2016 Leap Second in SUSE Linux Enterprise

The next positive leap second, announced in July, is just a few weeks away. On that occasion SUSE Labs reviewed the readiness status for this event.

There is nothing new since June 2015, with the notable exception of SUSE Linux Enterprise 12 Service Pack 2 release, which is unaffected by all known defects in this area. Technical Information Document #7016150, issued by SUSE Technical Support for the 2015 leap second, is still applicable. It provides information about leap second handling and lists minimum package patch levels to ensure that older systems will deal with the time change gracefully.

One kernel issue you may have heard about is, however, not explicitly mentioned in SUSE documentation. It is high resolution timer expiring early and causing full CPU utilization. That is because SUSE Linux Enterprise was never prone to this defect and therefore no fix was necessary.

We hope that system administrators and technical support personnel will enjoy undisturbed New Year’s Day.