Tux Machines

News About Linux Kernel Space

Posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jan 31, 2025

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Notebook Check ☛ Servers and data centers could use 30% less energy with a simple Linux update [Ed: Again, merely a claim parroted as fact]

=> ↺ Servers and data centers could use 30% less energy with a simple Linux update

This means that data centers around the world could save several terawatt-hours of energy with just 30 lines of code.

The change that was first mentioned in a study in December 2023 couldn't be smaller. With just 30 lines of code, data throughput can be increased by up to 45% without significantly increasing the processing time for individual requests.

At the same time, energy consumption is significantly reduced. With a high utilization of computing capacities, savings of up to 30% are expected. Considering that most servers around the world run on Linux, this would result in a gigantic amount of electricity that could be saved.

Currently, servers and data centers are consuming an estimated 500 terawatt-hours today, and this number double over the next couple of years. 10% of that alone would be sufficient to completely power a small industrial nation like Denmark.

Network World ☛ Linux kernel tweak could cut data center power usage by up to 30%

=> ↺ Linux kernel tweak could cut data center power usage by up to 30%

An improvement to the way Linux handles network traffic, developed by researchers at Canada’s University of Waterloo, could make data center applications run more efficiently and save energy at the same time.

Waterloo professor Martin Karsten and Joe Damato, distinguished engineer at Fastly, developed the code — approximately 30 lines. It’s based on research described in a 2023 paper, written by Karsten and grad student Peter Cai, that investigated kernel versus user-level networking and determined that a small change could not only increase application efficiency but also cut data center power usage by up to 30%.

The new code was accepted and added to version 6.13 of the Linux kernel. It adds a new NAPI configuration parameter, irq_suspend_timeout, to help balance CPU usage and network processing efficiency when using IRQ deferral and napi busy poll. This allows it to automatically switch between two modes of delivering data to an application — polling, and interrupt-driven — depending on network traffic, to maximize efficiency.

Computer World ☛ Linux gets support for the Copilot key [Ed: Microsoft tattoos on hardware]

=> ↺ Linux gets support for the Copilot key

There is a special Copilot key on some Windows laptops that can be used to launch Microsoft’s AI assistant — and now support for the key is coming to Linux.

That support has been added in version 6.14 of Linux, though exactly what it will be used for depends on which Linux-based operating system you are running. Most users are likely to use the key to open any generative AI assistant.

Trusted computing encryption and cyber security for Linux embedded computing software introduced by SYSGO [Ed: TPM is an attack on freedom; its proponents are pushing GAFAM and IBM agenda against true security one can audit]

=> ↺ Trusted computing encryption and cyber security for Linux embedded computing software introduced by SYSGO

The decryption keys are stored and retrieved securely from the TPM during system boot. TPM also includes tools to manage board-specific devices.

=> gemini.tuxmachines.org