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Linux Kernel 2.6.21 Released

osnews.com — Linux Kernel 2.6.21 has been announced. Linus writes: "So the big change during 2.6.21 is all the timer changes to support a tickless system (and even with ticks, more varied time sources). Thanks (when it no longer broke for lots of people ;) go to Thomas Gleixner and Ingo Molnar and a cadre of testers and coders."

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  • ssam, on 10/12/2007, -5/+38http://kernelnewbies.org/Linux_2_6_21 detailed list of changes
    • thcobbs, on 10/12/2007, -22/+10or you could just go read the CHANGELOG on kernel.org.
    • zanjabeel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Oh, just in time.
      I spent the last week trying to get ubuntu play music on my lenovo c200 laptop.
      the link says they updated alsa drivers and added ALC861VD support.

      I'll do clean install (because I missed with too many conf files) and update to this new kernel and be crossing my fingers.

  • schestowitz, on 10/12/2007, -22/+6I wonder why the first (and direct) link didn't make it into the front page. http://digg.com/linux_unix/Stable_Linux_Kernel_2_6_20_8_Released
    It's an old branch, however, but a new release nonethelss. One of the two releases.
  • xtlosx, on 10/12/2007, -10/+20good, can't wait to test it out.. I am interested in continued support for KVM..


    why the hell would you dig someone down for saying they are interested in the continued development of KVM?
    • GMorgan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12They are working on producing 3D support within VMs by creating a virtual device that can access OGL support on the host system. Not sure when this is planned for release though.
    • patpi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+23D support within VMs would be GREAT! Games on linux will be so much easier.
  • geneticlone, on 10/12/2007, -6/+14Just a questions, will the new kernel be affecting any of the existing drivers, I don't quite understand the whole concept of a tickles kernel that they spoke of in the article?
    • jonmills, on 10/12/2007, -6/+14dugg, for 'tickles'
    • baalzebub, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4if you build a new kernel from source usually you will have to rebuild Alsa (advanced linux sound application) alsalib, alsadriver, and maybe alsaoss & alsautls too..

      and if you use nvidia's video driver you will have to rebuild it too...
    • spiffytech, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10A description of the new tickless kernel feature can be found at

      http://kernelnewbies.org/Linux_2_6_21#head-8547911895fda9cdff32a94771c8f5706d66bba0

      Basically, a computer typically fires an timer interrupt N times per second. With the tickless kernel, timer interrupts are disabled when the system is idle (e.g.- you've walked away from your computer for a few minutes). By disabling the timer interrupts, you can squeeze more power savings out of your laptop.
    • rczeien, on 10/12/2007, -8/+0@natenvous

      Um, windows does have a kernel. It has a miro-kernel to be specific. Maybe calling other people retarded isn't a good idea when you have no concept of OS theory (really it's rude all the time).

      Digg this down please, I posted in the wrong place.
    • GMorgan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Calling the Vista kernel a micro kernel is like calling a slightly smaller bus a small car. It has to do a hell of a lot more than move the rendering engine to user land to make it a micro kernel. Besides micro kernels generally suck, even the OSX one isn't a real micro kernel since it has one huge server which is basically just a modified BSD.
  • select, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7How involved is Linus in the kernel coding process these days? Full time job?
    • GMorgan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23He is basically the oil in the machine, he is also the one who makes the decision when people disagree. Probably isn't one of the top contributors of code these days.
    • DesuKN, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15As the man himself says:

      "I'm basically a very lazy person who likes to get credit for things other people actually do." (from the Cathedral and the Bazaar: The Importance of Having Users)
  • johnstar, on 10/12/2007, -25/+1Im not exactly sure what the hell a tick less system is, but I can say one thing.
    It's better than Microsoft's.... if they have one?
  • Hamsterpotpies, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7Looks like a nice update. Good work Linux!
  • stmiller, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3Hope it fixes this bug with the new alsa included:
    https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-source-2.6.20/+bug/87652/
    • SteveMax, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5It should be submitted as a kernel bug, not as a Ubuntu bug, if you want to be sure that ti's fixed.
      Also, are you sure it's a kernel bug, and not a bug on Ubuntu's patches?
    • GMorgan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4There's this thing called Launchpad which solves all these upstream issues and... blah blah.

      The problem is the kernel doesn't use the normal bug tracking systems so probably Launchpad is opaque to it.
    • stmiller, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Wow. I never said it was one thing or the other. Nor is this my bug report. Thanks for digging me down. Many *book owners are concerned with this problem right now, and the .21 kernel which includes new alsa was rumored to be a possible fix.
  • fadain, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8Come on accept it, you digged this because it makes you feel geekier... like me.
  • mbradbury, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2In this release there is the clockevents and the dynamic tick patch http://lwn.net/Articles/223185/
    the VMI virtualization interface http://lwn.net/Articles/175706 a number of KVM improvements, the ALSA system on chip layer, http://www.rpsys.net/openzaurus/patches/alsa/info.html and much more. See the KernelNewbies 2.6.21 summary for vast amounts of detail. http://kernelnewbies.org/Linux_2_6_21

  • mattym, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2Wow, 500+ diggs and not even 1
    "I've had this in my custom kernel for 6 months" typical linux fanboy comment.

    Thank you.
    • bigtomrodney, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Pity we didn't get away without a smartass preemptive Windows fanboy comment.
    • mattym, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2bigtomrodney: I'm actually an OS X user, with some Linux on the side. Don't run any MS products. Sooo...you're wrong.
      Anywho, you know I'm right. I wasn't insulting the entire linux community, I was insulting the lame kids who think
      their cool by boasting their skills, their setups, and their ability to compile their own kernels. You know who I'm talking
      about, all those people who, as soon as something is released to the wild, feel its there duty to let others know that they
      have been using said product for years in beta form. Its a linux community plague.
  • weizbox, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1wow, leads you to a site where all you do is re-read the same description and click on another two links to get to the real info.... oh wait.. nevermind.. he he 2 big ads that hes probably getting money from... thats why it was posted to digg.... good job!

    To the diggers... please don't digg sites that just just have huge ads, no info, and just external links... the external links are what your supposed to digg ;)

    (buried)
  • digitallysick, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I'm down with the Kernel, KFC for life!
  • daradib, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Compiled and currently using 2.6.21
    I love when Linux gets updated.
  • kev009, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I've performed some "before and after" power measurements:
    http://digg.com/linux_unix/Linux_Kernel_2_6_21_s_Tickless_Kernel_Power_Measurements
    • diegocg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Dynticks in 2.6.21 doesn't include the power.saving features. It needs to set the CPU into a power saving mode; Current dynticks doesn't do it, it'll do in the future.
  • Stonekeeper, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Any idea how this will affect VM clocks? Currently, VMs are really poor keeping their time. The only solution i have is a kludge: put "clock=pit" in the boot params. How will this affect it?
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