Linus Torvalds has announced the fifth release candidate (RC5) of Linux Kernel 6.13 on December 29, 2024. The Linux Kernel 6.13 Release Candidate 5 is smaller than usual, indicating that many developers took time off during the holidays. With fewer than 100 changes, RC5 focuses mainly on fixes and minor enhancements.
Torvalds expressed satisfaction with the slower pace of development during the holidays. He encouraged developers to continue focusing on stability as the kernel moves toward its final release.
In the Kernel 6.13 RC5 official release notes, Linus Torvalds wrote:
It's been another week, but I'm happy to report that clearly most people actually seem to have been enjoying the holidays, because rc5 is tiny. We've got less than a hundred non-merge commits for the week, which is pretty much unheard of. Good job (or rather - lack there-of).
Table of Contents
Key Highlights
1. Size and Stability
- RC5 is one of the smallest releases to date.
- It includes fewer than 100 non-merge commits.
- The focus is on bug fixes and stability improvements rather than new features.
2. Btrfs File System Improvements
- Fixes for use-after-free issues during Copy-On-Write (COW) operations.
- Better handling of memory-mapped writes when activating swap files.
- Enhanced performance by allowing swap activation to be interruptible.
- Improved atomicity when enabling quotas.
3. DMA Engine Enhancements
- Updates for Tegra, Loongson2, and AMD QDMA support.
- Improved error handling and compatibility fixes for specific hardware.
4. Audio and Sound Updates
- ALSA fixes, including support for DMA buffer management.
- Realtek and Intel-specific sound driver updates.
5. Peripheral Device Support
- Fixes for HDMI PHY dependencies and USB PHY initialization.
- Updates for I2C controllers and NAND drivers.
6. Power Management Improvements
- Bug fixes in power supply drivers.
- Improved error handling for battery charging circuits.
7. Tracing and Debugging Enhancements
- Updates to tracing mechanisms for better reliability.
- Fixes for kernel documentation warnings.
8. Architecture-Specific Changes
- Intel's Perf subsystem updated for new CPU architectures like Clearwater Forest.
- PowerPC-specific fixes for VAS operations.
- x86 updates to address missing ENDBRANCH instructions.
Bug Fixes and Improvements
File Systems
Btrfs received multiple fixes for stability, including:
- Avoiding use-after-free errors.
- Enhancing quota management.
- Preventing core monopolization during swap file activation.
Networking
- Fixes in SMB protocol for reusing deferred file handles.
- Updates in NFS to restore callback functionality for NFSv4.0.
Drivers
- Enhancements for I2C, DMA, and HDMI drivers to improve hardware compatibility.
- USB PHY initialization tweaks to prevent power issues.
Memory and DMA
- Adjustments in DMA engines for Loongson, AMD, and Tegra platforms.
- Error handling improvements to prevent crashes.
Try Linux Kernel 6.13 RC5
The next few weeks will focus on testing and bug fixes as Linux Kernel 6.13 approaches its final release. Developers and users are encouraged to test RC5 thoroughly and report any issues.
You can download Kernel 6.13-rc5 source code from the official Linux Kernel Archive or from the Linus Torvalds's git tree.
