Greg Kroah-Hartman has announced the release of Linux kernel version 6.17.2, marking another steady round of maintenance updates for the platform. The release focuses on tightening up code reliability with dozens of fixes across filesystems, virtualization, crypto modules, and device drivers.
The update refines core areas of the kernel with an emphasis on correctness and consistency. In the ring buffe, return values from __rb_map_vma() are now properly propagated, closing a gap that could ignore invalid memory mappings. The f2fs filesystem also gains stronger protection, introducing NODE_TYPE_NON_INODE to validate non-inode dnodes and prevent rare kernel crashes tied to faulty node footers.
Virtualization receives attention as well. Within KVM/x86, redundant L1 intercept checks during userspace I/O completion have been eliminated, ensuring more predictable I/O handling when permission bitmaps shift. The 9p network filesystem resolves a double-free risk involving request lists, tightening concurrency safety.
Crypto components see important code hygiene improvements. The DRBG implementation now enforces set_ent presence, the zstd compression backend corrects return type handling with size_t, and a prior change disabling SHA-1 under FIPS has been rolled back, restoring compatibility for existing test cases.
Device management and power handling tweaks further streamline system behavior. The driver core aligns power.no_callbacks with power.no_pm flags, while faux devices are now explicitly excluded from power management routines. Meanwhile, the staging: axis-fifo driver integrates three targeted fixes — FIFO flushing on read errors, a new bounce buffer for failed user copies, and packet length validation to prevent buffer overflows.
Serial drivers also receive practical adjustments. The STM32 UART driver now supports console functionality when built as a module, and Qualcomm GENI serial reverts a runtime PM change that was causing hangs on RB1 boards. The option USB serial driver gains support for the SIMCom 8230C modem.
Peripheral updates include refined USB and wireless support: rtl8xxxu and rtl8192cu drivers stop claiming an incorrect USB ID (07b8:8188), while a new ID (2001:332a) adds compatibility for the D-Link AX9U using the RTL8851BU chipset. On the graphics side, amdgpu now enables the MES lr_compute_wa flag by default to address hang scenarios under heavy compute loads.
Documentation improvements in the Rust subsystem correct PCI and block references and clean up srctree/ link paths for DRM modules.
Linux kernel 6.17.2 continues the project’s incremental refinement under Greg Kroah-Hartman’s stable branch, keeping the codebase consistent and maintainable across hardware and subsystem boundaries. Full technical details are listed in the official ChangeLog.
