A few weeks ago, I was talking to saya, the French PS4 Linux dev and admin of the PS4 Linux French Discord group. He introduced me to LTO and mentioned that he was working vigorously to bring it to PS4 kernels. I was intrigued and decided to do a bit of research on the topic. Before we get to understand what LTO is and what it means for the PS4 Linux scene, I am just glad to announce that saya was able to get Aeolia/Belize kernel (5.15.15) with full LTO to boot successfully.
What is LTO?
Here is what the Ubuntu Wiki says:-
Link time optimization (LTO) is a way to run optimizations across multiple translation units, enabling more opportunities for optimizations at link time. Each source file is translated to an intermediate representation, which is then used at link to build an executable or a shared object/library. The optimizations allow for faster code and smaller files.
In a nutshell, this would generally mean that any device using an LTO-enabled kernel would have better memory/RAM optimisation. And thus, is expected to run faster. To get you a better idea, check Phoronix’s comparison showing slightly better performance in systems using LLVM Clang and LTO, over those that use LLVM Clang or GCC compilers alone. Now, keep in mind that those tests were run on a Ryzen 9 5950X PC running kernel 5.14.
While such results cannot be expected on a PS4 right now, there is a high chance that says’s LTO work could bring better things to the PS4 Linux scene in the near future. Does that mean there are no improvements for now? Not at all!
PS4 Aeolia/Belize LTO Kernel (5.15.15): What to expect?
One of the first things saya noticed is the jump in VKMark score, as seen from the screenshots below.
Apart from that, the kernel also has support for the following drivers/features:-
- Gaming improvement patches (FSR, fsync, etc.)
- FAT32, NTFS, Exfat, Ext4 support
- Controller drivers – Wii, Switch pro, Xbox 360 (Wired, Wireless, with some Microsoft USB/Bluetooth adaptorrs), DS3 & DS4 (Wired, Wireless)
- USB Internet Tethering (Android, iPhone)
- Snapd & Flatpak
- Driver for PS3 Webcam & Microsoft Kinect 360
- MT7668 Bluetooth
- Firewall (ufw on Ubuntu, for example)
- Various Power LED colour options
Download
Depending on your preferences, here are the links to download these kernels:-
- Full LTO
- Thin LTO
Quick overview of LTO Kernel compilation on PS4 Linux
saya also has been kind enough to share a few videos showing the actual Full LTO and Thin LTO compilation on a PS4 Linux distro, modified specifically for this purpose. If interested, you can check these out as well.
PS4 Linux Full LTO Kernel Compilation (Belize)
PS4 Linux Thin LTO Kernel Compilation (Belize)
Demo of Power LED Colours
Conclusion
If you do like saya’s work, support him by subscribing to this YouTube channel. You can also support him by providing beta testing of his upcoming projects by joining his Discord channel.
can you tell me whitch one of LTO do u recomand (Full or Thin)?
saya recommends Full LTO.
So LTO is automatically enabled when we use this kernel? No commands needed?
Yes, it is automatically enabled.
Is VPN supported?
I guess most VPNs would be supported. But, this kernel might not have the patches that I supplied in my recent kernel with support for almost all VPNs.
ive been trying to get linux working on my ps4 for days now and i dont know what the problem is, i followed the tutorial from modded warfare but it didnt work until i got the kernel file from here, the problem now is that when i put the command exec install-psxitarch.sh it doesnt detect my usb stick, can you help me? i have aeolia
Did you try using a different USB stick?
As this kernel does not support wifi for my ps4 pro and i just successfully compiled this integrated version with no initram modification needed from here https://ps4linux.com/forums/d/263-mt7668-proper-drivers-from-623-for-515/2 I’d love know exactly which tweaks are in this kernel to get the same version with initram independent wifi. Any chance to get the source? my current build is using the kernel supplied with your mt7668 tutorials.
This is fine on it’s own but merging those lines sounds reasonable to me