Upstream Linux 6.12 Makes It Easier To Build A Debug Kernel For Arch Linux

The upstream Linux 6.11 kernel introduced the ability to easily produce a Pacman kernel package for Arch Linux with the new "make pacman-pkg" target. With Linux 6.12 new additions to the Kbuild code make it easy to also produce a debug kernel build for Arch Linux systems.

Merged for Linux 6.12 is the ability to create debug packages as part of the Pacman package build. The debug kernel builds include the non-stripped vmlinux file to provide debug symbols necessary for debugging and performance profiling. The debug package will be included by default during the Pacman builds unless opting out via the "PACMAN_EXTRAPACKAGES" control.

So for those wanting a debug kernel on Arch Linux of the upstream kernel to assist in debugging/profiling, beginning with Linux 6.12 it's all the more easier. This support was part of the Kbuild updates for Linux 6.12. The Kbuild changes also now allow cross-compiling linux-headers Debian package and the kernel-devel RPM package, improved module rebuilding speed, and other adjustments.