A Linux 6.18 kernel has been assigned long-term support status. Updates for the 6.18 branch will be released until at least December 2027, but it is possible that, as with previous LTS branches, the support period will be extended up to six years. For regular kernel releases, updates are only issued until the next stable branch is released (for example, updates for the 6.17 branch were released until the 6.18 was launched).
At the same time, it was announced that the support cycle for the Linux kernel 5.4 branch has come to an end, with the final release 5.4.302 published (no further updates will be released in the 5.4.x series). The 5.4 branch was formed in November 2019, it was supported for 6 years and was used in Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and Oracle Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel 6. Products shipped with the 5.4 kernel are recommended to be migrated to more current LTS releases.
Long-term branches are still being supported:
- 6.12 — until December 2026 (used in Debian 13, SUSE 16, Android 16, and Oracle Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel 8).
- 6.6 — until December 2026 (used in OpenWRT 24.10).
- 6.1 — until December 2027 (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 (used in Debian 11, Android 12, and OpenWRT 22).
Separately based on kernels 4.4, 4.19, 5.10, 6.1, and 6.12, the Linux Foundation provides SLTS (Super Long Term Support) branches that are supported separately and can last from 10 to 20 years. The support for SLTS branches is conducted within the Civil Infrastructure Platform (CIP) project, which includes companies such as Toshiba, Siemens, Renesas, Bosch, Hitachi, and MOXA, as well as maintainers of the main kernel's LTS branches, Debian developers, and the creators of the KernelCI project. SLTS kernels are focused on application in technical systems of civil infrastructure and in critical industrial systems.
Forrás: opennet.ru
