Linux 2.6.26 kernel update released

 Linus Torvalds quietly released another update to the Linux kernel over the weekend that offers better support for kernel-based virtual machines, a kernel debugger, improved webcam support and new support for the One Laptop Per Child architecture. 

Version 2.6.26 was released on Sunday, July 13. What's most interesting is the inclusion of a kernel debugger, Linux contributor Jonathan Corbet writes. Torvalds declined to include a debugger for years but finally caved to the wishes of developers, Corbet maintains.  

Additional KVM support is the other key thing about 2.6.26. The update offers ports of KVM to the IA64, X390 mainframe and PPC architectures and basic paravirtualization support. KVM, an open source virtualization hypervisor, was introduced in the 2.6.20 kernel.

The update also offers support for PCI Express Active State Power Management, early support for the forthcoming 802.11s wireless mesh standard, enhanced webcam support provided by UVC drivers and a built-in memory tester.

The kernel also provides features for developers including support for read-only bind mounts, Lx86 Page Attribute Table and BDI statistics. The kernel includes a lot more features and enhancements that are thoroughly listed and explained here on the kernel newbies site.