OpenBSD 7.9 (60th release, May 19 2026) ships hybrid CPU scheduler, delayed hibernation, DRM updated to Linux 6.18.22, and broad new hardware support across arm64, riscv64, and amd64.
Key Takeaways
hw.blockcpu sysctl lets operators exclude SMT, performance, efficient, or lethargic CPU classes from the scheduler; works on amd64 and arm64.
Delayed hibernation (machdep.hibernatedelay) wakes a suspended system after a set time to hibernate, preventing battery drain.
amd64 gains AMD SMU support for deep suspend power states, parallel fault handling, and a fix for machines with >512GB RAM.
SpacemiT K1 (riscv64) gains full driver stack including smtclock(4), smtgpio(4), smte(4), and dwpcie(4); fixes random SIGSEGV on X60 cores.
VMM/VMD improvements include vmboot for sysupgrade(8) in VMs, Apple Virtualization support, and AMD SEV for vioscsi(4).
Hacker News Comment Review
Commenters flagged hw.blockcpu as a novel scheduler primitive; the four-letter sequence (S/P/E/L) defaulting to “SL” removes SMT and lethargic cores, which is an unusual design choice worth testing on hybrid laptops.
Exim being dropped from ports is considered significant for mail operators; OpenSMTPD is the recommended replacement and commenters with multi-year production experience on both OpenBSD and Linux report no stability issues.
Hardware support limits remain the main objection to wider adoption; FreeBSD is cited as the practical BSD alternative for broader device compatibility.
Notable Comments
@upofadown: Exim dropped from ports; links a migration guide to OpenSMTPD for current Exim users.
@tiffanyh: Asks what a “parking lock” replaces the cas spinlock with; no clear answer surfaced in man pages.
