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The Linux kernel 5.5.1 point release is now available to download from the kernel.org website, marking the recently released Linux 5.5 kernel series as “stable” and therefore ready for mass deployments.
Released on January 27th, the Linux 5.5 kernel series is the latest and most advanced kernel branch for Linux-based operating systems. It introduces many new features and improvements, as well as updated drivers, filesystems, and more.
Highlights include a new Airtime Queue Limits (AQL) feature for better Wi-Fi connectivity, full support for the Raspberry Pi 4 single-board computer, SMB multichannel support, as well as CIFS as root file system.
It also brings a new unit testing framework for the Linux kernel called KUnit, various improvements to the Berkeley Packet Filter (BPF), cross device offloaded copy for NFS clients, and the ability to add alternative names to network interfaces.
Linux kernel 5.5 is now ready for mass deployments
Until today, the Linux 5.5 kernel series was marked as “mainline” on the kernel.org website, which means that it wasn’t recommended for use by the masses. With the release of Linux kernel 5.5.1, this changes as Linux 5.5 is marked as “stable.”
This means that Linux OS vendors can download it and deploy it on their GNU/Linux distributions for users to upgrade their installation and use the new features and improvements. Most probably, Arch Linux will be the first to deploy it.
Many upcoming operating systems will probably use Linux kernel 5.5, including Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and Fedora Linux 32. If you’re the type of person who can’t wait and want to compile the kernel yourself, you can grab Linux kernel 5.5.1 from here.
Compared to Linux 5.5.0, Linux kernel 5.5.1 changes 68 files, with 590 insertions and 217 deletions. You can find more details about the changes in this mailing list announcement by Greg Kroah-Hartman.
Last updated 4 years ago
