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Linux LTS Kernel 6.12 and 6.18 Support Extended by Two Years by Greg Kroah-Hartman

Canopy DevTools

Linux kernel stable-tree maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman announced an extension of long-term support for Linux kernels 6.12 and 6.18, pushing their end-of-life dates from December 2026 and December 2027, respectively, to December 2028. The decision followed consultations with companies and other maintainers, and mirrors the real-world need for longer kernel support windows among embedded, enterprise, and Android vendors. Kernels 5.10, 5.15, and 6.6 retain their previously projected EOL dates and were not extended in this round.

Key Takeaways

  • Linux 6.12 EOL extended: December 2026 → December 2028; Linux 6.18 EOL extended: December 2027 → December 2028 — announced by Greg Kroah-Hartman on kernel.org mailing list
  • Kernels 5.10, 5.15, and 6.6 are unchanged; this is the first LTS period extension for the 6.12 and 6.18 branches
  • Decision driven by consultations with companies and maintainers; enterprise distros (RHEL, SLES, Ubuntu) already independently extend kernel support beyond official EOLs

Original source: FOSS Force