All users of the Linux 3.2 and 3.16 branches must update

Feb 28, 2017 00:07 GMT  ·  By

Linux kernel developer Ben Hutchings announced today the availability of two maintenance updates for the long-term supported Linux 3.16 and 3.2 kernel series.

Linux kernels 3.16.41 and 3.2.86 are now available for download if you're using a GNU/Linux operating system powered by any of these long-term supported (LTS) branches. However, they are small patches that include minor changes to the networking and filesystems areas.

According to their appended shortlogs, a total of 18 files were changed in Linux kernel 3.16.41 LTS, with 187 insertions and 52 deletions, and only 5 files have been changed in the Linux 3.2.86 LTS kernel, with 19 insertions and 12 deletions. The updated git tree can be browsed at https://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-stable.git.

"I'm announcing the release of the 3.16.41 [and 3.2.86] kernel. The updated 3.16.y git tree can be found at: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-stable.git linux-3.16.y and the updated 3.2.y git tree can be found at: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-stable.git linux-3.2.y," said Ben Hutchings.

Networking improvements and updated filesystems

Looking at the changes included in the Linux 3.2.86 LTS and Linux 3.16.41 LTS kernels, we can mention an updated networking stack with various IPv4, IPv6, and DCCP (Datagram Congestion Control Protocol) improvements, fixing ip6gre_err() invalid reads, freeing of skb too early for IPV6_RECVPKTINFO, and an infinite loop in tcp_splice_read().

The EXT4 and TMPFS filesystems have also received improvements to be able to validate s_first_meta_bg at mount time, as well as to clear S_ISGID when POSIX ACLs are set, and segmented_write_std has been introduced for the KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) implementation.

If you're using a GNU/Linux distribution powered by a kernel from the Linux 3.2 or 3.16 series, you are urged to update to the Linux 3.2.86 and Linux 3.16.41 releases as soon as possible. OS vendors can download the source tarballs of these new maintenance updates right now from kernel.org or via our website.