[TUTORIAL] Unofficial Kernel 7.0.0 RC3 Proxmox test.

[jaminmc]

Hi everyone,

I've just released an unofficial early-access Proxmox VE kernel based on Linux 7.0.0-rc3.

This is not an official Proxmox build — it's a custom rebase on the latest Ubuntu kernel sources with Proxmox defaults and local-build tweaks.
Full source and GitHub release here:
https://github.com/jaminmc/pve-kernel/releases/tag/v7.0.0-2

Why this build?

• ZFS 2.4.1 is built directly into the kernel (no DKMS, no rebuild needed after install — huge convenience win)
• Includes updated pve-firmware_3.20-1-jaminmc_all.deb for better hardware support
• Brings all improvements from 6.18 + 6.19 plus the new 7.0 features

Top 10 Changes in Linux 7.0.0 Since Kernel 6.17 That Benefit Proxmox

This kernel delivers measurable gains in KVM performance, memory efficiency, networking, security, and next-gen hardware support — perfect for higher VM/LXC density, live migration, ZFS/Ceph, and future servers.

1. KVM AMD ERAPS Support
   Guests on Zen 5+ now get full Enhanced Return Address Predictor Security virtualization. Better guest-side security mitigations with almost zero overhead — great for dense KVM setups.
   Phoronix
2. KVM Preparations for Intel APX
   Ready for Intel Advanced Performance Extensions (32 GPRs instead of 16). Future Nova Lake / Diamond Rapids VMs will run significantly faster.
   Phoronix
3. IBPB-On-Entry Hardening for AMD SEV-SNP
   Automatic indirect branch prediction barrier on every VM entry for confidential guests. Stronger protection on Zen 5 EPYC.
   Phoronix
4. Sub-NUMA Clustering (SNC) Topology Fixes
   Correct NUMA reporting on recent Intel platforms → better scheduling and live migration on multi-socket hosts.
   Phoronix
5. Critical SLAB Allocator Regression Fixed
   Fixed a severe memory-allocation slowdown. Big performance win for high-density hosts and ZFS.
   Phoronix
6. epoll Scoped User Access Optimization
   ~1.5 % networking throughput boost on AMD Zen 2+. Faster VM networking, iSCSI, and Ceph traffic.
   Phoronix
7. Scheduler Scalability & Fairness Improvements
   Better preemption and vCPU fairness → noticeably snappier VMs and higher safe overcommit on 64+ core servers.
   Phoronix
8. Next-Gen CPU Enablement
   Full support for AMD Zen 6, Intel Nova Lake / Diamond Rapids, CXL, NTB, DSA 3.0 and more. Future-proofs 2026+ hardware.
   Phoronix
9. Filesystem & I/O Enhancements
   Faster concurrent direct I/O in EXT4 + VFS improvements → better VM disk performance (especially ZFS passthrough).
   Phoronix
10. Memory Management Optimizations
    Up to 75 % faster page-cache reclaim → higher VM/LXC density and more efficient RAM usage.
    Phoronix

Important Warnings

• No Secure Boot support — this custom kernel is unsigned. You must disable Secure Boot in your BIOS/UEFI settings, otherwise the kernel will not boot.
• This is Release Candidate 3 — still pre-stable. Use only on test/non-production nodes.
• Full backup of VMs, containers, and ZFS pools is strongly recommended before installing.
• Monitor live migration, Ceph, and ZFS performance. Keep your old kernel (6.17/6.19) as fallback.

Installation (super easy with apt)

Download all these files from the GitHub release page into one folder (e.g. ~/kernel-7.0):

linux-tools-7.0_7.0.0-2~jaminmc1_amd64.deb
proxmox-headers-7.0_7.0.0-2~jaminmc1_all.deb
proxmox-headers-7.0.0-2-pve_7.0.0-2~jaminmc1_amd64.deb
proxmox-kernel-7.0_7.0.0-2~jaminmc1_all.deb
proxmox-kernel-7.0.0-2-pve_7.0.0-2~jaminmc1_amd64.deb
proxmox-kernel-libc-dev_7.0.0-2~jaminmc1_amd64.deb
pve-firmware_3.20-1-jaminmc_all.deb

Then run:

cd ~/kernel-7.0
sudo apt install ./*.deb

After a reboot, check:

uname -r
pveversion

Feedback, test results, or bug reports are very welcome!
I’ll keep updating the thread as I release newer RCs.

Thanks for testing!