Linux kernel 6.12 has been assigned long-term support branch status. Updates for the 6.12 branch will be released at least until December 2026, but it is also possible that, like previous LTS branches, the support period will be extended to six years. For regular kernel releases, updates are provided only until the next stable branch is released (for example, updates for the 6.11 branch were released until 6.12 came out).
At the same time, the Linux kernel developers announced the end of the support cycle for the 4.19 branch, with the final release, 4.19.325, being published (no further updates will be released in the 4.19.x series). The 4.19 branch was formed in October 2018, was supported for 6 years, and was used in Debian 10 and Android 10. Products shipped with kernel 4.19 are recommended to be migrated to more current LTS releases or to use builds from the Civil Infrastructure Platform (CIP) project.
Support for long-term branches continues:
- 6.6 — until December 2026 (used in Ubuntu 24.04 and OpenWRT 24.10-rc1).
- 6.1 — until December 2026 + support within SLTS (used in Debian 12).
- 5.15 — until October 2026 (used in Ubuntu 22.04, Oracle Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel 7 and OpenWRT 23.05).
- 5.10 — until December 2026 + support within SLTS (used in Debian 11, Android 12 and OpenWRT 22).
- 5.4 — until December 2025 (used in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and in Oracle Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel 6).
Separately based on kernels 4.4, 4.19, 5.10, and 6.1, the Linux Foundation provides SLTS (Super Long Term Support) branches, which are supported separately and maintained for 10-20 years. SLTS branches are supported within the Civil Infrastructure Platform (CIP) project, which includes companies such as Toshiba, Siemens, Renesas, Bosch, Hitachi, and MOXA, as well as LTS branch maintainers, Debian developers, and creators of the KernelCI project. SLTS kernels are aimed at applications in civil infrastructure technical systems and in critical industrial systems.
Source: opennet.ru
