The Linux kernel will soon receive a new major version number. Linus Torvalds has announced that the kernel will continue as Linux 7.0 after version 6.19. The announcement was made via the Linux Kernel Mailing List.
The announcement was shared by The Register. The choice of version 7.0 follows the existing versioning policy, whereby kernel series usually end at subversion 19. Previous series, including 5.x and 6.x, followed the same pattern. According to Torvalds (photo), the transition to a new major number is motivated by clarity in versioning.
Version numbering without functional significance
Torvalds has long emphasized that the main version number of the kernel has no direct relationship to the scope or impact of changes. An x.0 release is not functionally more important than other releases. In practice, kernel versions designated as Long Term Support (LTS) are more relevant to production environments than the main version number itself.
Linux 6.19 will be released prior to Linux 7.0. This release includes a Live Update Orchestrator, which allows kernel updates to be performed without interrupting active virtual machines. In addition, support is added for encrypted communication between PCIe devices and virtual machines.
The release also includes hardware support enhancements, including improvements for recent Intel and AMD processors, as well as additional support for RISC-V architectures and various Chinese processor platforms.
Network and system performance
In terms of networking, Linux 6.19 includes changes that remove a commonly used lock. In certain situations, this can result in faster network traffic handling and higher throughput speeds.
As usual, the kernel release also includes various changes to file systems and other subsystems.
Linux 7.0 will follow after completion of the 6.19 release cycle. A specific release date for Linux 7.0 has not yet been announced.