieces of realtime preemption support, the realtime deadline server mechanism, more EEVDF scheduler development, the extensible scheduler class, the device memory TCP work, use of static calls in the security-module subsystem, the integrity policy enforcement security module, the ability to handle devices with a block size larger than the system page size in the XFS filesystem, and more. See the LWN merge-window summaries (part 1, part 2) and the KernelNewbies 6.12 page for more details.
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Linux 6.12 [LWN.net]
No strange surprises this last week, so we're sticking to the regular release schedule, and that obviously means that the merge window opens tomorrow. I already have two dozen+ pull requests in my mailbox, kudos to all the early birds.
But before the merge window opens, please give this a quick test to make sure we didn't mess anything up. The shortlog below gives you the summary for the last week, and nothing really jumps out at me. A number of last-minute reverts, and some random fairly small fixes fairly spread out in the tree.
Linus
OMGJoey:
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Linux Kernel 6.12 Has Landed – And It’s a Big One
Linus Torvalds has announced the release of Linux kernel 6.12, and an eclectic assortment of changes contained within make it one of the most biggest kernel releases for a while.
In terms of features, I mean. I didn’t sit bean-counting the code byte-by-byte!
In his message to the Linux Kernel Mailing List to announce the release Linus Torvalds notes that the final week of testing delivered “no strange surprises this last week, so we’re sticking to the regular release schedule”.
But what made it in?
Let’s take a look…
Linus Torvalds in LKML (lore.kernel.org).
LLM Fagioli:
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Linux 6.12 officially released
Linus Torvalds has officially released Linux 6.12, confirming that the last week of development went as planned, allowing the project to stick to its typical release schedule. Torvalds mentioned that the merge window for the next development phase is opening, and he acknowledged the developers who submitted their pull requests early. He asked users to test this release to ensure no unnoticed issues remain before integrating further changes.
It's FOSS News:
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Linux Kernel 6.12 Release Adds Real-Time Capability and Initial Raspberry Pi 5 Support
Every two or three months, we get a new kernel release with numerous improvements and Linus's thoughts on it.
Now is the time for a brand-new release, i.e., Linux kernel 6.12.
It brings in plenty of interesting changes, and other refinements. And, I am sure, you will find some new feature changes very cool!
Also here:
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Linux kernel 6.12 by no means 3888.9 percent faster according to developers
The developer of a change that is supposed to make the Linux kernel 3888.9 percent faster, according to numerous news reports and Internet videos, has had enough of the hype and has made it clear: There is no major performance advantage in practice, because this gigantic increase is only due to a negligible and impractical peculiarity of the measurement method used. At the same time, Vlastimil Babka pointed out that something else was hardly noticed: The test report mentioning the increase also mentions a slowdown of just under 9 percent in a second benchmark.
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Linux kernel 6.12 is out now with real-time capabilities, more gaming handheld support
I'm just searching through and cherry-picking random bits here as usual. It's a ridiculously long read as always with thousands of changes across all areas. See more in the full changelog.
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Ryzen 7000 / 8000 random reboot virtualization issues fixed in last-minute Linux 6.12 patch
AMD's Ryzen 8000 and Ryzen 9000 Series get a critical Linux virtualization bug patched just ahead of the release of the GNU/Linux 6.12 kernel.
3 more:
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Bootlin ☛ Linux 6.12 released, Bootlin contributions inside
Linux 6.12 has been released during the past week-end, pretty much as expected after 7 release candidates. As usual, we recommend our readers to go through the amazing LWN.net articles covering the 6.12 merge window (part 1, part 2) to get a high-level overview of the major new features and improvements in this 6.12 release.
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ZDNet ☛ Real-time Linux leads kernel v6.12's list of new features
It took its own sweet time -- over 20 years! -- but real-time Linux finally made it into the mainline Linux kernel. It's baked inside Linux kernel version 6.12. This is a major new release.
Linux 6.12's standout feature is the long-awaited inclusion of real-time "PREEMPT_RT" support in the mainline kernel. This capability dramatically improves the performance of real-time applications by making kernel processes preemptible. Real-time Linux now works in 32-bit and 64-bit Intel/AMD systems, 64-bit ARM, and RISC-V architectures.
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Audiocasts/Shows
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Jupiter Broadcasting ☛ 6 Reasons to Love Linux 6.12 | LINUX Unplugged 589
The GNU/Linux 6.12 kernel isn't just another update — it's a game-changer that deserves our full attention, from performance improvements to fascinating new features.
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And another pair:
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Linux Kernel 6.12: Real-time capabilities, hardware boosts, and more
Linux Kernel 6.12 has been released, a Long-Term Support (LTS) version guaranteed to receive updates and support until 2026.
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New version of Linux kernel gives users even more control - Techzine Global
Linux patriarch Linus Torvalds has released version 6.12 of the Linux kernel. This version has new capabilities to prioritize important processes over less important ones and offers more extensive hardware compatibility.
The patch PREEMPT_RT has officially made it to this latest kernel release. It is the capstone of a series of features gradually added since 2005 to enable real-time computing by making kernel processes preemptible. In other words, tasks lower on the priority list can be interrupted on the spot to give way to more important processes.
This new kernel release includes the latest addition, which basically completes the functionality. It is available in the 6.12 kernel versions for Intel and AMD systems (both 32—and 64-bit), 64-bit ARM, and RISC-V architectures.
Maybe last one:
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Linux Kernel 6.12 Released! Mainline PPA However Broken Again
Linux Kernel 6.12 was released! Linus Torvalds announced on Sunday: “No strange surprises this last week, so we’re sticking to the regular release schedule, and that obviously means that the merge window opens tomorrow. I already have two dozen+ pull requests in my mailbox, kudos to all the early birds.
Very late:
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Linux Kernel 6.12 Is Official! Real Time App Support, Better Scheduling
The latest Linux kernel available as of Nov. 17, 2024, is kernel 6.12. It contains several important features for certain segments of the Linux community. The 6.12 release candidate 1 became available on Sept. 29, 2024, and enjoyed a relatively quiet test period consisting of seven release candidate iterations. I discussed kernel 6.12rc1 here.
Late plug:
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Kernel 6.12: Small but mighty
Linux kernel 6.12 is here with real-time preemption support and an extensible scheduler class. Take a look at the contributions our kernel team made for this release.