Linux 6.9 Features: DM VDO, AMD Preferred Core, Intel FRED & Larger Console Fonts

Now that Linux 6.9-rc1 was released on Sunday to mark the end of the merge window, here is a look at all of the new features that have been merged for the Linux 6.9 kernel cycle.

Linux 6.9 is onto the testing and bug-fixing stage for the next two months until Linux 6.9 is ready to make its stable debut around the middle of May. Among the key highlights for Linux 6.9 are the Device Mapper Virtual Data Optimizer (DM VDO) finally making it upstream, AMD P-State Preferred Core support within the AMD P-State driver, a big rework to the CPU timers, support for larger frame-buffer console fonts to better support today's high resolution (4K) displays, big changes to workqueues (WQ), faster boot times for systems with lots of RAM and using HugeTLBs, the start of IBM POWER11 CPU enablement, Intel FRED support, and FUSE passthrough mode support for better enhancing file-systems in user-space.

Here's a more exhaustive look at all of the great Linux 6.9 changes I've been monitoring at Phoronix. And now with all the feature coverage out of the way, onto Linux 6.9 kernel benchmarking.

Processors:

- AMD P-State Preferred Core support.

- Tuning for Intel Meteor Lake to help with performance and power efficiency.

- Continued preparations for Intel X86S.

- Intel FRED was merged for Flexible Return Event Delivery.

- KVM optimizations for Intel and AMD platforms.

- Faster boot times for large systems with lots of RAM and making use of HugeTLB pages.

- New RISC-V vector-accelerated crypto routines.

- LoongArch enables more kernel features like objtool support, ORC stack unwinder, kernel livepatching, and more.

- Continued progress on AMD Confidential Computing with more SEV-SNP bits being upstreamed.

- The ARM SCMI CPUFreq driver enables boost by default.

- The AMD FRU Memory Poison Manager was merged as part of ongoing AND MI300 series work.

- Improved memory bandwidth throttling behavior on Linux 6.9.

- Starting IBM POWER11 support upstreaming for those next-generation Power processors.

- ARM64 Rust support.

- Mobileeye EyeQ5 SoC support was finally upstreamed.

- A new VFIO driver for NVIDIA's Grace Hopper Superchip.

- New Arm SoC support.

- Reworked x86 topology code for better Intel Core hybrid CPU support.

- Slightly easier enabling of future AMD Zen CPU generations.

Graphics:

- Support for larger frame-buffer (FB) console fonts to appear better on today's 4K and higher displays.

- Intel Fastboot is now enabled for all platforms.

- More device PCI IDs for Intel Arrow Lake and Alder Lake N.

- Continued enablement work by AMD for the RDNA3 (RDNA3.5) refresh and RDNA4 graphics IP.

- AMD FreeSync Video is retired.

- Continued improvements to the new Intel Xe (experimental) DRM driver.

- Many other open-source graphics driver improvements.