Daily update · Aug 21, 2026
Linux 7.3 merge window: DRM, MM, and virtio updates
A look at the latest mainline kernel changes, from AMD GPU modifiers to Landlock tracepoints.
In brief
The 7.3 merge window includes significant DRM updates for older AMD GPUs and low-VRAM systems, memory-management optimizations, and new virtio and Landlock features. Several bug fixes also landed, including a critical xe driver fix and MM hotfixes.
Highlights
DRM: AMD modifiers and dmemcg eviction
The DRM merge adds modifier support for AMD gfx6-8 GPUs, enabling better Wayland support on older hardware, and introduces dmemcg eviction to help low-VRAM devices like Steam Machines.
Why it matters: Users with older AMD GPUs may see improved display handling; low-VRAM systems can better manage memory pressure.
Memory management: page cache speedup and kmemleak fix
The MM merge reduces unnecessary xarray lookups in the page cache read path and avoids soft lockups when kmemleak scans task stacks.
Why it matters: Slightly faster page cache reads and more reliable kmemleak operation on systems with many threads.
Virtio: transport v3 and vduse suspend
The vhost/virtio pull adds virtio-mmio transport v3 support and suspend support for vduse, along with assorted fixes.
Why it matters: Better support for newer virtio devices and improved power management for vduse-based setups.
Landlock: tracepoints and new flag
Landlock gains tracepoints for observability and a LANDLOCK_RESTRICT_SELF_NO_NEW_PRIVS flag for more consistent domain enforcement.
Why it matters: Easier debugging and stronger sandboxing for applications using Landlock.
Bug fixes
xe: flat CCS storage leak
A fix prevents the xe driver from handing out flat CCS storage as usable VRAM, which could corrupt compression metadata.
Why it matters: Avoids potential memory corruption on Intel Battlemage GPUs.
MM hotfixes
The MM hotfixes include fixes for pagewalk, swap hibernation, memcg accounting, and RCU-tasks quiescent states in vmscan.
Why it matters: Addresses several memory-management bugs that could cause incorrect behavior or stalls.
eCryptfs hardening
eCryptfs receives hardening against maliciously crafted metadata and miscdev communications, plus locking fixes.
Why it matters: Improved security and stability for eCryptfs users.
SCSI core fix
SCSI updates include a fix for uninitialized sg list pad bytes and removal of the dma mask check for max sectors.
Why it matters: More reliable data transfers and fewer restrictions on large I/O.
Source commits3345 entries +
Merge tag 'for_linus' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/mst/vhost
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 37 files
Merge tag 'mm-stable-2026-08-18-18-39' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/akpm/mm
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 340 files
Merge tag 'mm-hotfixes-stable-2026-08-19-21-33' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/akpm/mm
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 6 files
drm/xe: Don't hand out the flat CCS storage as usable VRAM
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 1 files
Merge tag 'drm-next-2026-08-20' of https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/drm/kernel
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 1618 files
Merge tag 'fbdev-for-7.3-rc1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/deller/linux-fbdev
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 33 files
Merge tag 'scsi-misc' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/jejb/scsi
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 114 files
Merge tag 'for-linus' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/rdma/rdma
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 176 files
Merge tag 'mmc-v7.3' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/ulfh/mmc
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 50 files
Merge tag 'hsi-for-7.3' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/sre/linux-hsi
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 3 files
Merge tag 'for-v7.3' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/sre/linux-power-supply
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 86 files
Merge tag 'cifs-maintainer-switch-7.3-rc1' of https://git.manguebit.org/linux
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 2 files
Merge tag 'landlock-7.3-rc1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/mic/linux
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 49 files
Merge tag 'ecryptfs-7.3-rc1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/tyhicks/ecryptfs
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 7 files
Merge tag 'mips_7.3' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/mips/linux
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 20 files
Merge tag 'modules-7.3-rc1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/modules/linux
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 13 files
Merge tag 'livepatching-for-7.3' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/livepatching/livepatching
Linus Torvalds · Aug 21, 2026 · 2 files