| Developer(s) | Red Hat |
|---|---|
| Initial release | February 26, 2014[1] |
| Stable release | 0.9.9[2]
/ 28 July 2023 |
| Repository | |
| Operating system | Linux |
| Type | Kernel extension |
| License | GNU GPL version 2 |
| Website | github |
kpatch is a feature of the Linux kernel that implements live patching of a running kernel, which allows kernel patches to be applied while the kernel is still running. By avoiding the need for rebooting the system with a new kernel that contains the desired patches, kpatch aims to maximize the system uptime and availability. At the same time, kpatch allows kernel-related security updates to be applied without deferring them to scheduled downtimes.[1][3] Internally, kpatch allows entire functions in a running kernel to be replaced with their patched versions, doing that safely by stopping all running processes while the live patching is performed.[4]
kpatch is developed by Red Hat, with its source code licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 (GPLv2).[1] In May 2014, kpatch was submitted for inclusion into the Linux kernel mainline,[5] and the minimalistic foundations for live patching were merged into the Linux kernel mainline in kernel version 4.0, which was released on April 12, 2015.[6]
- ^ a b c Josh Poimboeuf; Seth Jennings (February 26, 2014). "Introducing kpatch: Dynamic Kernel Patching". redhat.com. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ "Release 0.9.9". July 28, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ Sean Michael Kerner (June 6, 2014). "Linux Kernel Patching Gets Dynamic". ServerWatch. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ Jonathan Corbet (May 7, 2014). "The first kpatch submission". LWN.net. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ Josh Poimboeuf (May 1, 2014). "kpatch: dynamic kernel patching". LWN.net. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ "Linux kernel 4.0, Section 1.2. Live patching". kernelnewbies.org. April 26, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.