Linux 2.6.37 Kernel Promises to Unlock OS

“The goal of the new 2.6.37 kernel is to provide developers with
improved Linux performance, security and scalability.

“From a performance perspective the 2.6.37 kernel removes the
Big Kernel Lock (BKL). The BKL is a legacy part of the Linux kernel
that has now been fully supplanted by more modern and efficient
locking mechanisms for kernel processes.

“Memory management also gets a boost with a new retry page fault
when blocking on disk transfer patch, which was authored by Google
developer Michel Lespinasse. According to Lespinasse, with the
patch, a read access that used to perform at 55 iterations per
second will now perform at 15,000 iterations per second, with the
patch installed.

“Lespinasse isn’t the only one that sees promise in the new
patch.”

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