Linux 6.0 is coming

Linux 6.0 is expected to arrive soon. The next version of the Linux kernel is jumping version numbers, with some performance gains, but it’s not a major change all the same: What was previously planned to be version 5.20 is now Linux 6.0 according to Linux 5.19 announcement.

There will be new hardware support. Especially Support for the RISC-V architecture continues to accrue, with changes that improve the new platform’s support for handling for Docker containers and apps packaged with Ubuntu’s Snap system, plus page-based memory types.

There is one big ticket feature has made it for the Linux 6.0 kernel: the Runtime Verification infrastructure for running Linux on safety-critical systems. Over last few years researchers have been exploring the possibility of verifying the Linux kernel behavior using Runtime Verification. Runtime Verification (RV) is a lightweight (yet rigorous) method that complements classical exhaustive verification techniques (such as model checking and theorem proving) with a more practical approach for complex systems. RV works by analyzing the trace of the system’s actual execution, comparing it against a formal specification of the system behavior. The usage of deterministic automaton for RV is a well-established approach.

linux

Information sources and links to more information:

Ready for the Linux 6.0 splashdown? Here are some of the highlights
Don’t panic if you’re not a fan of big changes… it’s 5.20 by another name
https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/08/linux_6_point_0_highlights/

Linux Kernel 6.0 is Likely the Next Version Upgrade With Initial Rust Code
Linux Kernel’s next upgrade is going to be 6.0, instead of Linux 5.20. That’s what Linus Torvalds is going with. Sounds good!
https://news.itsfoss.com/linux-kernel-6-0-reveal/

Linux 6.0 Adding Run-Time Verification For Running On Safety Critical Systems
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-6.0-Runtime-Verification

De Oliveira, Daniel Bristot; Cucinotta, Tommaso; De Oliveira, Romulo Silva. *Efficient formal verification for the Linux kernel.* In: International Conference on Software Engineering and Formal Methods. Springer, Cham, 2019. p. 315-332.
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-30446-1_17

https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/rostedt/linux-trace.git/tree/Documentation/trace/rv/runtime-verification.rst?h=for-next&id=ff0aaf671230d409a68fd7400f41e9eb3ac61dd8

https://lore.kernel.org/all/CAHk-=wgrz5BBk=rCz7W28Fj_o02s0Xi0OEQ3H1uQgOdFvHgx0w@mail.gmail.com/

103 Comments

  1. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Linux 6.8 Now Enables -Wstringop-overflow To Warn About Buffer Overflows
    https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-6.8-Wstringop-overflow

    Reply
  2. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Linux 6.8 Adds Input Driver For Adafruit Seesaw Gamepad
    https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-6.8-Adafruit-Seesaw

    Reply

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