14 DAY TRIAL // After having announced the release of Linux kernel 4.1.2 LTS, Linux kernel 3.10.84 LTS, and Linux kernel 3.14.48 LTS, Greg Kroah-Hartman has published details about the eighth point release of the stable Linux 4.0 kernel.
Linux kernel 4.0.8 has just arrived with numerous improvements (see below for details), but it looks like the Linux 4.0 kernel series is about to reach end of life in the coming weeks.
According to Greg Kroah-Hartman, who warns all users of the Linux 4.0 kernel series to move as soon as possible to the Linux 4.1 kernel branch, which will be an LTS (Long Term Support) release, Linux kernel 4.0.9 is the last maintenance version.
"I'm announcing the release of the 4.0.8 kernel. All users of the 4.0 kernel series must upgrade," says Greg Kroah-Hartman. "Note, there will only be one more 4.0-stable release, please start moving to 4.1-stable at this point in time, you have been warned."
Here's what's new in Linux kernel 4.0.8
As mentioned, Linux kernel 4.0.8 brings numerous improvements to the ARM architectures, as well as minor optimizations for the s390, x86, MIPS, and SPARC architectures. There are also updated drivers for things like CPUFreq, CPUIdle, IOMMU, MMC, KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine), USB, and networking (mostly Ethernet).
Additionally, the eighth maintenance release of Linux kernel 4.0 comes with several improvements to the Unix file system (UFS), a fix for a SELinux issue, as well as multiple networking enhancements, especially for the IPv4 and IPv6 protocols.
Download Linux kernel 4.0.8 right now from the kernel.org website or via Softpedia. All distribution vendors who use the Linux 4.0 kernel series are urged to upgrade to the current release of Linux kernel 4.1 in the next days or weeks.