As we approach the end of the calendar year, there are some uncertainties as to whether Linux 5.15 will become this year’s Long Term Support (LTS) kernel, or whether it will be Linux 5.16, although it may not be released until early 2022. Now Greg Kroah-Hartman has decided to confirm Linux 5.15 as the LTS kernel in 2021.
The Kernel.org release page has been updated to reflect that the newly released Linux 5.15 kernel is an LTS branch. Currently, the LTS period predicts that Linux 5.15 LTS will end support in October 2023. However, as is usually the case, this can be extended for several years if there is sufficient industry support. If enough users/developers and organizations stand up to provide support, and enough organizations actually use the LTS core in production, the LTS period can be extended for several years.
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Last year’s Linux 5.10 LTS kernel is currently planned to be maintained until the end of 2026, and Linux 5.4 LTS in 2019 will be maintained until the end of 2025. Therefore, if these conditions are met, Linux 5.15 LTS is likely to be maintained until the end of 2027.
Linux 5.15 is a very exciting update. At the same time, Linux 5.16 also has some big additions, leading some people to hope that Linux 5.16 will become LTS.