IBM Power Improvements For Linux 6.0 Support The PowerVM Platform KeyStore

The IBM Power CPU architecture updates have been merged for the in-development Linux 6.0 kernel.

The IBM Power changes in Linux 6.0 include supporting new features like syscall stack randomization to a new driver for supporting the PowerVM Platform KeyStore for VMs. The Linux 6.0 Power highlights amount to:

- Support for system call stack randomization on IBM Power hardware.

- Support for atomic operations with the 32-bit and 64-bit BPF JIT.

- Full support for the Kernel Address Sanitizer "KASAN" on 64-bit Book3E.

- A new driver for the PowerVM hypervisor watchdog.

- A new driver for the PowerVM Platform KeyStore. The PowerVM Platform KeyStore (PKS) is an encrypted, non-volatile store that provides logical partitions with extra capabilities for protecting sensitive information. The Platform KeyStore can be used for boot device encryption, self-encrypting drivers, unlocking encrypted logical volumes without requiring a password. and other features. IBM's initial focus on this new "PLPKS" Linux driver is for guest Secure Boot on PowerVM and Self-Encrypting Drives (SED) on PowerVM.

- New self-tests for the Power10 PMU.

- Various other fixes and improvements.

The full list of Power changes for Linux 6.0 via this pull.