Five Great Features of the Latest Version of the Linux Kernel
Barely three months have passed since the launch of Linux 3.6 and already Linux 3.7 kernel has been released. The new kernel boasts significant changes when compared to its immediate predecessor. In addition, the changes not only affect system administrators and developers, but also users who run Linux on their PCs. One of its hallmark new features includes supports that make it compatible with ARM 64-bit architecture.
This enables developers to create multiple ARM platforms using one base kernel. This is a great addition given that earlier versions required that each ARM hardware to be assigned a customized kernel version. Without divulging too much, let’s look into details at some of the new features that make Linux 3.7 stand out.
- ARM Multi-platform Support
- Enhanced Security Through Signed Kernel Modules
- SMBv2 Support
- Networking
- Intel SMAP Support
Typically, a Linux distribution for x86 computers should have the capacity to boot and function in other PCs (difference arising from motherboard type, chipsets, CPU vendor, GPU models etc.) from a one-point distribution install media. This ability to boot and work in different hardware and system configurations is taken as a standard in the PC world, albeit it never existed in the Linux ARM world. Linux 3.7 boasts of a multiplatform support that allows a single ARM kernel image to be applied to boot several PCs.
This new version allows users to sign kernel modules if they wish to. The kernel is capable of disabling the loading of modules that haven’t been signed in with the correct password, even for root users. This security feature blocks a hacker who has already gained root user access from installing a rootkit via the usual module loading procedures.
Contrary to earlier announcements made during the release of Linux 3.6, SMBv2 was not featured in this version. Nevertheless, it is now available in this new kernel. SMBv2 protocol is the successor of SMB network and CIFS file sharing protocols. It offers users better user experience, unmatched security and features that were not available in earlier versions.
The developers of Linux 3.7 have merged support for Network Address Translation (NAT) with IPv6. A number of Linux developers previously questioned the essence of merging NAT with IPv4 as it resulted in redundancy caused by larger address space requirement. However, IPv6 specifications avoid much of the problems linked to IPv4, making the NAT and Ipv6 merge more useful. This feature is particularly relevant to institutions or users who need to make their internal network topography opaque.
The new kernel version boasts of a groundbreaking security feature that will soon be availed for future Intel processors, Supervisor Mode Access prevention (SMAP). This feature prevents kernel access to memory pages accessed by user-space. This in general stops any kind of hacking exploits.