Hacker News with Generative AI: Linux Kernel

Linux Context Switching Internals: Process State and Memory (codingconfessions.com)
How does the Linux kernel represent processes and their state: A breakdown of task_struct and mm_struct

Linux Kernel, Operating Systems, Memory Management, Process Management

180 points by rbanffy 18 days ago | 3 comments

Raspberry Pi HEVC Decoder Driver Posted for Linux Kernel Review (phoronix.com)
The latest work that Raspberry Pi is working to upstream to the mainline Linux kernel is a HEVC/H.265 video decode driver that works on Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 5 single board computers.

Linux Kernel, Raspberry Pi, Video Decoding, Hardware, Open Source

9 points by ksec 28 days ago | 0 comments

Process Creation in Io_uring (lwn.net)
Back in 2022, Josh Triplett presented a plan to implement a "spawn new process" functionality in the io_uring subsystem.

Linux Kernel, Operating Systems, System Programming, io_uring

69 points by semiquaver 29 days ago | 26 comments

Introduce support for the Meson build system – git.git 904339e (kernel.org)
Introduce support for the Meson build system, a "modern" meta build system that supports many different platforms, including Linux, macOS, Windows and BSDs. Meson supports different backends, including Ninja, Xcode and Microsoft Visual Studio. Several common IDEs provide an integration with it.

Linux Kernel, Build Systems, Meson, Cross-Platform Development

3 points by todsacerdoti 31 days ago | 0 comments

Linux Fixing a "Hilarious/Revolting Performance Regression" Around Intel KVM (phoronix.com)
It's not too often that "fixes" to the Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) are noteworthy but today is an interesting exception with among the KVM fixes sent in today ahead of the Linux 6.13-rc3 tagging is for beginning to deal with a "hilarious/revolting" performance regression affecting recent generations of Intel processors.

Linux Kernel, Performance, Intel, Virtualization, Hardware

4 points by LinuxBender 34 days ago | 1 comments

NonStop discussion around adding Rust to Git (lwn.net)
The Linux kernel community's discussions about including Rust have gotten a lot of attention, but the kernel is not the only project wrestling with the question of whether to allow Rust. The Git project discussed the prospect in January, and then again at the Git Contributor's Summit in September.

Programming Languages, Open Source, Git, Linux Kernel

62 points by MBCook 36 days ago | 67 comments

A kernel code of conduct enforcement action (lwn.net)
The Linux Foundation Technical Advisory Board (TAB) has decided to "restrict Kent Overstreet's participation in the kernel development process during the Linux 6.13 kernel development cycle" based on a recommendation from the Code of Conduct committee.

Linux Kernel, Open Source, Community

4 points by voxadam 37 days ago | 0 comments

Perf Support for 2,048 CPU Cores Becoming Not Enough Patches Bump Kernel Limit (phoronix.com)
Currently the Linux kernel's "perf" performance monitoring subsystem has a limit on 2,048 CPU cores for its CPU map that is set by the MAX_NR_CPUS value. But that's becoming not enough in today's high core count era that patches are looking to raise it to a 4,096 CPU core limit by default.

Linux Kernel, Performance, Hardware, Software Development, Patches

5 points by LinuxBender 39 days ago | 0 comments

Linux EFI Zboot Abandoning "Compression Library Museum", Focusing on Gzip, ZSTD (phoronix.com)
The Linux kernel EFI Zboot code for carrying the Linux kernel image for EFI systems in compressed form is doing away with its "compression library museum" of offering Gzip, LZ4, LZMA, LZO, XZ, and Zstd compression options to instead just focus on Gzip and Zstd compression support.

Linux Kernel, EFI, Compression, Performance Optimization

70 points by rbanffy 40 days ago | 19 comments

Debugging a Superblock Percpu_rw_semaphore Deadlock (rustylife.github.io)
The kernel watchdog has detected that the tasks with PID 2449 and 1914 stopped making forward progress.

Debugging, Linux Kernel, Deadlock

41 points by rustylife 47 days ago | 0 comments

Greg Kroah-Hartman Sees 'Tipping Point' for Rust Drivers in Linux Kernel (phoronix.com)
In addition to the USB updates and big staging flush merged yesterday for the Linux 6.13 kernel merge window, the "char/misc" pull was also honored for that catch-all of various kernel changes.

Linux Kernel, Rust, Programming Languages

21 points by m463 47 days ago | 4 comments

Configure Kernel Modules Like a Pro (naut.ca)
Kernel modules are powerful pieces of code that extend the capability of your kernel, for example, WireGuard was originally developed as a kernel module. Modules can be loaded at the time of kernel image load, initramfs load, or later on during the boot sequence. Unfortunately, the syntax of config files, options, and modules can be quite confusing, which is why I created a complete guide to loading kernel modules, in order of the boot sequence:

Linux Kernel, Kernel Modules, Operating Systems, System Administration

7 points by rubatuga 48 days ago | 0 comments

Linux Kernel Performance Bottlenecks Spotted by Mold Developer (phoronix.com)
Open-source developer Rui Ueyama who is the lead developer of the Mold high performance linker and previously on the LLVM lld linker has written a detailed mailing list post that highlights some observed performance bottlenecks within the Linux kernel.

Linux Kernel, Open Source, Performance, Software Development

35 points by rbanffy 51 days ago | 21 comments

Microsoft Makes Improvement to Linux Kernel Module Caching in 6.13 (phoronix.com)
Sent out on Tuesday was the modules pull request for Linux 6.13 that have some low-level improvements but it noted that the biggest kernel modules highlight wasn't in that pull request itself but had been added by way of the memory management pull.

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

5 points by terminalbraid 52 days ago | 0 comments

Real-time Linux leads kernel v6.12's list of new features (zdnet.com)
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 Kernel, Operating Systems, Real-time Systems

3 points by CrankyBear 53 days ago | 0 comments

Linux CoC Announces Decision Following Recent Bcachefs Drama (phoronix.com)
Following the recent messaging from Bcachefs lead developer Kent Oversteet that Bcachefs changes for Linux 6.13 were rejected on the basis of his Code of Conduct, the Linux CoC committee has now formally announced their decision.

Linux Kernel, Open Source, Software Development

16 points by laktak 56 days ago | 11 comments

Re: [PATCH 1/2 v2] bcachefs: do not use PF_MEMALLOC_NORECLAIM (lwn.net)
The Code of Conduct Committee received reports about your conduct in this email discussion.

Linux Kernel, Patches, Open Source

9 points by Tomte 56 days ago | 2 comments

Bcachefs Changes Rejected Reportedly Due to CoC, Kernel Future "Uncertain" (phoronix.com)
While the Bcachefs feature changes for Linux 6.13 were already submitted even before the Linux 6.12 stable kernel was released, merging these changes are supposedly on hold due to the kernel's Code of Conduct (CoC) board.

Linux Kernel, Open Source

9 points by YakBizzarro 56 days ago | 1 comments

Bcachefs Changes Rejected Reportedly Due to CoC, Kernel Future "Uncertain" (phoronix.com)
While the Bcachefs feature changes for Linux 6.13 were already submitted even before the Linux 6.12 stable kernel was released, merging these changes are supposedly on hold due to the kernel's Code of Conduct (CoC) board.

Linux Kernel, Open Source, Software Development

22 points by not_your_vase 58 days ago | 3 comments

Linux 6.13 Quadrupling Workqueue Concurrency Limit (phoronix.com)
The Linux kernel Workqueue (WQ) is used for handling asynchronous process execution. For the past many years there has been an upper limit on the number of workqueue execution contexts per CPU at 512, but with Linux 6.13 that is being quadrupled to a limit of 2048.

Linux Kernel, Operating Systems, Performance, Concurrency

3 points by mikece 60 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, Software

8 points by awiesenhofer 71 days ago | 0 comments

Linus Torvalds lands a 2.6% performance improvement with minor Linux kernel patc (phoronix.com)
Linus Torvalds merged a patch on Wednesday that he authored that with reworking a few lines of code is able to score a 2.6% improvement within Intel's well-exercise "will it scale" per-thread-ops benchmark test case.

Linux Kernel, Performance, Optimization, Open Source

8 points by pauloxnet 71 days ago | 4 comments

Linux 6.13 to Drop Fieldbus Just Five Years After Being Merged (phoronix.com)
Merged back in 2019 was the Fieldbus subsystem as a set of network protocols for real-time distributed control of automated industrial systems. But now five years later, Fieldbus is being removed from the mainline Linux kernel since the code hasn't been maintained.

Linux Kernel, Open Source, Technology, Software Development, Networking

3 points by LinuxBender 74 days ago | 0 comments

Linus Torvalds Lands 2.6% Performance Improvement with Minor Linux Kernel Patch (phoronix.com)
Linus Torvalds merged a patch on Wednesday that he authored that with reworking a few lines of code is able to score a 2.6% improvement within Intel's well-exercise "will it scale" per-thread-ops benchmark test case.

Linux Kernel, Performance, Open Source, Software, Benchmarking

8 points by thunderbong 78 days ago | 1 comments

Linus Torvalds Lands 2.6% Performance Improvement with Minor Linux Kernel Patch (phoronix.com)
Linus Torvalds merged a patch on Wednesday that he authored that with reworking a few lines of code is able to score a 2.6% improvement within Intel's well-exercise "will it scale" per-thread-ops benchmark test case.

Linux Kernel, Performance, Open Source, Benchmarking

12 points by LinuxBender 79 days ago | 1 comments

Cqwrteur's fork of Linux kernel, rename it to Cinux (github.com/Cqinux)
Linus Torvalds has been sold out to big tech companies like Google and Microsoft. He himself is a billionaire and no longer writes any code. Many people, including myself, are very unhappy with his decisions, like the removal of several Russian developers from kernel maintainership status. See Several Russian developers lose kernel maintainership status.

Linux Kernel, Open Source, Politics, Software Development

11 points by jaypatelani 84 days ago | 13 comments

Serge Semin's Goodbye to the Linux Kernel (kernel.org)
I am sure you have already heard the news caused by the recent Greg' commit 6e90b675cf942e ("MAINTAINERS: Remove some entries due to various compliance requirements.").

Linux Kernel, Software, Open Source, Security, Compliance

34 points by airhangerf15 85 days ago | 12 comments

The Linux Kernel's "Compliance Requirements" Around Russian Sanctions (phoronix.com)
When a number of Russian Linux developers were removed from their MAINTAINERS file in the Linux kernel, it was described as due to "compliance requirements" but vague in what those requirements entailed.

Linux Kernel, Politics, Security, Russia, Open Source

19 points by 2OEH8eoCRo0 85 days ago | 2 comments

Kernel contributor James Bottomley's response to the recent maintainers removal (kernel.org)
Please accept all of our apologies for the way this was handled.

Linux Kernel, Open Source, Community, Controversy

11 points by simonmysun 86 days ago | 3 comments

Several Linux Kernel Driver Maintainers Removed Due to Russian Association (phoronix.com)
Quietly merged into this week's Linux 6.12-rc4 kernel was a patch that removes a number of kernel maintainers from being noted in the official MAINTAINERS file that recognizes all of the driver and subsystem maintainers.

Linux Kernel, Open Source, Security, Politics, Russia

6 points by ryzvonusef 86 days ago | 1 comments