Rust Infrastructure Pull Request Submitted For Linux 6.1!

It's happening, folks! Linus Torvalds already indicated recently he intends to pull the initial Rust programming language support into the Linux 6.1 kernel cycle and today that pull request was submitted to him. Linux 6.0 isn't out yet but should be on Sunday unless any last minute problems, which in turn will mark the start of the two week v6.1 merge window.

Ahead of the Linux 6.1 merge window, longtime kernel developer Kees Cook working with Rust for Linux lead developer Miguel Ojeda have submitted the much-anticipated "Rust introduction" pull request intended for Linux 6.1.

Kees wrote in the PR:

Please pull the initial Rust support for v6.1-rc1. The tree has a recent base, but has fundamentally been in linux-next for a year and a half. It's been updated based on feedback from the Kernel Maintainer's Summit, and to gain recent Reviewed-by: tags. Miguel is the primary maintainer, with me helping where needed/wanted. Our plan is for the tree to switch to the standard non-rebasing practice once this initial infrastructure series lands. The contents are the absolute minimum to get Rust code building in the kernel, with many more interfaces (and drivers) on the way.

This is just the initial 12.6k lines of code for getting the Rust infrastructure in place, initial build system integration, and other key bits. Following that will be pulls that gradually add Rust support for more subsystems, more abstractions in Rust, and various Rust-written kernel drivers.

This Rust for Linux support remains optional, assuming you aren't dependent upon any of the new Rust drivers that eventually get introduced.

Barring any last minute surprises that would frighten Linus, this pull request should be mainlined for Linux 6.1 in the next two weeks. The Linux 6.1 stable kernel meanwhile will debut around the end of the calendar year.