Linux Kernel 6.3 Reached End of Life: Upgrade to Linux Kernel 6.4

Rohan Timalsina

July 28, 2023 - TuxCare expert team

You might have noticed that the Linux kernel 6.3 series has been marked End of Life (EOL) on the kernel.org website. That means this kernel version will not receive any further updates and bug fixes. The final maintenance update, Linux kernel 6.3.13, was released on July 11, 2023, with numerous changes as it had 481 file modifications, 4919 insertions, and 2870 deletions.

However, on the same day, Linux kernel 6.3 was announced EOL by the kernel maintainer, Greg Kroah-Hartman, and users are advised to upgrade to the latest Linux kernel version as soon as possible. Currently, the latest stable Linux kernel series is 6.4, which was released on June 25 with lots of exciting improvements.

Upgrade to Linux Kernel 6.4

Linux Kernel 6.3 was released approximately two and a half months ago, on April 23, 2023. It introduced various new features, such as DRM accelerate driver for Intel VPU, Rust code support for x86_64 user-mode Linux, AES-SHA2-based encryption for the NFS file system, and support for AMD’s “automatic IBRS” feature.

On the other hand, Linux kernel 6.4 arrived with even more exciting features, including Intel LAM support, user trace events, support for zoned block devices for the F2FS filesystem, additional Rust language code, extensive driver updates for excellent hardware compatibility, and many other enhancements.

However, it’s worth noting that Linux kernel 6.4 is a short-lived branch with limited support. It is expected to be maintained for only 2-3 months until around mid or late September 2023. We recommend you upgrade to one of the long-term supported kernels available on kernel.org.

Conclusion

Embracing Linux 6.4 or other LTS kernels is a proactive step toward maintaining a robust and reliable infrastructure. So, don’t delay – upgrade now and keep your Linux environment in top-notch shape.

Additionally, considering live patching as a standard practice will help to ensure a smooth and secure Linux environment. To learn more about Linux kernel live patching and why it is essential, read this guide.

The sources for this article include a story from 9to5Linux.

Summary