Linux 6.2 Reaches EOL – Why You Should Upgrade to 6.3 Now

It is time to say goodbye to the Linux 6.2 kernel series because it has been marked EOL (end‑of‑life) on kernel.org , meaning it will no longer receive vulnerability fixes or security patches.

Linux 6.2 was released on February 19, 2023, introducing features such as protective load balancing (PLB) for the IPv6 stack, a new FineIBT control‑flow integrity mechanism for x86, support for Intel’s asynchronous exit notification, and expanded Rust infrastructure.

As a short‑term kernel branch, Linux 6.2 has now reached its end of life, announced by renowned kernel developer Greg Kroah‑Hartman in the release of version 6.2.16. He urges users to upgrade to the latest Linux 6.3 series as soon as possible.

In a mailing‑list announcement, Greg Kroah‑Hartman wrote: “I am announcing the release of 6.2.16. All users of the 6.2 kernel series must upgrade. This is the final 6.2.y kernel release; it has reached end‑of‑life. Please move immediately to the 6.3.y kernel tree.”

Therefore, GNU/Linux distributions that still use the Linux 6.2 kernel should plan to upgrade their users to the latest Linux 6.3 series. Most rolling‑release distributions, such as Arch Linux or openSUSE Tumbleweed, and many of their derivatives are already using the Linux 6.3 kernel.

Other popular distributions, like Fedora Linux 38, should soon receive the Linux 6.3 kernel upgrade, and Ubuntu users can also upgrade to Linux 6.3 following the usual procedures. Anyone can download and compile the latest Linux 6.3 kernel from the kernel.org website.

Linux 6.3 was released on April 23, 2023, adding new features such as an Intel VPU DRM acceleration driver, BIG TCP support for IPv4, Rust code support for x86_64 user‑mode Linux, support for the “ZBB” bit‑operation extension in RISC‑V kernels, and native support for the Steam Deck controller.

Unfortunately, this is not an LTS (long‑term support) series, so it is expected to reach end‑of‑life by the end of July, after which users will be prompted to upgrade to the upcoming Linux 6.4 series, slated for release around late June or early July 2023.