Linux kernel 6.17 has officially been released, showcasing notable enhancements aimed at broadening hardware support and improving system functionality. Linus Torvalds announced the release, highlighting a suite of new features designed to bolster the Linux experience for users and developers alike.
Key features in this version include support for ARM’s Branch Record Buffer Extension (BRBE), AMD’s Hardware Feedback Interface (HFI), and added compatibility for Intel’s Wildcat and Bartlett Lake-S architectures. This new kernel version also marks the introduction of live patching capabilities for AArch64 systems, a welcome update for those who require high availability and minimal downtime.
Additional improvements come in the form of system-call tracepoints for User-Mode Linux kernels, Berkeley Packet Filter (BPF) support for the LoongArch architecture, and the addition of a new DAMON_STAT module that simplifies memory management monitoring. The kernel now also supports proxy execution and includes enhancements to the GICv5 interrupt controller for Kernel-based Virtual Machines (KVM) on ARM systems.
Linux kernel 6.17 incorporates robust AppArmor capabilities to control AF_UNIX socket access, enhancing security further. Noteworthy improvements in networking include gateway routing support for the Management Component Transport Protocol (MCTP), the TCP_MAXSEG socket option for multipath TCP, and the DualPI2 congestion-control protocol, which optimize data throughput.
Filesystem advancements are present as well, with large-folio support in the Btrfs filesystem, improvements in scalability for EXT4, and metadata compression support for the EROFS filesystem. Moreover, new hardware drivers have been introduced, enhancing compatibility with various devices including ASUS laptops and HP EliteBook models.
Users can download the new kernel from the kernel.org website or Linus Torvalds’s git tree for those looking to compile it on their GNU/Linux distributions. However, it is often recommended to wait for the updated kernel to be integrated into your distribution’s stable software repositories.
With the kernel’s release, the merge window for the subsequent version, Linux 6.18, is now open, with an expected release for the first Release Candidate (RC) on October 12, 2025. Linus Torvalds has expressed his gratitude towards the proactive community contributors, indicating that several pull requests are already in the pipeline.
For further details regarding the features mentioned, feel free to check out the Linux kernel archives.
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