Oracle Previews Cutting-Edge Kernel Build for Linux

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Oracle Linux engineers have recently released their build of kernel 6.9 for Oracle Linux, marking another step in their ongoing development efforts. They’re already looking ahead, with plans for kernel 6.10 and beyond. 

In April, Oracle updated its unique kernel build for Oracle Linux, known as the UEK-next kernel, which stands for Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel-next. This kernel is part of a continuous integration release process, and the latest result of these efforts is the UEK-next 6.9. This new release is based on the latest stable kernel release 6.9, which was made available in May.

The UEK-next kernel differs from typical enterprise Linux distribution kernels. According to the release notes, “UEK-next is not supported for production use; however, we will provide limited test and development support for these kernels to help validate applications and workloads.”

Oracle Linux 9, which was released in 2022, offers notable differences from other CentOS Linux-based distributions. One significant difference is the choice between two different kernels: RHCK (Red Hat Compatibility Kernel) and UEK (Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel), which Oracle has been offering since 2010.

Oracle explains that the “UEK-next release is built by applying UEK specific fixes on top of the latest Linux mainline release tag.” This configuration includes features that differ from the upstream kernel. For instance, the UEK-next includes a feature called soft affinity, which was first offered upstream in 2017 and revisited in 2019.

Additionally, the UEK supports Btrfs, a file system for which Red Hat dropped support back in 2017. The UEK also includes other features not yet present in the mainline kernel, such as the ability to change the kernel scheduler using the “pluggable scheduling framework” sched_ext, which is built on the eBPF kernel programmability feature. This feature is currently being considered for inclusion in kernel 6.11.

While kernel 6.10 is still a work in progress, currently at release candidate 6 stage, the ongoing development of UEK-next showcases Oracle’s commitment to advancing Linux kernel technology. The UEK-next is not just a collection of vendor-specific tweaks to the upstream kernel 6.9; it incorporates significant and innovative differences.

Oracle has been maintaining its own Linux distribution since 2006. In the following year, Oracle denied intentions to fork Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), and over the years, it has gathered significant expertise in this field. This expertise now contributes to the OpenELA initiative, which Oracle co-founded last year.

Oracle’s continuous efforts in kernel development, exemplified by the recent UEK-next 6.9 release, demonstrate its dedication to enhancing Linux for both testing and development purposes. As they look towards future releases like kernel 6.10 and beyond, Oracle continues to push the boundaries of what their Linux distribution can achieve.