Hacker News with Generative AI: Kernel

Linux Swap Table Code Shows the Potential for Performance Gains (phoronix.com)
With Swap Tables the hope is for lower memory use, higher performance, dynamic swap allocation and growth, greater extensibility, and other improvements over the existing swap code within the Linux kernel.

Linux, Operating Systems, Performance, Kernel

9 points by marcodiego 7 days ago | 1 comments

Linux 6.15 Git Tanked Nginx HTTPS Web Server Performance (phoronix.com)
With the Linux 6.15 kernel settling down nicely, I've been testing out the current Linux Git state on more systems in looking for any performance changes. Unfortunately this week I ran into a large performance regression affecting the Nginx HTTP(S) web server. Here's a look at that problem currently affecting Linux Git.

Linux, Performance, Web Server, Nginx, Kernel

6 points by LinuxBender 31 days ago | 0 comments

The case of the UI thread that hung in a kernel call (microsoft.com)
A customer asked for help with a longstanding but low-frequency hang that they have never been able to figure out.

Debugging, User Interface, Operating Systems, Kernel

143 points by luu 38 days ago | 48 comments

Can Linux have "transfer data structures to new kernel" rebooting like Minix? (ycombinator.com)
Or would that go against the monolithic kernel paradigm of the Linux kernel?

Operating Systems, Linux, Kernel, Rebooting, Minix

5 points by vitalmixofntrnt 45 days ago | 1 comments

Linux Kernel Defence Map – Security Hardening Concepts (github.com/a13xp0p0v)
Linux Kernel Defence Map shows the relationships between vulnerability classes, exploitation techniques, bug detection mechanisms, and defence technologies

Linux, Security, Kernel, Vulnerability, Defense

158 points by transpute 48 days ago | 20 comments

BPF from Scratch in Rust (yeet.cx)
We’re not saying yeet is the Dr. Dre of observability… but it’s been in the lab with a pen and a pad trying to get the kernel off its back.

Programming, Rust, Kernel, Operating Systems

35 points by todsacerdoti 48 days ago | 2 comments

FUSE File-Systems to Support Much Longer Filenames with Linux 6.15 (phoronix.com)

Linux, File Systems, Operating Systems, Kernel, Software

6 points by LinuxBender 52 days ago | 0 comments

Linux 6.15 Goes Heavy on Intel and AMD x86_64 CPU Changes (phoronix.com)
Merged today for the recently-opened Linux 6.15 merge window were all of the "x86/core" changes that are particularly heavy on new feature work for both Intel and AMD x86/x86_64 processors.

Linux, Intel, AMD, CPUs, Kernel

15 points by rbanffy 58 days ago | 0 comments

Linux 6.14 Release Changelog (kernelnewbies.org)
Linux 6.14 changelog.

Linux, Operating Systems, Release Notes, Software, Kernel

13 points by diegocg 60 days ago | 3 comments

Google Developing "Live Update Orchestrator" New Means Live Linux Kernel Updates (phoronix.com)
While there is Kpatch, Ksplice, and other live patching solutions already in use for patching a running Linux kernel for deploying security updates without downtime, Google engineers are developing the Live Update Orchestrator as a new means of transitioning to a new updated kernel with minimal downtime.

Linux, Security, Operating Systems, Google, Kernel

14 points by LinuxBender 64 days ago | 1 comments

Apple rearranged its XNU kernel with exclaves (theregister.com)
Apple has been working to harden the XNU kernel that powers its various operating systems, including iOS and macOS, with a feature called "exclaves."

Operating Systems, Security, Apple, Kernel, Software

111 points by fork-bomber 75 days ago | 17 comments

Fiwix: Small Unix-Like Kernel (fiwix.org)
Fiwix is an operating system kernel written from scratch, based on the UNIX architecture and fully focused on being POSIX compatible.

Operating Systems, Unix, Kernel

79 points by coolcoder613 107 days ago | 40 comments

Geico Developing TuxTape – A New Linux Kernel Livepatching Solution (phoronix.com)
Prominent US insurance company GEICO has been working on TuxTape as a new Linux kernel livepatching toolkit.

Linux, Open Source, Security, Software, Kernel

12 points by LorenDB 108 days ago | 0 comments

Resistance to Rust abstractions for DMA mapping (lwn.net)
While the path toward the ability to write device drivers in Rust has been anything but smooth, steady progress has been made and that goal is close to being achieved — for some types of drivers at least. Device drivers need to be able to set up memory areas for direct memory access (DMA) transfers, though; that means Rust drivers will need a set of abstractions to interface with the kernel's DMA-mapping subsystem.

Rust, Device Drivers, Kernel, DMA, Programming

95 points by mustache_kimono 109 days ago | 93 comments

Resistance to Rust abstractions for DMA mapping (lwn.net)
While the path toward the ability to write device drivers in Rust has been anything but smooth, steady progress has been made and that goal is close to being achieved — for some types of drivers at least. Device drivers need to be able to set up memory areas for direct memory access (DMA) transfers, though; that means Rust drivers will need a set of abstractions to interface with the kernel's DMA-mapping subsystem.

Rust, Device Drivers, DMA, Operating Systems, Kernel

12 points by ZeroCool2u 109 days ago | 1 comments

Susctl CVE-2024-54507: A particularly 'sus' sysctl in the XNU kernel (jprx.io)
Every time Apple releases a new version of XNU, I run a custom suite of tests under an address sanitizer to see if I can spot any regressions, or even possibly new bugs.

Security, Apple, XNU, Kernel, Bugs

148 points by jprx 120 days ago | 41 comments

Why is my CPU usage always 100%? (downtowndougbrown.com)
If you’re new to this series, I’ve been documenting the process I went through upgrading my old PXA166-based Chumby 8’s 2.6.28 Linux kernel to a modern 6.x version.

Troubleshooting, Linux, Kernel, Hardware

537 points by pncnmnp 134 days ago | 142 comments

Failing Randomly: Linux Seccomp and Kernel Hacking (mejedi.dev)
Seccomp filters system calls with cBPF code. One can blacklist certain system call numbers or even make a decision based on call arguments. Both Docker and Chromium use seccomp to protect host from malicious or misbehaving programs.

Security, Linux, Kernel, Programming, Security

9 points by rapidlua 156 days ago | 0 comments

Linux 6.13 Staging Clears 107k Lines of Code from Old and Unmaintained Drivers (phoronix.com)
Just a quick reminder this "Black Friday" if you would like to help show your support.

Linux, Operating Systems, Software Development, Kernel, Open Source

4 points by ksec 175 days ago | 1 comments

The Case for a High-Level Kernel-Bypass I/O Abstraction (irenezhang.net)
After chatting with people at HotOS, I was inspired to write this blog post summarizing my HotOS paper. At a high-level, the HotOS paper advocates for a new high-level I/O abstraction for kernel-bypass.

Operating Systems, Kernel, I/O

16 points by thunderbong 181 days ago | 1 comments

How to build a custom kernel for WSL in 2025 (boxofcables.dev)
Thanks to the WSL System Distro, we no longer need distro-specific instructions to build a WSL custom kernel.

Windows, Linux, Kernel, WSL

5 points by pengwinhayden 181 days ago | 3 comments

Linux Kernel 6.12 Has Landed – and It's a Big One (omgubuntu.co.uk)
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.

Linux, Kernel, Software Releases, Open Source

11 points by signa11 187 days ago | 2 comments

Linux Fixes Hosts Randomly Rebooting During Virtualization with Ryzen 7000/8000 (phoronix.com)
Ahead of the Linux 6.12 kernel release expected today there is a last minute "x86/urgent" pull request.

Linux, Virtualization, Ryzen, Kernel, Hardware

4 points by LinuxBender 187 days ago | 3 comments

Linux 6.12 Released with Real-Time Capabilities, Sched_Ext, AMD RDNA4 and More (phoronix.com)
As expected, minutes ago Linus Torvalds just released the Linux 6.12 kernel as stable. Linux 6.12 brings many new features, new hardware support, and is rounded out by the fact of expected to become this year's Long Term Support (LTS) kernel version.

Linux, Kernel, Hardware, Software, Real-time

10 points by sandwichsphinx 187 days ago | 1 comments

An attempt to backdoor the kernel (2003) (lwn.net)
Someone recently made an attempt to add a local root backdoor to the Linux kernel, by making a checkin to the subsidiary CVS repository under someone else's name. Fortunately, the master repository is on Linus' computer, behind a firewall, and the automated tracking of BitKeeper, the source control system, caught the illegal change.

Security, Linux, Kernel, Open Source

32 points by pbrowne011 192 days ago | 0 comments

Intel Spots 3888.9% Performance Improvement in Linux Kernel from 1 Line of Code (phoronix.com)
Intel's Linux kernel test robot has reported a 3888.9% performance improvement in the mainline Linux kernel as of this past week.

Linux, Kernel, Performance, Optimization, Intel

7 points by croes 193 days ago | 0 comments

Intel Spots a 3888% Performance Improvement in the Linux Kernel (phoronix.com)
Intel's Linux kernel test robot has reported a 3888.9% performance improvement in the mainline Linux kernel as of this past week.

Linux, Performance, Kernel, Intel

19 points by redbell 195 days ago | 3 comments

x86 Early Kernel Boot Process with Microcode, ACPI Overrides, and Initrd (labcsmart.com)
In this third installment of our x86 Platforms series, following Part 2: UEFI Bootloader Management and Integration with Yocto, we’re going to explore the early kernel boot process in more depth. Specifically, we’ll cover how x86 systems handle microcode updates, ACPI table overrides, and the initrd (initial RAM disk). These elements are critical for configuring the CPU, hardware, and the system during the boot process.

Operating Systems, x86 Architecture, Boot Process, Kernel, Hardware

12 points by transpute 210 days ago | 2 comments

SELinux bypasses (klecko.github.io)
This post aims at giving an overview of what SELinux is, how it is implemented, and how to bypass it, from the point of view of Android kernel exploitation.

Security, Android, Exploitation, Kernel

185 points by voxadam 210 days ago | 56 comments

A deep dive into Linux's new mseal syscall (trailofbits.com)
If you love exploit mitigations, you may have heard of a new system call named mseal landing into the Linux kernel’s 6.10 release, providing a protection called “memory sealing.” Beyond notes from the authors, very little information about this mitigation exists. In this blog post, we’ll explain what this syscall is, including how it’s different from prior memory protection schemes and how it works in the kernel to protect virtual memory.

Linux, Security, Kernel, Operating Systems, Memory Management

252 points by todsacerdoti 210 days ago | 54 comments