Multiplatform Linux kernel 'pretty much done' says Linus Torvalds

Debuts version 5.19rc1, which includes HPE's next-gen server ASIC and much more

Linus Torvalds has announced the first release candidate for version 5.19 of the Linux kernel, and declared it represents a milestone in multiplatform development for the project.

After first commenting that the development process for this version has been made difficult by many late pull requests, then applauding the fact that most were properly signed, Torvalds opined that Linux 5.19 "is going to be on the bigger side, but certainly not breaking any records, and nothing looks particularly odd or crazy."

Around 60 percent of the release is drivers, and there's another big load of code that gets AMD GPUs playing nicely with the kernel.

Torvalds also noted "the core module handling got split up into more manageable pieces rather than one big file."

He signed off his weekly update with the following observation:

One thing of note is how the long-time ARM generic kernel work (aka "multiplatform") is pretty much done after 10+ years. Congrats to everybody involved. The StrongARM platforms remain with their separate kernels, and are expected to stay so, but compared to where things were a decade ago, this is a pretty big step.

Among the new additions to Linux 5.19 are work to support the MIPS-based LoongArch64 architecture developed by Chinese chip outfit LongSoon, NVMe support for Apple silicon, and more code that lays the groundwork for Intel's standalone GPUs.

Another item of interest is the beginnings of support for the HPE GXP architecture.

As explained by HPE chap Nick Hawkins, the architecture uses ARMv7 and the Cortex A9 core and will become a key feature of the company's next-gen servers.

But not as CPU.

"The GXP is the HPE BMC SoC that is used in the majority of HPE Generation 10 servers," Hawkins wrote. "Traditionally the ASIC will last multiple generations of server before being replaced." ®

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