Farewell, old friend — Linux 7.0 finally ditches the ancient (but iconic) Intel 440BX chipset's EDAC driver, but what's next?
Summary
Linux kernel 7.0 marks a significant transition by removing the Intel 440BX EDAC driver, signaling the end of legacy support and emphasizing a focus on contemporary memory and CPU architectures. This update reflects the ongoing evolution of technology.
Key Insights
What is the EDAC driver for the Intel 440BX chipset?
The EDAC (Error Detection and Correction) driver monitors and reports memory errors on systems with ECC RAM, but for the Intel 440BX chipset, it has been non-functional since 2007 due to incompatibility with the Intel AGP driver, meaning hardware-level error correction still works without software notifications.
Does removing the 440BX EDAC driver mean the Intel 440BX chipset no longer works with Linux 7.0?
No, the Intel 440BX chipset itself remains fully supported in Linux 7.0 and works fine, including in virtual machines like VMware; only the broken EDAC driver (~500 lines of code) is removed to streamline the kernel.