Massive ~2.3k Patch Series Would Improve Linux Build Times 50~80% & Fix "Dependency Hell"
upstart writes:
Massive ~2.3k Patch Series Would Improve Linux Build Times 50~80% & Fix "Dependency Hell":
Longtime Linux kernel developer Ingo Molnar posted a massive set of patches today: 2,297 patches that have been in the works since late 2020 and completely rework the Linux kernel's header file hierarchy. The goal of this "fast kernel headers" effort is to speed up kernel build times and also clean=up[sic] a lot of things in the proces[sic] to address the "dependency hell".
This massive set of patches touches most of the Linux kernel code-base as it reworks the header file handling for the kernel builds. But the end result is faster Linux kernel compilations both for clean builds and incremental builds.
Molnar wrote in the patch cover letter, "As most kernel developers know, there's around ~10,000 main .h headers in the Linux kernel, in the include/ and arch/*/include/ hierarchies. Over the last 30+ years they have grown into a complicated & painful set of cross-dependencies we are affectionately calling 'Dependency Hell'."
According to Ingo's figures, there could be as many as 78% more kernel builds per hour with the "Fast Kernel Headers" enabled kernel than the current stock kernel. A 50~80% improvement in the absolute kernel build performance on supported architectures is possible.
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