2.6 kernel out of the traps

By Matt Whipp

Posted on 18 Dec 2003 at 17:32

The Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) has announced the availability of the Linux kernel 2.6 version, the first new production kernel for almost three years.

'With the new kernel, I think we're getting closer to Linux for everyone,' said Linus Torvalds who came up with the original Linux kernel in 1991. 'I think this is the best yet and I had a lot of fun working on it.'

The OSDL claims the new kernel offers increased reliability and performance gains, is scalable for use in 64 processor systems and beyond and offers enhanced memory handling, faster threading and better performance for disk drives and memory access.

There's also broader hardware support, such as support for more embedded processors, as well as enhancements to plug and play, studio quality sound, USB and FireWire.

The broader capabilities of the new kernel should make it suitable for all types of use: from embedded systems such as set-top boxes to the data centres of large corporates. But the OSDL also hinted it has designs on it helping to forge fresh paths into the world of standard desktops.

'The new Linux kernel is an important milestone in the advance of Linux into mainstream computing,' said Timothy Witham, OSDL Lab director. 'The 2.6 kernel is a big step in giving Linux users a reliable, thoroughly-tested foundation for a new generation of applications and services that promise to change the computing landscape forever.'

A spokesperson for the OSDL said that the consortium will not suggest whether 2.4 kernel users should immediately upgrade. 'OSDL does not advise users as to the version of Linux they should use. We do recommend that users look at the most current Linux code and determine for themselves the best upgrade strategy.'

Red Hat told us that a 2.6 release of its enterprise products is still some way off: 'Red Hat has just released Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 and will include 2.6 kernel in RHEL 4 (due out in about 18 months) ... for the 'enterprise line' Red Hat focuses on ensuring full QA testing etc and as such would want to put 2.6 through its paces before giving it the 'enterprise-ready' tag. To this end, Red Hat hopes to include the 2.6 kernel in the Fedora code in the April timeframe.'

Fedora is the Red Hat-backed project that focuses on incorporating the latest development processes from the Open Source community.

Jasmin Ul-Haque, of SUSE said: 'We cannot ask our customer to upgrade to a new Kernel as this will have new library dependencies, is not certifed by us on hardware platforms or for software applications and therefore is unsupported by our current product range. However, we expect to have the 2.6 kernel in our next consumer product range (expected early on in Q2) and in our next generation enterprise server range (expected around the middle of 2004).'

SCO, the company that has taken issue with the 2.4 version of the kernel, claiming it contains 'misappropriated' code, says it expects to have a similar problem with 2.6. SCO PR Director Blake Stowell said: 'The kernel developers have made no secret that they don't intend to remove many of the areas that we have issues with... From our standpoint, the 2.6 kernel is in as much violation of our intellectual property as the 2.4 kernel.'

However, he did also say: 'We have not yet taken the time to delve deeply into the 2.6 kernel.'

SCO has had plenty of time to do so though. SUSE 9.0 included a test version of 2.6 when it was released in October, and the spokesperson at the OSDL confirmed that 'the pre-release "test" versions of the 2.6 kernel have been available since August, 2003, at the very least.'