Exciting Features Merged So Far For The Linux 4.2 Kernel

With week one of two having passed for the Linux 4.2 kernel merge window, here's a look at some of the exciting new features and changes that landed in the first week.

While KDBUS isn't coming for Linux 4.2, there are many exciting changes as usual that have landed at this half-way point for the Linux 4.2 merge window. Here's some of my favorites:

- A massive DRM pull that includes more atomic mode-setting work, the landing of the new AMDGPU DRM driver, VCE1 video encode support for the Radeon DRM driver, and many Intel updates. However, there's no new code that landed for the open-source NVIDIA (Nouveau) driver.

- Many new ARM board and SoC coverage including SMP support for the Allwinner A23, Freescale i.MX7D support, ZTE ZX296702 enablement, several new ARM platforms are now supported, and the HiSilicon hi6220 is now enabled too along with the 96Boards HiKey solution.

- Many big updates in the kernel staging area.

- Audio improvements for Linux 4.2.

- Intel tracing on Linux gets even better with these Perf updates.

- Jitter RNG and Akcipher and other crypto improvements.

- Write combining for x86 KVM along with other KVM virtualization improvements.

- Speed-ups and cleaning within the hairy x86 Assembly code.

- Linux 4.2 has been ported to the Renesas H8/300 in mainline.

- ACPI 6 Non-Volatile Memory Device support.

- More ACPI 6 enablement and other power management enhancements.

- Scheduler tweaks and improvements.

- Queue spinlocks were added.

- NCQ TRIM improvements and new kernel switches for enabling/disabling the capability.

- Performance improvements for GFS2 (Global File-System 2).

- Clean-ups and fixes for EXT4.

- F2FS per-file encryption support that's based on the EXT4 encryption added to Linux 4.1.

- New input device support including for the Logitech M560 mouse and the Sony Motion Controller and Navigation Controllers for the PlayStation 3/4.

- UEFI ESRT support as is needed for being able to do the UEFI system firmware updates from the Linux desktop.

That's what caught my attention so far. Stay tuned to Phoronix to find out about the other pull requests still slated for this week. Over on LinuxBenchmarking.com we continue to benchmark all of the latest kernel code on a daily basis.