What's new in Linux kernel 5.15?

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The latest Linux kernel has just been released, and it has a lot to offer both casual users and administrators. This particular release will be especially satisfying for those who use Linux as a file sharing server or a device that needs to connect to NTFS partitioned disks.

NTFS is key


The most important feature coming in the 5.15 kernel is a new NTFS file system driver, called NTFS3. Before this release, anyone using NTFS file systems had to rely on the ntfs-3g driver, which was buggy, slow and lacked several key features. In the new NTFS3 (which has been improved by code from Paragon Software), users will find:

Significantly improved read and write support
The ability to restore the NTFS log
ACL support
Support for regular, compressed and distributed files
Support for the creation date of NTFS files and folders from a Windows drive
Most people have switched from the NTFS file system to exFAT, but that doesn't mean, there is no demand for NTFS support at all. Given that Paragon Software has committed to developing the NTFS file system then we can be sure that it will continue to play a role in Linux

Built-in SMB server


The latest Linux kernel also includes a new SMB file service in the kernel. The goal of ksmbd is not to replace Samba, but to provide a lightweight and fast kernel module that is compatible with userspace tools and libraries. This new in-kernel server is capable of handling SMB3 files much faster and supporting more features (such as RDMA support for SMB Direct) that are implemented directly in the kernel.

Hardware support

  • Improvements for AMD CPUs and GPUs (added temperature monitoring support for AMD Zen 3 APU (Accelerated Processing Unit).
  • Audio driver for Van Gough APU.
  • Support for more RDNA2 graphics cards.
  • Added support for Intel Alder Lake (12th generation Intel processors) (including the addition of the Time Coordinated Computing driver used to change the
  • performance of Intel processors).
  • Initial support for Intel DG2/Alchemist Discrete Graphics and XeHP (next-generation Intel Xeon processors for HPC platforms).
  • Improved support for Apple M1 (merged IOMMU driver, added USB and PCIe support).
  • Added support for AMD Cyan Skillfish graphics.
  • Optimized support for C3 Cache on AMD processors.
  • AMD PTDMA driver has been integrated to support memory-to-memory copy operations and high-bandwidth I/O operations.
  • Support for the Realtek RTL8118EU WiFi driver.
  • Support for Cirrus Logic Dolphin audio devices.
  • Support for the NVIDIA Jetson TX2 NX development kit.

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Various kinds of add-ons


Other notable developments that came with the 5.15 kernel include:

  • Amazon's DAMON (Data Access Monitor) support, which improves performance while reducing memory,
  • Support and optimizations for XFS, EXT4, F2FS and Btrfs file systems,
  • Support for high-resolution scrolling with Apple Magic Mouse
  • Support for power profiles on some Acer laptops


Where to download Linux 5.15 from?


Linux 5.15 is available for download from kernel.org - it is required to compile it manually to run on your preferred Linux distribution.

On rolling release distributions such as Arch, the new kernel will be packaged and made available earlier than on snapshot releases such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint and Zorin OS.

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