ʟ ɪ ɴ ᴜ x🐧

Upcoming Linux kernel 7.3 is one of the most performance-focused updates in years. Btrfs gets 3x to 5x improvements across logging, fsync, extent buffer tracking, and direct I/O. The default free-space cache also switches from v1 to v2. EXT4 is getting faster as well. Parallel direct I/O writes, multi-block allocator improvements via fallocate(), and IOPS jumping from 1.92M to 2.19M on Gen5 NVMe. The scheduler gets a major overhaul bringing massive improvements to frame pacing, especially on "potato"-class hardware. Memory management sees some improvements, too. zsmalloc contention fixes deliver 1.4x to 1.83x gains, with notable benefits for Raspberry Pi. KSM reverse-mapping lock times drop from over 500ms to under 2ms. That is a 100x to 500x improvement. SMP real-time latency improves sharply too. P99 latency falls from 17ms to 1.5ms, which matters a lot for DPDK and real-time workloads. Intel hybrid CPU users on Alder Lake, Lunar Lake, and Panther Lake get better P-core and E-core load balancing. Excited for Kernel 7.3.