Linux kernel 5.15 with new NTFS3 driver is out as lts release

Linux kernel 5.15 has been released. That version will be the new long-term support release and will be updated until at least October 2023. New to the kernel include the addition of the NTFS3 driver and the ksmbd driver for smb file systems.

Lead developer Greg Kroah-Hartman writes that kernel version 5.15 will be the next lts release for Linux. It was previously unknown whether that would be 5.15, or version 5.16 that is expected to be released early next year. The release page states that 5.15 is an lts release. Its current end-of-life runs until October 2023, but with previous lts releases, the eol was extended more often if there is enough support from the community. The current lts release, kernel 5.10, has a lifespan until December 2026.

Kernel 5.15 contains some major changes, especially in the filesystem. For example, NTFS3 is added as a replacement for NTFS-3G, although the latter will remain. Also added is ksmbd, an smb driver that resides directly in the kernel. From now on, dram will also be placed in persistent memory, and several optimizations have been made for EXT4.

The kernel also offers support for several new hardware. For example, the kernel sorts for possible installation on Apple devices with the new M1 soc, and there is support for Intel’s upcoming Alder Lake chips and AMD’s Navi apus.