14 DAY TRIAL // Immediately after informing us about the release of Linux kernel 4.8.4, Greg Kroah-Hartman announced the immediate availability of the twenty-seventh maintenance update to the long-term supported Linux 4.4 kernel series.
Just like Linux kernel 4.8.4, the Linux 4.4.27 LTS kernel release comes just a couple of days after its previous version, namely Linux kernel 4.4.26 LTS, which was urgently patched against the nasty "Dirty COW" bug. However, according to diff from Linux kernel 4.4.26 LTS and the appended shortlog, Linux kernel 4.4.27 LTS is a minor update that changes a total of 31 files, with 223 insertions and only 189 deletions.
"I'm announcing the release of the 4.4.27 kernel. All users of the 4.4 kernel series must upgrade," says Greg Kroah-Hartman. "The updated 4.4.y git tree can be found at: git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-stable.git linux-4.4.y and can be browsed at the normal kernel.org git web browser: http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-stable.git;a=summary."
Users must update their Linux-based systems immediately
If you click on the appended shortlog like above, you'll notice that Linux kernel 4.4.27 LTS introduces various improvements to the ReiserFS and EXT4 filesystems, but also some minor Btrfs, FUSE, sound stack, crypto, and core kernel changes. Additionally, it looks like there are enhancements to the Intel i40e Ethernet and Broadcom brcm80211 Wireless drivers, as well as the arcmsr and ibmvscsi SCSI drivers.
If you're using a GNU/Linux distribution powered by a kernel from the long-term supported Linux 4.4 LTS branch, you are urged to update to Linux kernel 4.4.27 LTS as soon as possible, or more precisely as soon as it lands in the stable repositories of your operating system. OS vendors and powered users need to download the Linux kernel 4.4.27 LTS source right now via our website or directly from kernel.org.