Linus Torvalds released the stable version of the Linux kernel 6.5 on Sunday. This update introduces new features, new and updated drivers for better hardware support, and other changes. Among other new features, Linux 6.5 introduces MIDI 2.0 support in ALSA, ACPI support for the RISC-V architecture, and landlock support for UML (User-Mode Linux). The Linux 5.6 kernel also offers better support for AMD “Zen” systems as well as userspace support for “memcpy/memset” instructions from the ARMv8.8 architecture.
Linus Torvalds decided it was time to show the world a new version of the Linux kernel and announced its delivery in a short post on Sunday afternoon. He admitted he was a little worried about this version. Nothing particularly weird or scary has happened in the last week, so there’s no excuse for delaying the release of version 6.5. I still have the nagging feeling that a lot of people are on vacation and that’s partly why it’s quiet. But this version went smoothly, so it’s probably just because I’m being paranoid,” he wrote in a post on Sunday.
In fact, Torvalds has been concerned about the northern summer’s impact on this release since the first release candidate (RC1) was unveiled in the second week of July. Whatever the reason for this release being on time, without any significant disruption it spawned a kernel release that is unlikely to be considered particularly important. Perhaps the most notable change is enabling P-state by default on some AMD processors, meaning the kernel can manage cores more efficiently to balance performance and power consumption.
The Linux 6.5 kernel also added tools for running processors in parallel, improving boot time on multisocket servers. This improvement is important for hyperscalers. Speaking of hyperscalers: The Chinese technology company Alibaba will be pleased that the kernel has improved support for its in-house 64-bit RISC-V processor T-Head Xuantie 910 TH1520. T-Head, Alibaba’s chip design company, expects the Xuantie 910 to find its way into servers with AI workloads, 5G devices and edge servers.
USB 4.2 also appears for the first time in version 6.5, but support is not yet complete. Wi-Fi 7 has received more attention from the kernel. The performance of the Btrfs file system has been improved in this release, which also introduces SGX/HPE Ultraviolet support for Sub-NUMA (SNC) clustering. Additionally, Linux 6.5 introduces hardware support for Lenovo Yoga Book yb1-x90f/l and Nextbook Ares 8A tablets, Dell Studio 1569 (ACPI backlight issues), Lenovo ThinkPad X131e (AMD Build 3371), and iMac computers11,3 from Apple.
Of course, many new and updated drivers for various devices are also available in this Linux kernel release to provide users with top-notch hardware support. Among them are drivers for the AHT20 temperature and humidity sensor, HP WMI sensors, and the ROG Crosshair X670E Hero motherboard. Gamers will be pleased that there is a haptic improvement here. Anyone who uses an ASUS ROG Ally will be pleased to hear that the sound problems have been fixed in version 6.5. Below are other notable features of the Linux 6.5 kernel:
- AMD FreeSync is now enabled by default;
- memory support not supported;
- formative support for MIDI 2.0;
- updated Rust support to Rust 1.68.2;
- RISC-V now supports ACPI and the Vector extension;
- Support for NVIDIA SHIELD devices;
- Further activation of Wi-Fi 7.
The Linux 6.5 kernel is now available for download from Linus Torvalds’ git tree or other specialist sources. However, this is the source code and must be compiled manually. If that’s not your thing, you’ll have to wait for Linux 6.5 to arrive in your GNU/Linux distribution’s stable software repositories to update it. The bcachefs file system may appear in the next kernel release, Linux 6.6. This system didn’t make it into 6.5, but Torvalds reviewed it when developing 6.5 and said he was happier with the idea of it appearing in a future version.
Linux 6.5 is the third consecutive release on schedule after seven candidate releases. Linux 6.1 needed an eighth release candidate, but Torvalds had anticipated there would be a slowdown in work over the 2022-23 Christmas/New Year period.
Source: Linus Torvalds
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See also
Linux kernel version 6.4 is available with better support for RISC-V processors, Wi-Fi 7, more Rust code, and many other improvements
Linus Torvalds is frustrated with the ongoing stuttering issue with AMD’s fTPM module and offers to disable this “stupid” thing, believing the module is affecting Linux kernel performance
Linux 6.3 is available. This release initially adds support for 14th Gen Intel Meteor Lake processors and requires more Rust code