The changes in the latest Linux kernel, Linux 6.16, may be small, but they include some significant ones. Linus Torvalds himself summed up this release as looking fine, small, and calm, but not “really not all that interesting (in all the best ways!).”
Here’s my list of what’s new and improved.
First, the Rust language is continuing to become more well-integrated into the kernel. At the top of my list is that the kernel now boasts Rust bindings for the driver core and PCI device subsystem. This approach will make it easier to add new Rust-based hardware drivers to Linux.
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Additionally, new Rust abstractions have been integrated into the Direct Rendering Manager (DRM), particularly for ioctl handling, file/GEM memory management, and driver/device infrastructure for major GPU vendors, such as AMD, Nvidia, and Intel. These changes should reduce vulnerabilities and optimize graphics performance. This will make gamers and AI/ML developers happier.
Linux 6.16 also brings general improvements to Rust crate support. Crate is Rust’s packaging format. This will make it easier to build, maintain, and integrate Rust kernel modules into the kernel.
For those of you who still love C, don’t worry. The vast majority of kernel code remains in C, and Rust is unlikely to replace C soon. In a decade, we may be telling another story.
Beyond Rust, this latest release also comes with several major file system improvements. For starters, the XFS filesystem now supports large atomic writes. This capability means that large multi-block write operations are “atomic,” meaning all blocks are updated or none. This enhances data integrity and prevents data write errors. This move is significant for companies that use XFS for databases and large-scale storage.
Perhaps the most popular Linux file system, Ext4, is also getting many improvements. These boosts include faster commit paths, large folio support, and atomic multi-fsblock writes for bigalloc filesystems. What these improvements mean, if you’re not a file-system nerd, is that we should see speedups of up to 37% for sequential I/O workloads.
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If your Linux laptop doubles as a music player, another nice new feature is that you can now stream your audio over USB even while the rest of your system is asleep. That capability’s been available in Android for a while, but now it’s part of mainline Linux.
If security is a top priority for you, the 6.16 kernel now supports Intel Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) and Intel Trusted Domain Extensions (TDX). This addition, along with Linux’s improved support for AMD Secure Encrypted Virtualization and Secure Memory Encryption (SEV-SNP), enables you to encrypt your software’s memory in what’s known as confidential computing. This feature improves cloud security by encrypting a user’s virtual machine memory, meaning someone who cracks a cloud can’t access your data.
There are several other Linux chip improvements in this release. For starters, Linux now supports Intel Advanced Performance Extensions (APX). With APX, Linux can now use 32 general-purpose x86 registers. That’s double older chips’ 16 registers. This improvement means you’ll see increased performance from next-generation Intel CPUs, such as the Lunar Lake processors and the Granite Rapids Xeon processors.
You’ll also be able to access this improved processor performance via the new CONFIG_X86_NATIVE_CPU option. This option enables users to build kernels optimized specifically for their processor. While some people view this move as a way for Linux hobbyists to get the most power from their laptops and desktops, I also see it as a means for business developers to create optimized Linux kernels for their servers.
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Linux 6.16 brings improved support for Nvidia’s Blackwell GPUs. The Blackwell chips, used mostly for AI, are already being deployed in high-end Linux desktops.
On the network front, changes to how TCP/IP works with DMABUF will enable devices, including GPUs and AI accelerators, to speed up their networks while not burdening the CPU. While an average user may not notice this change, high-performance networkers will see the acceleration.
And chances are that average users will see the benefits if they use OpenVPN. OpenVPN’s native networking protocol still won’t run as fast as WireGuard, but it will, at least, give it more of a race.
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Looking ahead, Torvalds warns that things may not go so smoothly with the 6.17 release. “It’s worth noting that the upcoming merge window for 6.17 is going to be slightly chaotic for me,” Torvalds said. “I have multiple family events this August (a wedding and a big birthday), and with said family being spread not only across the US, but in Finland too, I’m spending about half the month traveling.” That schedule would slow anybody down.
So, like a true workaholic, Torvalds has already started front-loading his 6.17 workload. He hopes to get the bulk of the work done within the next two weeks before he begins his travels. Torvalds said: “I already ended up giving a heads-up on that to the people who tend to send me the most pull requests. And indeed, I already have 50 pull requests pending, so thanks to people who took that heads-up to heart.” Still, Torvalds “might delay rc1 a bit just to catch up.”
If you’re a Linux kernel developer, though, don’t think that you can expect to take it easy and slip a late pull request. The opposite is true, warned Torvalds: “That does not mean that I’ll be more lenient to late pull requests (probably quite the reverse, since it’s just going to add to the potential chaos).”
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