After going through seven release candidate versions, Linux 4.12 has now been out for the public. The new Linux kernel version includes support for the AMD Vega family that is touted to deliver the next-generation graphics experience.
Torvalds highlights that Linux 4.12 comes with a large number of new header files to support the newest AMD architecture. “That is almost exactly half the bulk of the patch, in fact, and partly as a result of that the driver side dominates everything else at 85+ percent of the release patch,” the Linux founder notes in a mailing list announcement.
The latest Linux kernel also has Intel IPU driver offerings to support newer hardware.
In addition to the driver updates, the Linux kernel has security enhancements such as the default x86 KASLR and support for the Trusted Execution Environment. There is also an extensive support for the POWER 9 and POWER architecture to handle up to 512TB of virtual address spaces. Similarly, the platform has improvements to Gemini Lake and Nvidia GTX 1000 Pascal.
‘Just plain big’
Torvalds believes that Linux 4.12 is “just plain big” platform. Notably, the kernel is available through a normal release cycle not a long-term supported version like the 4.9.
The arrival of the new kernel has also opened the merge window for Linux 4.13. It also sets the ground for the next LTS release that will emerge in early November.
In the meantime, you can download the Linux 4.12 source tarball from the kernel.org website.
